Our Path

Value Culture was brought to life at the end of 2019 by award winning founder Adam Swig, who spent the previous decade personally fulfilling the mission of Value Culture throwing successful cultural and philanthropic events that supported over 50 diverse non profits (see Founder's Story). There were barriers to his philanthropic endeavors as a private citizen which led to a need to start a 501c3 non profit public benefit corporation to amplify his community visions, Value Culture. The impacts being made, communities being served, and the niche being filled by Adam’s community events made a 501c3 all the more relevant and necessary to create. 

Value Culture started off with momentum not for profits dream of. Announcements in local press, events at the buzzy Manny’s in San Francisco, Sundance Film Festival, the SF art party of the year with Gagosian and friends, followed by a massive event at San Francisco’s Main Public Library, a legendary live Goat Valentines Day event, a historic Shabbat, and a weekly event at the hottest new nightclub in San Francisco by H.Wood Group. Word about Value Culture was getting around town, the subscriber list grew, opportunities were everywhere, and a full lineup of events on deck. It all came to a halt. Covid-19. 

What does an events non profit do when it becomes lethal for the public to congregate? Close up shop and wait it out? No way! Value Culture did what it does best, reacting to cultural needs at hand. As others did indeed sit it out, Value Culture went full speed ahead on creating virtual events, and safe outdoor public events. The first virtual project Seder Stream made the news connecting those celebrating the Jewish holiday Passover to virtual seders around the globe to keep the ancient tradition from being disrupted; thousands were able to find seders in newly discovered communities around the world. Value Culture continued creating newsworthy zoom programs bringing focus to social issues, non profits, and philanthropy. Socially Distant events followed like beach clean ups, outdoor art shows, Covid relief drives, public art projects to prevent vandalism, drive-in concerts, and picnics to round out 2020.

Things amplified in 2021 starting on International Holocaust Remembrance Day when Value Culture started a Clubhouse and brought Sami Steigmann, Holocaust Survivor on the popular social audio app to fight anti semitism and bring cultural awareness to the masses on the app. The 16 hour program went viral. Value Culture’s brand online began to grow to tens of thousands of Clubhouse members and beyond. Value Culture brought leaders from diverse communities on to Clubhouse for talks and question and answer like Martin Luther King’s good friend and collaborator Dr. Clarence B. Jones plea for non violence, Ben Fong Torres and his rock and roll experiences with Rolling Stone Magazine, and survivors of violence, holocaust, and genocide. A weekly Havdalah program made Jewish community history bringing together Jews of all sects in conversation and prayer like never before. A weekly music showcase called Campfire Jams became a hit for quarantine artists to play and collaborate. These programs reached thousands and thousands of listeners offering education and healing. Value Culture continued it’s online success to new collaborative levels co-producing a star studded Passover seder on Clubhouse with over 60,000 listeners, and celebrities like Tiffany Haddish, Jeff Garlin, and Mayim Bialick participating. Value Culture created the first ever “Afikomen NFT” that became a viral news story and fundraising success. See Value Culture in the news here.

As life began to return to in person gatherings, Value Culture succeeded in producing dozens of family friendly outdoor events, followed by indoor events later in the year. A welcome back concert was put on at the historic bandshell stage in Golden Gate Park with reggae legend Pato Banton and other artists representing their cultural backgrounds. Value Culture went on to partner and support over 50 organizations, and businesses on unique in person events, featuring dozens of artists. A successful artist-in-residence program, pop up gallery, and cultural event space led the featured artist, Last Black Man of San Francisco actor Jimmie Fails, to fall in love with the mission of Value Culture and is enthusiastically joining the board in 2022. In total Value Culture has partnered, worked with, and supported over 100 organizations and small businesses in only 2 years, benefitting and engaging thousands of people local and globally. See Past Events for more details, and see Event Photos here,

Value Culture is proud to support small independent local businesses, under represented artists, and hire equitable and diverse staff. We work giving at risk young people opportunities to assist in event production, and internships for high school and college students. We are also a unique non profit with one of our focuses to amplify other non profits.

The Story continues in 2022, with Value Culture having a taste of global impact. Fundraising will decide the scale of efforts and impact. The Value Culture brand continues to evolve. It’s a hub for young Jewish people to connect with their heritage, a supporter and amplifier of diverse arts and artists, a strategic cultural partner, a community facilitator, an entry point for volunteering and giving back, and a remover of the barriers to arts, culture and philanthropy. We are intersection of cultures bringing together diverse audiences to experience arts, culture, and conversation that is healing our broken world and building cross-cultural understanding,