Grantmakers in the Arts

June 23, 2014 by Steve

From Patrick Sullivan, at The NonProfit Times:

The people of Seattle gave more online per 1,000 residents in 2013 than residents of any other city, at a rate of $53,542 per 1,000 residents. Residents generated $33.2 million from 201,502 donations. Those are some results from the Most Generous Online Cities 2013 report, produced by Charleston, S.C. software firm Blackbaud.
June 20, 2014 by Steve

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.

June 20, 2014 by Steve

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.

June 20, 2014 by Steve

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.

June 18, 2014 by Steve

From by Geoff Decker, writing for Chalkbeat New York:

The city should subsidize the salaries of new arts teachers for up to three years to make sure schools are complying with state arts requirements, a coalition of education advocates says. In a letter sent to Chancellor Carmen Fariña on this week, the group outlined tips for how the Department of Education should spend an extra $23 million that’s likely to be allotted to the arts budget next year. Arts spending has fallen over the past decade amid shifting priorities, hovering at around $300 million in recent years.
June 18, 2014 by Tommer

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.

June 16, 2014 by Steve

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.

June 16, 2014 by Tommer

Some wise humor from Andrew Taylor.