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Some thoughtful ideas about the birth, life, evolution, and end of arts organizations are found in A Pragmatic Response to Real Circumstances by Anne Focke in the GIA Reader, Vol. 19, No. 3, Fall 2008.

At the 2001 GIA conference, Penny McPhee (then with the Knight Foundation, now president, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation) reflected on responses from two arts groups after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

In his book The Gift, Lewis Hyde posits that living artists provide talent and inspiration as gifts to society. He further notes that today’s artists are collectively in a predicament, living ‘in an age whose values are market values and … Continue reading →

If this recession proves as deep and lasting as some predict, might some foundations want to dig into their principal to increase grantmaking? Might significantly increased support now provide greater value in the long-term than preserving their capacity to maintain … Continue reading →

“‘Omidyar Network, during the next year, will increase its total investments and donations,’ officials at the organization said. The group also will add two new areas of investment and create six new management positions, filling them with executives from companies … Continue reading →

“A new GuideStar survey shows that the proportion of charity representatives reporting decreased contributions nearly doubled between 2007 and 2008, and that almost half of participants from nonprofits that rely on end-of-year gifts expect donations to decline during the last … Continue reading →

“Despite a tough economic environment, the holiday season is still a time for giving back. According to PayPal’s 2008 Holiday Survey conducted by Ipsos, nearly three quarters (73 percent) of online shoppers intend to give to charity this season, compared … Continue reading →

“The weakening U.S. economy will force many U.S. adults to cut back on holiday gift spending this year but will also make some more likely to give a “charitable gift” as a present this holiday season, according to a World … Continue reading →

“Many of the nation’s largest companies expect their charitable giving to remain flat or decrease this year amid turmoil in the country’s housing and financial markets, according to a new Chronicle survey. Of the 77 businesses that offered predictions for … Continue reading →

As a nation and as funders, we find ourselves in uncharted territory. The fundamentals of our economic and political lives are shifting beneath our feet. In the months ahead, much of the work that philanthropy and the nonprofit sector have … Continue reading →