From Patrick Sullivan, at The NonProfit Times:
Grantmakers in the Arts
California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has signed a state budget that includes a one-time $5 million increase in general fund support for the California Arts Council. This is the first time in over ten years the arts have seen an increase of general fund monies, after support for the Arts Council was cut by 94% in 2003.
The McKnight Foundation has named Minnesota visual artist, performer, designer, director, and teacher Sandy Spieler as the 2014 McKnight Distinguished Artist, in recognition of artistic excellence spanning four decades. Now in its 17th year, the annual honor includes a $50,000 cash award and recognizes individual Minnesota artists who have made significant contributions to the quality of the state’s cultural life.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has nominated Danielle Brazell as General Manager of the Department of Cultural Affairs. Brazell has led Arts for LA since 2006, transitioning it from an ad-hoc steering committee composed of local executive arts leadership to a highly visible arts advocacy organization serving the greater Los Angeles region. Brazell’s nomination is subject to confirmation by the City Council.
From by Geoff Decker, writing for Chalkbeat New York:
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) CEO Jonathan Katz received a special Distinguished Achievement Award from Americans for the Arts (AFTA) at that organization's annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 14.
Freedom Funders: Philanthropy and the Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1965 was commissioned by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, authored by Sean Dobson, president of Dobson Consulting. The report examines four foundations that played a critical, but often-overlooked, role in passage of the Civil Rights Act.