The Bold Italic is a San Francisco arts and culture publication.
No advertiser, sponsor, donor, grantmaker or fiscal sponsor reviews, approves, edits or sees our editorial work before we publish it. Support for The Bold Italic does not purchase coverage.
Who owns The Bold Italic
The Bold Italic is solely owned by Saul Sugarman.
We are a not-for-profit publication in partnership with Independent Arts & Media, a San Francisco 501(c)(3) organization that has provided fiscal sponsorship to Bay Area arts and media projects since 2000. IAM has been our fiscal sponsor since late 2023. Charitable gifts and grants supporting The Bold Italic are received through Independent Arts & Media.
No political organization, advocacy group, political action committee or lobbying firm holds any ownership, control or governance role in The Bold Italic.
How we are funded
- Reader subscriptions and individual donations
- Advertising served on thebolditalic.com
- Institutional sponsorships from cultural organizations and local businesses
- Grants received through our fiscal sponsor
Editorial independence
We are editorially independent. We cover San Francisco arts organizations that we also partner with on events and promotions. When we write about an organization we have a business relationship with, we say so in the story. Our fiscal sponsor handles financial administration and compliance. It has no editorial role of any kind.
Our history
The Bold Italic was founded in 2009 by the design firm IDEO and Gannett. It has changed hands several times since, including a 2-year period when the publication was owned by a 501(c)(4) organization. Our former owners did not vet, edit or approve stories, did not direct our coverage or ask us to reflect their positions, and did not raise money through the publication for their work.
Corrections
If you believe something we published is inaccurate, email saul@thebolditalic.com with the story and what you think we got wrong.
Last updated: August 3, 2026.