GIA Blog

Rainin and Hewlett Foundations Launch $1.7M Grant to Help Keep Artists in Oakland
Posted on December 7, 2016 by Monica

From KQED:

On Tuesday, Oakland officials announced the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation are providing Oakland with a $1.7 million grant to help arts groups stay in Oakland in a viciously competitive real estate market.

The Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST), an organization which helps broker real estate deals for cultural organizations, will administer the grants. “The assumption is not that artists or arts organizations are un-businesslike, but simply the making of art is a different core business than real estate development,” CAST executive director Moy Eng says.

Janet Brown to Step Down as Grantmakers in the Arts President & CEO
Posted on December 5, 2016 by Monica

In a letter to members today, Grantmakers in the Arts President & CEO Janet Brown announced that she will step down from her position at the end of 2017. Brown has been CEO of GIA since January 1, 2009.

“GIA is in a great position to move to another level of effectiveness, and I feel new leadership will do that best,” Brown explained. “It has been an honor to lead an organization that has such a passionate board, staff, and membership who believe in the power of artists and the arts to reflect and change us. Although I am leaving GIA, I am not leaving the field and am excited about the opportunities that may present themselves for my involvement.”

The board will conduct a national search for Brown’s replacement led by incoming board chair Angelique Power, president of The Field Foundation of Illinois.

Read the press release.

NEFA Report Evaluates 20 Years of the National Dance Project
Posted on December 1, 2016 by Monica

New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), in collaboration with Metris Arts Consulting, released Moving Dance Forward: NEFA’s National Dance Project at 20 & Critical Field Trends. This study evaluates the historic contributions of the NEFA’s National Dance Project to the development of the dance field, and investigates how choreographers today create their work and economically sustain themselves, as well as their motivations for touring.

Read the report.

NEA Publishes Creative Placemaking Book, Holds National Convening
Posted on December 1, 2016 by Monica

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has recently published How to Do Creative Placemaking: An Action-Oriented Guide to Arts in Community Development. The book features 28 essays from thought leaders active in arts-based community development as well as 13 case studies of projects funded through the NEA’s creative placemaking program, Our Town.

Trump selects Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary
Posted on December 1, 2016 by admin

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Betsy DeVos as his nominee for Secretary of Education. “DeVos, 58, chairs the American Federation for Children, an advocacy group that has aggressively pushed to expand charter schools and school voucher programs that provide families with public money to spend on private school tuition,” according to Politico. Read the article.

New from the GIA Reader: Arts and Environmental Sustainability Thought Leader Forum
Posted on November 30, 2016 by Steve

In an article in the latest issue of the GIA Reader, Alexis Frasz, codirector of Helicon Collaborative provides a summary of GIA’s Arts and Environmental Sustainability Thought Leader Forum, which brought together arts and environmental funders to discuss cross-sector work.

Impact Investing in the Arts
Posted on November 28, 2016 by Monica

A recent article in The New York Times highlights the work of individuals and organizations making impact investments in the arts, including Upstart Co-Lab, SeaChange Capital Partners, and Calvert Foundation. “Channeling investments into real estate is the easiest route … because many arts organizations have buildings and a need to upgrade or maintain them.”

Vu Le: "Nonprofits Need a New Social Contract With Foundations"
Posted on November 17, 2016 by Monica

In a recent editorial in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Vu Le advocates for a “new social contract” between nonprofits and foundations in response to the recent presidential election. Le urges foundations to do away with “old ways of doing business” and offers nine ways that foundations can better support nonprofits through changes in funding practices and policies.

Rip Rapson: “What Does Philanthropy Do Next?”
Posted on November 16, 2016 by admin

In a statement from President and CEO Rip Rapson, The Kresge Foundation reaffirms its commitment to justice and the public good: As national discourse and energy pivots from campaign mode into the realities of governance, philanthropy is particularly called upon to identify and actualize its values and missions to ensure that society heals and progresses … Continue reading Rip Rapson: “What Does Philanthropy Do Next?” →

Rip Rapson: "What Does Philanthropy Do Next?"
Posted on November 16, 2016 by Monica

In a statement from President and CEO Rip Rapson, The Kresge Foundation reaffirms its commitment to justice and the public good:

As national discourse and energy pivots from campaign mode into the realities of governance, philanthropy is particularly called upon to identify and actualize its values and missions to ensure that society heals and progresses in a positive, just, and affirming way.

We need, above all, to affirm, elevate, and amplify the work that we and our nonprofit, public, academic, and private sector partners do. But we also need to be crystal clear about the values that undergird our reason for being. We need to anchor our aspirations and actions in the unalterable bedrock of what we stand for.