Grantmakers in the Arts

This past Wednesday, Congress finally released its funding bill for the current fiscal year (FY) 2018. This bill was voted upon by the House and Senate and on Friday it was signed into law by President Trump. There is good news within the bill for the larger arts community and for all our collective work to advance arts education.

Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) recently announced the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania became a W.A.G.E. Certified museum. This certification was initiated with the understanding that the nonprofit sector has not been capable of regulating itself historically, nor has there been evidence of substantial change in present efforts, explains the organization.

Grantmakers in the Arts is pleased to announce 8 new members from across the nation, and a new co-chair, to the Support for Individual Artists Committee.

Despite the Trump Administration’s 2019 budget request that proposes the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), among other cultural agencies, federal funding for the arts increased as congressional leaders reached a tentative agreement Wednesday night on a $1.3 trillion federal spending bill.

The Memphis Music Initiative (MMI), dedicated to broaden and strengthen existing music engagement offerings in and out of schools and supporting youth-centered, community-based music spaces, released a new study that looks at the landscape of equity in arts funding alongside patterns of exclusionary funding practices which all too regularly confront black and brown arts organizations.

The arts community mourns the loss of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter of New York, who died Friday in Washington, D.C. She was 88.

"Louise has been a champion of the arts for decades and our organization and its members are profoundly saddened, but still spirited in her honor and grateful for all she has given in service to her constituents at home and nationwide through her passionate support for the value of the arts and arts education," said Americans for the Arts President Robert Lynch in a statement.

Before ceasing publication at the end of 2017, Createquity released a set of recommendations for arts philanthropists, including suggestions to create greater impact for the sector.

The Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF) will align 100 percent of their nearly half-billion dollar endowment with their mission, says their announcement. NCF is focused on finding solutions to climate crisis and growing inequality.