Grantmakers in the Arts

The inquiry described in Philanthropy and the Regeneration of Community Democracy is located within a current debate in philanthropy and among its critics about the behavior of public foundations (including community foundations) and private foundations alike. The underlying assumption among foundations of all kinds has been that productive change comes from technical intervention through programs and services.

Last week, the Community Foundation of New Jersey announced the guidelines for the New Jersey Recovery Fund, which was established in the days following Hurricane Sandy to support the nonprofit sector and its long term recovery work.

The Fund focuses on five overarching areas:

• Public information and community engagement
• Reframing the conversation: policy reform to support resiliency and sustainability
• Innovative community/regional planning demonstration projects
• Environmental protection and restoration
• Community-driven/participatory arts projects

Southern Methodist University announced today that its Meadows School of the Arts and Cox School of Business are leading a collaboration with the Cultural Data Project (CDP) and numerous other partners to create a National Center for Arts Research (NCAR) at SMU.

Funders for LGBTQ Issues recently released a new report, which found that U.S. foundation funding for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities grew by 27% in 2011, reaching a record-breaking high of $123 million.  The report, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Grantmaking by US Foundation (2011), is the latest edition of the funding network’s annual tracking report on the scale and character of U.S.

The Founding Fathers Write a Grant Proposal

“Just look at this second sentence!” groaned Samuel Adams. “'We hold these truths to be self-evident…' This flies in the face of 'evidence-based practice'! We'll never get funded!” Another delegate had a different complaint: “This mission statement is way too long!” he wailed. “Mr. Jefferson, no one will ever read this 'Declaration of Independence' of yours.”

Grantmakers for Education will host a webinar on Tuesday, February 26 titled Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners: Non-cognitive Factors and OST. The webinar is free for GFE members and $40 for non-members. New York Times writer Paul Tough’s latest book has sparked a conversation in education reform circles about the role of “grit, curiosity, and character” in helping at-risk children succeed. But what does the research say? A recent report funded by Raikes Foundation and Lumina Foundation and produced by the Consortium on Chicago School Research, examines the evidence about the role of noncognitive factors in shaping academic performance and persistence.