Arts Funding Update: New Trends and Assumptions

Friday, October 8, 11:00 AM PDT / 2:00 PM EDT [PASSED]
Steven Lawrence, director of research, Foundation Center
Holly Sidford, president, Helicon Collaborative
Angela Han, director of research, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

Session 7 of the  2010 Web Conference Series

Description:

The recession has changed the landscape. Arts funders trying to do more with fewer resources are actively seeking information and data to guide their work. This web presentation, a preview of three forthcoming GIA research studies, will provide a comprehensive exposition and analysis of arts giving data designed for professionals in the arts grantmaking field.

Steven Lawrence of the Foundation Center will present an overview of “2008 Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture,” which surveys changes and trends tracked between 2007 and 2008, as well as predictions for 2009-10.

Holly Sidford will discuss “Arts Funding in the Recession: A Year Later,” Helicon Collaborative’s interview-based study, commission by GIA for the second year in a row and designed to capture current trends in foundation arts giving.

Angela Han of the National Association of State Arts Agencies will present current public agency data from “Public Funding for the Arts: 2010 Update.”

This web conference is free to GIA members and $35 for nonmembers. Advance copies of the articles from the Fall 2010 GIA Reader will be made available to all participants.

Presenter Bios:

	Steven Lawrence joined the Foundation Center’s research staff in 1991 and currently serves as director of research. Steven is author and editor of numerous reports on national, regional, and special-topic trends in the field of philanthropy, among them Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates, Social Justice Grantmaking, and various research advisories on the impact of the economic crisis on foundations. Steven serves on the GivingUSA advisory committee and the board of directors of Funders for LGBTQ Issues. He received a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.A. from the University of Chicago.
	Holly Sidford is President of Helicon Collaborative, a consulting company with offices in New York and California. She is a strategic planner, program developer, and fundraiser with more than 30 years’ experience leading and developing nonprofit cultural and philanthropic organizations. She has worked as a funder at the state, regional, and national levels; and has developed programming and management systems at a range of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in the U.S. and U.K. Prior to founding Helicon, Holly served as the founding president of Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), a ten-year national initiative to expand support for creative artists, and as program director for arts, urban parks and adult literacy at the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund. She has held leadership positions at the Ford Foundation, The Howard Gilman Foundation, the New England Foundation for the Arts and the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities. Holly holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a Management Certificate from Columbia University.
	Angela Han is the director of research for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. She oversees research activities for and about state arts agencies, monitors relevant research and media about trends relevant to the arts and public policy, and works with members to utilize this information for advocacy, planning, and evaluation purposes. She also serves as a resource on the public arts sector, giving presentations and serving on advisory groups for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Education Partnership, and other state arts agency partners. Prior to joining NASAA, Angela served as executive director at the Plymouth Symphony in Michigan and at River Arts, an arts presenter in rural Wisconsin. She has also worked as a research scholar for Americans for the Arts and as a science educator for several organizations teaching urban youth. Current volunteer leadership positions include steering committee chair for Emerging Arts Leaders DC and board member for the Capitol Hill Chorale. Angela holds an MBA in arts administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a recovering flutist and former scientist, with degrees in both music (University of Windsor) and physics (Caltech).