Grantmakers in the Arts

On May 4, 2011, the Ford Foundation hosted Fresh Angle on the Arts: Reimagining Culture in a Time of Transformation, a full day of discussion and performances to explore the next frontlines of innovation and free expression in a revolutionary moment.

Video of complete sessions from this event are now available on the Ford Foundation website. This was the first of three foundation forums focusing on a range of social justice issues to mark Ford's 75th anniversary.

Check out the session videos here.

Ann McQueen recently announced the formation of McQueen Philanthropic, an advisory service for foundations, individuals and nonprofits. McQueen, formerly the senior program officer for arts/culture at the Boston Foundation, served on the GIA board from 2005 to 2010. She is currently a member of the board of Associated Grant Makers, a forum for New England foundations and their nonprofit partners. See McQueenPhilanthropic.com for more information.

In the just-published Evaluating Innovation, the fifth in a series of papers on philanthropic field building, Lucy Bernholz explores the meaning of innovation and presents three case studies on evaluation.

Philanthropic donors need to understand that “overhead” should not be considered a dirty word when it comes to nonprofit organizations. From Rick Wartzman at Bloomberg Businessweek:

On May 25, 2011 the House Education & Workforce Committee, by a vote of 23-16, approved HR 1891, legislation that terminates 42 federal education programs, including the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education. This bill is more serious than the annual funding measures that threaten to de-fund arts education, as HR 1891 permanently strips policy language out of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that allows the Arts in Education program to be funded each year.

Please join us next Tuesday, June 21, at 2:00 EST/11:00 PST for Arts Education | Common Core: What Are the Possibilities for the Arts?, a web-based presentation by Julie Fry of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Richard Kessler of The Center for Arts Education.

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies document covering activities in various state governments has new updates today from South Carolina, where legislation is in the works to reduce the funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission. Governor Haley has recommended eliminating the agency. Also, the latest from Kansas and other states.

Next Monday, June 20th, Paul Brest, president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, will be starting a conversation about general operating support on GIA's Talk Back blog.