Grantmakers in the Arts

Like so many of us, we’ve been focusing much of our efforts here at GIA on what our future might look like. In the face of injustices like the racialized impacts of the pandemic and murders of Black people by the state, we must continue to center our values in all our work, as we explore new ways to share our work.

“Where is the point of connection between people who are impacted by these systems of injustice and people who may have thought they had some distance from it? Where do they actually share a similar experience and how do you build a cultural strategy out of that point of connection?”

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project initiative will fund, according to the announcement, five projects "focused on confronting the past and shaping the future by challenging the narratives behind America’s monuments."

An article in Westword tackles how nonprofit leaders relate to foundations and power imbalance, among other obstacles they face.

''Philanthropy needs to widen its barriers of entry to include, promote, and recognize more members of our society,'' said Samra Ghermay, client engagement manager, Wingo NYC Fundraising Studio, in a recent article.

In her statement on Black History Month, The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman, Ann Eilers, expressed ''the contributions of Black artists to our nation’s creative and cultural wealth is unparalleled and help to define our country’s artistic legacy.''

Creatives in Place, a listening project featuring 22 Bay Area artists and their stories of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, gentrification and more during these complex times was recently launched by the Akonadi Foundation and Tao Rising.

For the month of February, GIA’s photo banner features work supported by Richmond Memorial Health Foundation.