Arts Funders Respond

Laura Zucker, executive director of Los Angeles County Arts Commission and current GIA board member, was recently interviewed alongside Romina Boccia of The Heritage Foundation about the motivations and potential impacts of eliminating federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The … Continue reading Laura Zucker Interviewed with Heritage Foundation Rep on Possibility of Federal Arts Funding Cuts →

On her blog, Better Together, Grantmakers in the Arts President & CEO Janet Brown offers a moment of reflection and encouragement for arts funders in this time of transition: “In times of change and instability, there is also opportunity — opportunity to defend our values and more deeply assess whether those values are being implemented … Continue reading The Timeless Hope of Values and Mission →

From The Washington Post: A published report [from The Hill] that members of the Trump administration are considering sweeping budget cuts that include eliminating cultural agencies have left some arts leaders with a strong feeling of deja vu. Eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities would cut $296 … Continue reading Arts Leaders React to Possible Trump Call for Eliminating Cultural Agencies →

The New York Community Trust has announced a new program called The Liberty Fund, a “special funding opportunity to help New York City nonprofits address immediate issues affecting vulnerable New Yorkers.” The fund is a partnership with the New York Foundation and aims to address issues related to identity-based discrimination, mental health, health care, immigrant … Continue reading NYCT Announces The Liberty Fund for Immediate Community Support against Discrimination →

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Betsy DeVos as his nominee for Secretary of Education. “DeVos, 58, chairs the American Federation for Children, an advocacy group that has aggressively pushed to expand charter schools and school voucher programs that provide families with public money to spend on private school tuition,” according to Politico. Read the article.

In a statement from President and CEO Rip Rapson, The Kresge Foundation reaffirms its commitment to justice and the public good: As national discourse and energy pivots from campaign mode into the realities of governance, philanthropy is particularly called upon to identify and actualize its values and missions to ensure that society heals and progresses … Continue reading Rip Rapson: “What Does Philanthropy Do Next?” →

Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation, has issued a letter to philanthropic partners, grantees, and friends on the need for hope and dedication following the recent election: If we are to overwhelm the forces of inequality and injustice — if we are to dedicate ourselves anew to the hard and heavy lifting of building the … Continue reading Darren Walker on “Building the Beloved Community” after the Election →