Racial Equity in Arts Funding Online Workshops

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from the GIA Racial Equity Workshop? How is this different from the in-person workshops?

The GIA Virtual Racial Equity in Arts Funding Workshop has been designed to translate our in-person racial equity workshops into a virtual learning environment.

Given the ongoing challenges to travel, the GIA team felt it important to continue our service to the field, and our commitment to realizing racial equity and justice, by reimagining the two-day-long workshop into four virtual sessions. While the experience and learning methodologies differ to accommodate the new format, the goals and content remain unchanged.

Each workshop session builds on the previous, so attendance at all four meetings is encouraged to engage in the full learning experience.

I want to attend a workshop, but registration is closed. What are my options?

We are happy to reserve a spot(s) for you/your colleagues for the next workshop. Just let us know by emailing workshops@giarts.org and we’ll update you about the timing of the next workshop.

Why should I participate in GIA’s Racial Equity Workshop as opposed to another?

We recognize anti-racist practice is just that, a practice. So, we recommend continued learning toward that end, including participating in as many trainings as possible in order to deepen your knowledge and expand your possible anti-racism strategies.

GIA’s Racial Equity Workshop is unique in that it focuses on how racism and anti-racism manifest in cultural funding and features the perspectives of grantmakers and former grantmakers.

GIA offers more than one workshop. How do I decide between them?

GIA offers two racial equity workshops for arts grantmakers: foundational/grounding and advanced/advancing.

The GIA Racial Equity in Arts Funding workshop is foundational/grounding and includes information on the history of racialization in the United States, the history of cultural funding, and real-world stories of success and examples of racial equity funding, strategies, and resources you may bring with you back to your organizations.

The GIA Racial Equity Community of Practice for Experienced Practitioners workshop is advanced/advancing, building on concepts and practices from the first. It is intentionally designed to be more dialogic, focused on building a community of practice between participants as they design or re-design their funding to be anti-racist. This workshop is most appropriate for those who have already participated in GIA’s Racial Equity in Arts Funding workshop; have already participated in racial equity, racial justice, or anti-racist trainings; or have experience designing or redesigning their funding to be anti-racist.

Do I need to show up and be present in real time?

Yes, this is an interactive workshop. We ask all registrants to arrive on time and be prepared to participate actively throughout the entire series. The workshop will include a variety of large group presentations and small group discussions.

What if I can’t attend all four sessions? Is the workshop recorded?

No, we do not record workshops. The workshop space is designed as an active and community-driven learning space, so to preserve the intimacy, integrity, and safety of this learning space, as well as to encourage candor and bold participation, we do not record any elements of the workshop.

Who leads the facilitation team?

The facilitation team is assembled to provide deep knowledge and experience from both a racial equity and grantmaking perspective. Facilitators include Jonny Altrogge from True North EDI and GIA team members Eddie Torres, president; Nadia Elokdah, vice president; Sherylynn Sealy, program manager.

We also feature guest speakers who present first-person examples of how they came to embrace racial equity in their funding and how they’ve operationalized this in their daily practice embrace.

Can I send someone to participate in the workshop in my place?

Yes, with 5 business days’ notice, we send a colleague the hyperlink to the workshop in your place.

If I can’t attend, will I receive a refund?

If you cannot attend the entire three-part workshop, GIA refund policy is:

GIA cannot offer a refund if you miss one or more of the three workshop modules.

For cancellations or questions regarding the cancellation policy, please email GIA at workshops@giarts.org.

Is there anything I need to download on my computer before the first workshop session?

Yes! Please be sure to download Zoom on your device prior to the start of the workshop series. If you are new to using Zoom or unfamiliar with the platform, we recommend spending some time getting familiar with the functions including how to change your name, muting and unmuting, controlling video access, using the chat function, and using reactions to comment or ask a question. This handy Zoom Tip Sheet may just become your best friend!

Can I join session from my phone or other non-laptop device?

You’ll probably find this difficult to navigate, and you might not be able to see all of the other participants in the Zoom room with you. We highly recommend joining from a computer in a comfortable space. You will need to use your camera and microphone throughout the workshop.

I think I registered for the workshop, but I cannot find an email. What do I do?

If you registered, you should have received a confirmation email, so check your spam if you don't see it.

If you are having trouble, please email workshops@giarts.org.

I’m not able to get into the Zoom room, what do I do?

To avoid last minute technical issues preventing you from joining the full workshop, we recommend joining Zoom via the shared link 5-10 minutes before the start of the workshop session to allow for any troubleshooting.

If you have clicked on the unique Zoom link sent to you via email but are not able to join the room, it could be one or more of the following reasons:

• The Waiting Room has been enabled, and the host will let you in shortly.
• Your Zoom software is not up to date. We recommend checking for software updates.
• Your connection is experiencing some trouble. We recommend closing Zoom and restarting or restarting your computer if necessary.

Do I need to keep my camera on throughout the whole convening?

We would love to see each other’s faces. It helps create a feeling of community as well as provides an opportunity for other folks to read facial expressions and understand non-verbal communication. However, we recognize circumstances and needs differ. Take care of yourself however you need to.

You can upload a picture of yourself to Zoom so that when your camera is off participants see that instead of just your name. It’s not exactly the same, but something to consider!

Who should I contact if I have questions?

If you have a question we haven’t covered here, please reach out to the GIA team workshops@giarts.org.