GIA Blog

From Philanthropy News Digest:

Anne Bown-Crawford has been named the new Director of the California Arts Council, the state agency announced. As lead executive, Bown-Crawford will promote the Arts Council's mission to advance California through the arts and creativity by way of the agency's grant programs, services, and initiatives.

Bown-Crawford currently serves as the Director of the Arcata Arts Institute and the Innovation Design Institute, both programs within Northern Humboldt Union High School District; as well as the Fine Arts Department Chair at Arcata High School. She is also chair of the Create CA Leadership Council, a statewide arts education coalition. She will begin her work at the California Arts Council in January.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Kristin Sakoda to head its Countywide Arts Initiatives as Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. The Los Angeles County Arts Commission provides funding for over 350 nonprofit arts organizations through a $9 million grant program and runs the nation’s biggest internship program. The Commission’s free community programs advance diversity and accessibility for the County’s 88 municipalities and 137 unincorporated areas. Ms.

The latest annual report from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) reveals the results of a survey of arts graduates conducted in 2015 and 2016. Responses from over 65,000 arts alumni show that 67% currently work in the arts. The survey also asked how skills acquired at their institutions compared to those needed for their jobs, what resources those institutions provided for career advancement, and how satisfied respondents were with those institutions.

Read the report from 2017 SNAAP.

The Center for Effective Philanthropy has published a report examining funder-grantee relationships and how program officers can support and strengthen these relationships. The report also recognizes 10 highly rated program officers based on a survey of grantees, including Sarah Lovan of The McKnight Foundation, Elizabeth Love of the Houston Endowment, and Emiko Ono of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, in partnership with the Ford Foundation, The JPB Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations, have announced the launch of the African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF). The multi-year national initiative is aimed at uplifting the largely overlooked contributions of African-Americans by establishing a grant fund for the protection and restoration of African-American historical sites. From the protection of Shockoe Bottom in Richmond to Fort Huachuca Black Officer’s Club in Arizona, the fund will help to support direct action needed to protect threatened sites of historic significance, address critical funding gaps for the preservation of African-American historic sites, and help uncover hidden stories of African-Americans connected to historic sites across the nation.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has published an easy chart comparing the current US House and Senate tax bills and how they could affect nonprofits. Click to enlarge.

ArtPlace America has announced $8.7 million in grants to 23 creative placemaking projects in communities of all sizes across 18 states and one US territory. ArtPlace has a deep commitment to funding in rural America, with almost 52% of this year’s funded projects working in rural communities.

Its National Creative Placemaking Fund has invested in communities across the country in which artists, arts organizations, and arts and culture activity help drive community development change across 10 sectors of community planning and development.

Jim Kelly has announced that he will retire as 4Culture’s executive director as of March 31, 2018. 4Culture is an independent public agency supporting arts, heritage, preservation, and public art in Seattle and surrounding municipalities in King County.

Under Kelly’s leadership, 4Culture has become the largest cultural funder in Washington State. During his tenure, over $130 million has been distributed into the sector to 2,800 individuals and groups.