Grantmakers in the Arts

Can Programs that Help the Military Save the Federal Arts Agencies?

March 28, 2017 by Monica

A recent article in The New York Times highlights some of the art therapy programs funded by the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities which serve veterans and their families. Given government support of veterans services, the article discusses how the success of these programs might influence conversations and decisions surrounding continuing funding for the endowments:

The fate of projects like the Warrior Chorus is likely to be determined in key congressional appropriations committees as they consider whether the two endowments should be funded, and at what level. In the past, lawmakers have cited the military and veterans’ programs when justifying budget increases for the endowments, which now each receive roughly $148 million.

March 27, 2017 by Monica

The Vermont Arts Council announced that Executive Director Alex Aldrich will step down on April 14 after more than 20 years leading the nation’s only nonprofit state arts agency. They have hired an interim executive director, Teri Bordenave, who will oversee day-to-day activities as well as assist in a national search for a new executive director.

March 24, 2017 by Monica in Support for Individual Artists

An article on Cleveland.com discusses the ongoing process for Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) as it reenvisions its grant programs for individual artists. CAC received criticism from Cleveland’s arts community after announcing plans to eliminate its Creative Workforce Fellowship grants and replace them with a new program, the Creative Community Fellowship. The article details the circumstances and strategies surrounding the program change, as well as CAC’s intentions in developing “a new, more equitable funding process.”

March 22, 2017 by Monica

An op-ed by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation President Earl Lewis discusses the unique role that the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities play in funding arts and culture initiatives across the country. Lewis highlights ways the Endowments have enriched society and filled a niche in the funding arena – supporting programs in underfunded rural areas, lending “validation” to projects that may have otherwise been overlooked by private philanthropy, supporting veterans’ programs, leveraging public-private partnerships, and providing resources beyond what may be available on a state government level.

March 22, 2017 by Steve

The latest issue of the GIA Reader features our annual Arts Funding Snapshot, an overview of national arts funding by the numbers. The snapshot includes “Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture, 2014,” based on the most recent completed year of Foundation Center data, and “Government Funding for the Arts, 2016,” prepared by the National Assembly of State Art Agencies (NASAA). Findings of these two reports will be presented in our March webinar.

March 21, 2017 by Monica in Racial Equity

PolicyLink has released a report supported by The Kresge Foundation revealing how arts and culture strategies are used to help create sustainable and equitable communities. Creating Change through Arts, Culture, and Equitable Development: A Policy and Practice Primer highlights both promising and proven practices that demonstrate equity-focused arts and culture policies, strategies, and tools. The report describes the role of arts and culture across many sectors: transportation, housing, economic development and financial security, health and food, youth and education, open space and recreation, and technology and information access.

March 20, 2017 by Monica

The Pop Culture Collaborative, a recent initiative founded by Unbound Philanthropy, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Ford Foundation, The JPB Foundation, and General Service Foundation, has announced its new leadership staff. The Collaborative aims to advance “the combined power of the entertainment, philanthropic, and social justice sectors to use pop culture strategies to create transformative change in the world.”

March 20, 2017 by Monica

In a new blog post at The McKnight Foundation, Arts Program Director Vickie Benson makes the case that the National Endowment for the Arts continues to illuminate the power of the arts, and that our communities are better off because of their work:

I’ve seen the fierce battles over these arts and cultural agencies play out before. I had a front row seat during my tenure as a program specialist at the NEA in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The critical difference is that the arts sector is in a better position now than it has ever been before in its ability to explain the value of these agencies and the work they support. Because of intentional strategies to support independent, large-scale research, the arts sector has far-reaching and deep data that we didn’t have twenty-five years ago.

Explore Solidarity Economy resources here

Future of the Field: Cross-Sector Creative Placemaking Series

Video from the GIA 2021 Conference are now available for streaming.

The Racial Equity Coding Project: Unpacking The “Why”

In this first of a three-part discussion, we are joined by Susan Feder, Adam Fong, and Maurine Knighton, as they discuss the Racial Equity Coding Project, why it was started, their experience with the earliest iterations of the coding measures, and how their reflections will inform steps forward.

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