Grantmakers in the Arts

Trends in Northwest Giving is Philanthropy Northwest's biennial report on organized philanthropy in our six state region (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming). The 2012 edition analyzes over $1.08 billion in grants made to Northwest nonprofits in 2010, offering the first in-depth look at the recession's effect on giving to the region.

While Kansas plans to overhaul its arts agency this summer to focus it on generating new jobs, state funding for arts programs remained uncertain as legislators continued discussing budget issues Saturday.

An update on the state of arts education, a primer on how to engage in public policy and an inspirational speech by GIA's Janet Brown about the rewards of doing so were on tap in Trenton on Thursday, where nearly 200 artists and arts, civic and political leaders came together for "ArtsDay 2012."

The Obama administration has proposed new rules designed to encourage foundations to spend money to promote the social good in ways other than grants, for example through low-interest loans or stock purchases in for-profit companies.

With concerns over job creation and business growth holding a prominent—and persistent—position on policy agendas today, governors are increasingly finding innovative ways to support economic growth, according to a new report, New Engines of Growth:  Five Roles for Arts, Culture, and Design  from the National Governors Association (NGA).

Ian David Moss unpacks the theories and myths around the slippery relationship between investing in the arts and economic development, starting with the the recent reporting on "vibrancy indicators" of the ArtPlace program.

In memory of Maurice Sendak, who wrote In the Night Kitchen just in time for child me to adore it, an entry in the exceptional blog Letters of Note on Sendak's publisher's response to the news that public librarians were censoring the book, which features a sometimes nude child protaganist. Some books were burned, others were doctored by hand, with tiny diapers added to the illustrations. Included in the post (here) are publisher Ursula Nordstrom's letter to one of the offending librarians and a formal press release.

The Hollywood, Health & Society program has helped shape more than 300 stories on television shows in the last two years, according to Ms. de Castro Buffington. She said the stories can be more successful than other types of publicity.  Some of America’s biggest philanthropies are helping to shape those kinds of storylines in an effort to educate the public about global health and other causes they care about.