Grantmakers in the Arts

What changes are necessary for the arts sector to foster thriving institutions of color? That is the question that a newly released report posed to New York City–based African, LatinX, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA) arts and culture organizations.

Jointly commissioned by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The New York Community Trust, a report by Yancey Consulting shapes a conversation on how to do targeting funding for ALAANA-led organizations and questions whether sustainability is a valuable goal.

Open Signal, a media arts center in Portland, Oregon, embraces the power of community-driven media. From filmmaking workshops to artist residencies, Open Signal grew out of local cable access television and combines equipment and training "with a commitment to uplifting marginalized and less heard voices."

A new report commissioned by the Wyncote Foundation, "Investing in Local Journalism and Storytelling: Examples from Place-Based Foundations," profiles nine grantmakers — including community foundations and independent and family foundations rooted in place — detailing their media funding approaches, their grantees’ work, and how together they foster community engagement and creative storytelling.

Following the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria upon Puerto Rico in September 2017, the life of the island was forever altered. The cycle of crisis and recovery still persist for many, and philanthropy is a growing part of this ongoing conversation, rethinking Puerto Rico's daily dynamics.

Collective action toward realizing social justice is a constant venture, one that artists, cultural producers, and arts funders alike may find ways to connect and leverage fundamental resources. Nonprofit Quarterly interviewed two local foundation executives about philanthropic investments on the island, post-Hurricane and their particular methods to strengthen the nonprofit sector.

Elizabeth Alexander, renowned poet, distinguished speaker at President Obama's 2009 inauguration, and 2016 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, has been elected as the next president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Mellon Foundation is the nation’s most generous and active supporter of the humanities. Beginning in March, Alexander will become the foundation's first African-American female president, as The New York Times reported.

When a place attracts artists and craftspeople, when a community thrives because of its arts, one must pay attention. In Berea, called the state-designated “Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky,” this has happened in part because of intentional public funding.

Surdna Foundation announced the hiring of F. Javier Torres as program director of the Thriving Cultures program, where he will lead a $9 million grantmaking portfolio, sharpen existing strategies, develop initiatives, and deepen institutional knowledge to ensure maximum impact of the foundation’s dollars.

At a time where there is a critical need for unity and the energy of collaboration, affinity groups and funders from across the US will convene on February 12th and 13th for the 2018 Affinity Equity Summit and Solidarity, Defense and Action Funder Briefing, at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland, California.

"The ultimate goal of the briefing will be to come together and shape strategies that defend and move forward efforts to protect people, place and planet," mentions the agenda.

Larry Kramer, president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, penned a letter in which he reflects on philanthropy after, what he calls, “a year as tumultuous and unsettling as 2017.” Kramer points out the spirit of a funder’s work, the responsibility to steward tactfully a foundation’s resources, and the adaptations and responses required to navigate changes in the political landscape in the US and abroad.