GIA Blog

Quixote Foundation: Foundations Hold Money for the 1%. How Can We Stand with the 99%?
Posted on November 18, 2011 by Steve

The Quixote Foundation's Tiltings post for November 2011 addresses the growing “We are the 1%. We stand with the 99%” movement and focuses on the complicated relationships foundations have with the Occupy movement. It's a must-read for its thoughtfulness and for a pragmatic examination of what foundations can do positively in this political climate:

What do foundations have in common with the 1%? We’re organizations, not individuals, it’s true; but our raison d’être is using untaxed wealth to carry out the wishes of its “former owners.” As long as we stick to a few regulations, only the founders or their heirs and appointees can have a say in what we do. If this tax break can pay for itself by channeling riches into the public good, why is there no equivalent deduction for ordinary folks who make nonprofit gifts, unless they have sufficient income or assets to itemize?
NEA Announces 863 Grants and $22.543 Million in Funding
Posted on November 17, 2011 by Steve

At a public panel discussion in Rapid City, South Dakota, today, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman announced that the agency will award 863 grants to organizations and individual writers across the country. The awards total $22.543 million, encompass 15 artistic disciplines and fields, and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Open Philanthropy: Dragging Foundations Into The Internet Age
Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve

From Nathaniel James at co.exist:

Lucy Bernholz wants the giant organizations that dole out millions in funds to start embracing becoming more transparent, open, and democratic. It’s an uphill battle, but the Open Philanthropy movement is gaining steam.

Read the full article.

Resources from GIA's Art & Technology Preconference
Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve

Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM) has posted presentations and resources from the 2011 GIA Conference Art & Technology Preconference. Presentations slides and video material are available for downloading. To see what that preconference entailed, visit the archived 2011 conference website.

Big Blinding Flash of Discounted Concert Tickets
Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve

More on the debate over Ticket Discounting from Future of Music Coalition:

Back in May, Live Nation and online discount service Groupon announced a joint venture to bring live event tickets to the deal-a-day online discounting space. The service, dubbed GrouponLive, is meant to combine the local distribution power of Groupon’s online coupons with Live Nation’s broad reach as concert promoter and ticket broker...

With the initial success of the model, many believe that ticket discount sales will continue to grow in popularity and frequency. Benn, in an interview with BBC’s Radio 1, continued, “It’s definitely emerging. In tough economic times people will look at varying ways of pricing their tickets.” But others in the artist and promoter communities are concerned.

Nonprofit Views Offered by the Republican Presidential Contenders
Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve

From The Chronicle of Philanthropy, as the campaign for the GOP nomination progresses, keep track of the Republican candidates’ nonprofit activities, their records on philanthropic issues and stances on tax policy.

Art Therapy Transforms Warriors into Artists
Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve

This week, BBC premiered the film "Art for Heroes," an examination of the role of art therapy in the rehabilitation of military persons who are now combating post-traumatic stress disorder. From Cathy Malchiodi at Psychology Today:

Art making is pitched as an "unlikely weapon" against trauma reactions and presenter Tim Samuels explores just how drawing, painting and imagination are helping veterans to repair and recover from the psychological wounds of war.
The Philanthropic-Consultant Industrial Complex
Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve

From Jan Masaoka at Blue Avocado:

In the blink of 15 years, we've gone from a time when there was hardly any nonprofit infrastructure support to one where it feels as if the infrastructure—we coined the term Philanthropic-Consultant Industrial Complex—outweighs the nonprofits doing the actual work.
The Fight over Net Neutrality is Far From Over
Posted on November 15, 2011 by Steve

From Sean Bowie at Technology in the Arts:

Last month, I wrote about what I consider to be the most important public policy issue affecting the arts/technology community, the issue of net neutrality. Since then, a wave of new developments have shifted the playing field and ratcheted up the fight over what is quickly becoming one of the most contentious policy issues in all of Washington. With the new FCC regulations slated to go into effect this Sunday, the legal and political wrangling over the issue is far from over, and the very future of the Internet as we know it is at stake.
Alaska State Council on the Arts names new Executive Director
Posted on November 14, 2011 by Steve

The Alaska State Council on the Arts has selected Shannon Daut from Denver, Colorado, as the new Executive Director, effective January 9, 2012. Daut, 37, currently serves as Deputy Director of the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) a regional membership organization comprised of the 13 western state arts agencies. She replaces Executive Director Charlotte Fox, who has announced her retirement.