GIA Blog

Why Hewlett-Packard is Hiring Dancers
Posted on April 23, 2013 by Steve

From Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, writing for CNNMoney:

Most dance companies make money by selling tickets to their performances. Boise-based troupe Trey McIntyre Project has a more expansive business model: “We've decided that we have a real asset, which is the creative process itself. We're selling that,” says John Michael Schert, the company's co-founder and executive director. Companies are buying the pitch. Corporate giants such as Hewlett-Packard and Aetna have signed on, and The University of Chicago Booth Business School recently hired Schert for advice on getting inspired.
What Might be the Impact of a Cap on the Deduction for Charitable Contributions?
Posted on April 23, 2013 by Tommer

Today on Createquity: John Carnwath provides a detailed look at the proposed cap on federal income tax deductions for contributions that is part of the President's budget proposal, and what the effect on nonprofits might be.

In his most recent budget proposal, President Obama is seeking to impose a cap on itemized deductions in the personal income tax return – which includes the deduction for charitable contributions. This provision, part of the administration’s strategy to raise revenue to pay for government spending, has been a part of every White House budget proposal since 2009, and every year arts advocacy organizations join the rest of the nonprofit sector in opposing the changes.
Interview with Knight Foundation's Carol Coletta
Posted on April 23, 2013 by Steve

Barry's Blog interviews Carol Coletta, who was recently hired by the Knight Foundation as vice president/community and national initiatives, a position she will take up next month.

Barry: What are your thoughts on the issue of diversity within the arts? Should we be funding more efforts for all arts organizations to be more diverse - in their support, art, audiences and structures - or should we be focusing on supporting primarily diverse groups and organizations themselves? What is your thinking on the equity argument - that too much philanthropic support has gone to the larger, more traditional euro-centric arts organizations, and more ought to go to the smaller, and diverse organizations?
Seeking to Pare Standardized Tests, Legislators Take Aim at Testing Firm
Posted on April 22, 2013 by Steve

From Morgan Smith at The New York Times:

As the Texas Legislature moves to uproot the state’s standardized testing program amid an outcry from parents and school leaders, state lawmakers have focused their criticism on Pearson, the publishing and testing company that develops the tests.
Business Schools Embrace the Liberal Arts
Posted on April 22, 2013 by Steve

From Louis Lavelle at Bloomberg Businessweek:

Undergraduate business programs are, for the most part, no-nonsense degrees. You have your finance, your marketing, and your management—and the connection between what is taught in the classroom and the skills used on the job is pretty straightforward. But a number of business schools are beginning to experiment with something that might have been considered sacrilege a few years ago: incorporating the liberal arts—literature, history, science, and philosophy—into the business curriculum.
PCAH Turnaround Arts Initiative Featured on NPR
Posted on April 17, 2013 by Steve

From Elizabeth Blair for National Public Radio's All Things Considered:

Over the years, there have been a lot of claims about the benefits of the arts on the mind: Listening to Mozart makes you smarter; playing an instrument makes you better at math. One program — funded in part by the federal government — is putting these theories to the test.
Making a Profit for Nonprofits
Posted on April 16, 2013 by Janet

From Janet Brown from her blog Better Together

Grantmakers in the Arts is in the midst of presenting Conversations on Capitalization and Community in five cities over two months so my mind is a bit warped with an excess of nonprofit financial health talk. Making a profit for nonprofits isn’t easy because we fight public perceptions that we should have no profits, funding criteria that punishes profit and a professional norm that encourages any profit be spent on making the product of the nonprofit better.

Arts Education and Advocacy: An Investment in Every Child’s Future
Posted on April 16, 2013 by Steve

From Doug Herbert, writing for the U.S. Department of Education's Homeroom blog:

Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” April 9th was Arts Advocacy Day here in Washington, D.C., and thousands of advocates from across the country came to rally in support of arts education programs in our schools, pre-K through high school, that will solve the problem Picasso described.
Philanthropy’s Critical Moment
Posted on April 16, 2013 by Steve

From Vikki Spruill, writing for the Council on Foundations RE:Philanthropy blog:

We want the next generation to say: If you think the first 100 years of philanthropy were impressive, the next 100 years were even greater. For that to happen, though, we have to think differently about how we are going to work with each other and with the public and private sectors. Gone are the days of one-off transactions. Going forward, partnerships across our sector and other sectors will be at the core of the Council’s work. The new Council will be about connectivity, networking, trend and pattern identification, and leveraging the full talent and capacity of our field and other fields with which we collaborate.
Bob Lynch Addresses Sequester Cuts, Federal Funding on PBS NewsHour
Posted on April 16, 2013 by Steve

Bob Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, was interviewed by Jeffrey Brown last week for the PBS program NewsHour's Art Beat segment discussing how the federal government sequestration is affecting the arts in the United States. Lynch explains how funding for the National Endowment for the Arts is leveraged across the country on a state and local level.