Grantmakers in the Arts

**GIA WEBINAR** 🧭 Navigating Today's Funder Challenges: A Live, Expert Discussion 🧭 Meet our guest speaker, Jennifer Boll! Jennifer Boll is a seasoned lawyer who works with nonprofit organizations to precisely navigate legal complexities, risk management, and board governance. She oversees Legal Strategy at the D.O.N.E. - Department of Nonprofit Efficiency. Learn more about Jennifer and register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3GiHWz4

**GIA WORKSHOP** Grantmakers in the Arts invites you to a dynamic, three-hour online workshop designed to spark new conversations around capitalization, nonprofit financial health, and community building. Taking place on June 11, 2025, this session offers separate tracks for funders and cultural organizations, diving into strategies that center equity, resilience, and stronger funder-grantee relationships. Led by arts finance expert Rebecca Thomas and cultural strategist Sage Crump, the workshop promises fresh insights and practical tools to help reshape the financial future of the arts sector. Learn more about the workshop offerings and register here: https://bit.ly/3Rn2Ksr

**GIA WEBINAR** 🧭 Navigating Today's Funder Challenges: A Live, Expert Discussion 🧭 Join us for a 90-minute, live webinar on Tuesday, June 3 at 2pm ET/11am PT where experts from the D.O.N.E. - Department of Nonprofit Efficiency will share insights on navigating the current landscape, including legally informed communications, PR, and narrative strategies for protecting the mission and staff of cultural funders and beyond. Please note that this will be a live discussion that will not be recorded to encourage an open and honest exchange. Due to the interactive nature and the need for a focused conversation, registration will close one week prior on Tuesday, May 27th at 12pm ET/9am PT. Don't miss this opportunity to get your pressing questions addressed! You do not need to be a GIA member to attend. This program was developed in partnership with D.O.N.E. - Department of Nonprofit Efficiency featuring Jennifer Boll, Michael Braithwaite, Matthew Charles Davis, and sarah westlake. Learn more and register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3GiHWz4

**GIA WEBINAR** 💝 Beyond a Labor of Love: A Call to Action for Pay Equity and Transparency 💝 Meet our guest speaker, Cat Tager! Cat is the Executive Director of 3Arts, a nonprofit grantmaking and arts service organization that supports artists in Chicago and greater Illinois. Its focus includes women and nonbinary artists, artists of color, and deaf and disabled artists. A veteran arts administrator, Cat is also a musician and educator with a background in program development, management training, non-profit finance and accounting, and marketing strategy. She joined the 3Arts staff in 2022 as Director of Development and Partnerships following ten years of dedicated service on the 3Arts Board of Directors, during which she held the position of Board Chair from 2017 to 2022. In 2019, she took on the Associate Director of Education role, successfully leading the School’s education programs into and out of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an avid pie baker, caregiver, musician, and, as a recording artist, serves as a voting member of the Recording Academy. Learn more about Cat and register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/4c5QGEv

**ORGANIZATION NEWS** The Americans for the Arts Action Fund, founded in 2004 by Americans for the Arts, is a national nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to promoting arts and arts education through public policy. It works to mobilize citizen activists and influence legislation at all levels of government. As a 501(c)(4), it focuses on educating the public about how government decisions impact the arts. Free membership includes benefits like policy voting rights, legislative alerts, and access to a members-only PAC. The organization’s mission is to make the arts a core part of American life through civic engagement and advocacy. Learn more about the Arts Action Fund here: https://bit.ly/444pt30

**GIA WEBINAR** 💝 Beyond a Labor of Love: A Call to Action for Pay Equity and Transparency 💝 Meet our guest speaker, Kristin Abhalter Smith! Kristin Abhalter Smith is a multimedia artist, designer, and organizer who specializes in collaborative projects. She started ROMAN SUSAN ART FOUNDATION NFP in 2012, and has led the organization to share the work of 1250+ artists at 30+ locations. Her practice is focused on soft sculpture, printed and painted materials, and patchwork in relation to the body in motion. Themes of exuberance as well as grief are expressed through garments constructed with hand drafted patterns and found materials.The inspiration to collaborate and support other artists to produce their work is a continued thread of a professional background in scenic art and design for the stage. Kristin has an MFA from the University of Minnesota and is the founding director of Roman Susan. Learn more about Kristin and register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/4c5QGEv

**GIA CONFERENCE** 📘2025 GIA Conference Call for Sessions Extended to April 18th!📘 Call for sessions for the 2025 GIA Conference have been extended to Friday, April 18 at 5pm ET. We encourage GIA members to submit plans for workshops, panels, round table discussions, and affinity groups. Please contact senior program manager Jaime Sharp at jaime@giarts.org with questions. Learn more about guidelines and considerations, and submit your proposal here: https://bit.ly/4ikDVIj Join us in the Twin Cities on October 19-22, 2025, to reunite with the GIA community and continue propelling an equitable philanthropic agenda.

**GIA READER** In March 2025, GIA held our Spring Board Meeting in Hawaiʻi, engaging in a three-day learning journey with Native Hawaiian leaders, artists, and advocates. Discussions focused on the impacts of colonization, environmental challenges, and the importance of cultural preservation. The experience highlighted the role of art and community in fostering resilience and reclaiming Indigenous narratives. Read more in depth about our Board Days of Learning here: https://bit.ly/43OHh2a

**GIA WEBINAR** 💝 Beyond a Labor of Love: A Call to Action for Pay Equity and Transparency 💝 Meet our guest speaker, Sharbreon Plummer, PhD! Sharbreon Plummer, PhD (she/her) is a researcher and arts practitioner with a heart for expanding how artistic practice is defined, supported, and framed through theory. Her upbringing in southern Louisiana informs her interest and investment in how culture and ancestral memory act as influencers of identity and contemporary artistic production, especially within textile-based practices. For over thirteen years, her praxis has involved shaping resources for communities of creators whose work serves as an act of resistance, self-determination, and collective freedom. She is currently the Interim Artistic Director at Threewalls NFP and led the completion of their living wage policy report, From Living to Thriving, which contextualizes how to support artists equitably through a Black feminist lens. Learn more about Sharbreon and register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/4c5QGEv