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Arts Grantmakers’ Changes in Practice: Present and future

Submitted by Eddie on November 5, 2020

In a recent series of blog posts entitled The Future We Want, I laid out findings from a number of recent studies of how the grantmaking community has responded to the events of 2020, including the pandemic and the movement for Black lives. Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) has conducted a survey of recent and upcoming changes in arts grantmaking practices, receiving 142 responses, a response rate of over 50% of our members.

The survey has shown us that arts grantmakers have changed their practices to allow their grantees greater flexibility, have increased their support to organizations and individual artists and plan to continue to increase their support, particularly to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color artists and organizations.

Below are some highlights from the survey’s findings.

In 2020, arts grantmakers changed their giving practices in the following ways:

  • 57% of GIA’s survey respondents report increasing their giving in 2020
    • 28% increase their giving by 30% or more
  • 69% increased their number of grantees
  • 30% gave about the same
  • 13% gave less

Further…

  • 80% of GIA’s survey respondents have allowed for greater flexibility in the use of grant funds
  • 56% have made more general operating support grants
  • 49% have supported organizations they have not supported in the past
  • 49% have increased their communications with grantees
  • 41% have increased their grantmaking to individual artists/cultural workers
  • 26% have expanded their grantmaking practice to now include giving to individual artists/cultural workers

GIA’s study has found that arts grantmakers are planning on increasing the flexibility of support in the near future.

  • 50% of GIA’s survey respondents will allow for greater flexibility in the use of grant funds in the near future
  • 30% will make more general operating support grants
  • 50% will support organizations they have not supported in the past
  • 40% will increase their communications with grantees
  • 27% will increase their grantmaking to individual artists/cultural workers
  • 11% will expand their grantmaking practice to include giving to individual artists/cultural workers

In this survey, arts grantmakers reported they will make these changes standard going forward:

  • 50% of GIA’s survey respondents will allow for greater flexibility in the use of grant funds as part of their standard practice going forward
  • 35% will make more general operating support grants as part of their standard practice
  • 50% will support organizations they have not supported in the past as part of their standard practice
  • 40% will increase their communications with grantees as part of their standard practice
  • 33% will increase their grantmaking to individual artists/cultural workers as part of their standard practice
  • 20% will expand their grantmaking practice to individual artists/cultural workers as part of their standard practice
FIGURE 1. Increased Flexibility.
FIGURE 2. Support to Artists/Cultural Workers.

Arts grantmakers told GIA they will keep their support at current levels or give more in the near future:

  • 81% of GIA’s survey respondents will keep their grantmaking at current levels or increase it in the near future
    • 36% will maintain their current level of support
    • 46% will give more in the near future
      • 13% will give 30% more or higher in the near future
  • 19% will give less in the near future

Regarding how will grantmakers’ 2021 giving levels change:

  • 56% will keep their grantmaking at current levels or increase giving in 2021
    • 30% will keep their grantmaking at prior levels
    • 26% will increase their giving in 2021
      • 6% will increase their giving in 2021 by 30% or more
  • 26% have not fully determined their plans
  • 18% will reduce their giving in 2021
FIGURE 3. 2021 Arts Giving Projections.

As regards racial equity, a recent study by Exponent Philanthropy and PEAK Grantmaking revealed that only 18% of survey respondents changed their practice to including equity as a primary driver for grant decision-making. Only 29% of the 18% who changed their practice to embrace equity plan to continue this embrace into the future. Our nation is home to people for whom crises have always been upon them. The pandemic and higher profile murders of Black people by the state are just the most recent exacerbation of these long-standing crises, perhaps more visible than others.

GIA is proud to share that arts grantmakers report engagement with racial equity and projections for increasing support to BIPOC artists and organizations going forward.

  • 41% of GIA’s survey respondents report increasing their giving in support of anti-racism
  • 51% reported changing their practices by giving to more Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations
  • 61% will increase giving to BIPOC organizations & artists in the near future
  • 65% will increase giving to BIPOC organization & artists as standard practice going forward
FIGURE 4. Giving to More BIPOC Organizations & Artists.

This blog has just been a brief overview of the survey’s findings. GIA will continue to update this information, providing greater detail as well as stories from the field.