GIA Blog

The saga of the Philadelphia Orchestra continues as plans for filing chapter 11 are made. It is the orchestra management's position that the $140 million in orchestra and Academy of Music endowment is donor-restricted, earmarked to remain forever in endowment, and is therefore untouchable. Others are not convinced.

In an article for the Consumer Health Foundation's publication Connections, Gay Hanna, executive director of the National Center for Creative Aging, outlines several types of integrated arts/humanities/medical programs, including arts therapy, creative aging programs, and the introduction of arts and humanities curricula into medical training.

Culture Connects All: Rethinking Audiences in Times of Demographic Change, a benchmark report published by Partners for Livable Communities and funded by MetLife Foundation, offers new audience-building opportunities for arts and cultural organizations to engage two of America’s fastest growing populations: older adults and immigrant populations.

From Surdna Foundation:

After 17 years of exceptional leadership, Ellen B. Rudolph has decided to leave her position as Program Director of the Surdna Foundation's Thriving Cultures Program on September 30, 2011. Over the next year, however, Ellen will assist Surdna with a leadership transition and manage three specific assignments related to the future development of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship program (SATF), and an early assessment of the Foundation's initial grantmaking in Community Driven Design.

(4-15-2011) Related to yesterday's post on the tax code overhaul is Liz Skinner's story in Investment News, in which she reports an uptick in charitable donations inspired by the December 2010 tax deal (extending the Bush-era tax cuts) and the potential limits (28% of the dollars donated) on charitable deductions under President Obama's proposed plan.

Read the article here.

(4-14-2011) President Obama's deficit reduction strategy includes a plan to convert mortgage interest and charitable contribution deductions into limited tax credits.

Richard Rubin, writing for Bloomberg does a thorough job of capturing the complexity of the tax debate here.

(4-13-2011) The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has awarded $3.5 million to establish the California Education Policy Fund, an initiative created to support innovative organizations working to reform education policy throughout the state with an emphasis on underserved students, the Foundation announced today.

(4-13-2011) Jim Copenhaver, Senior Partner, JC Enterprises, will assume the role of Interim President/CEO for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) effective July 1, 2011, if a permanent replacement has not yet been named. Jim will begin working with outgoing President/CEO Sandra Gibson and the staff to ensure a smooth transition. After June 30, Sandra will move into a new role as Special Executive through September to further assist with the transition.

(4-13-2011) The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with Arts Alliance Illinois, the Goodman Theatre, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, invite you to The Arts and Culture in Action, a discussion about how the arts contribute to the development of a thriving region.

(4-13-2011) From AFTA Arts Action News:

The House Appropriations Committee publicly released the final budget agreement for FY 2011 negotiated by President Obama with House and Senate leaders, which includes $155 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This represents a cut of $12.5 million from the FY 2010 enacted level of $167.5 million, which is significantly better than the previous House-approved level of $124.4 million.