Grantmakers in the Arts

(4-6-10) In an Opinion piece for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Ford Foundation President Luis A. Ubiñas addresses the national broadband access issue and explains why Ford has committed $50 million over five years to "support efforts that ensure both that broadband access to the Internet becomes a reality for all citizens and that public-interest values in the online space itself are protected." Citing research and statistics, Ubiñas makes a compelling argument for funders of all ilks to sponsor programs that increase access, while protecting basic freedoms of choice and speech.

(4-5-10) "We have never seen a confluence of specific urgencies, dynamic openings, and innovation like this moment represents. In each of our interest areas, conditions that favor progress have convinced us to spend everything over a short term.

(4-5-10) "'Trust us' is no Response to Those Who Doubt" is Jane Wales' (The Aspen Institute) Huffington Post summary of the recent spate of writing on philanthropy and the contemporary political environment. Wales addresses warnings from the field that suggest a potential backlash against the sector fueled by public anti-government/institution sentiments.

(4-5-10)  Ian Moss at Createquity, referred GIA to this comparison of cultural policy in Sweden, Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.

(4-5-10) As part of an effort to increase the impact of its giving, the Ford Foundation is to announce a plan on Monday to dedicate $100 million to the development of arts spaces nationwide over the next decade. The plan is by far the largest commitment the foundation has ever made to the construction, maintenance and enhancement of arts facilities.

(4-1-10) Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media is offering a briefing conference call on the recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival. The conference has been described as both amazing and overwhelming, and it can be challenging to absorb everything and turn rapidly changing technological and social landscapes into concrete opportunities for social change. For those who attended, the upcoming call provides a great chance to reflect and share ideas and ways of moving media grantmaking forward.

(4-1-10) The Foundation for Art & Healing today releases the proceedings from its Arts and the Heart Roundtable, a gathering of luminaries from the medical, arts and public health sectors regarding the connection between creative engagement and cardiac health. Held during the summer of 2009 in New York, the goal of the meeting was to draw on research and clinical expertise as well as the direct experiences of cardiac patients who have found creative endeavors to aid in their own personal healing processes.

(4-1-10) By an overwhelming margin, technology experts and stakeholders participating in a survey fielded by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center believe that innovative forms of online cooperation could result in more efficient and responsive for-profit firms, non-profit organizations, and government agencies by the year 2020.