Funders Taking Action

The New York City Cultural Agenda Fund, a collaborative fund managed by the New York Community Trust, is seeking proposals for grants to support arts advocacy efforts in New York City. Read the announcement.

Barr Foundation has announced a set of grant awards totaling $1.43 million to support freedom of the press. This is the second set of grants in Barr’s 2017 Special Initiative, responding to dramatic shifts in the national context, to increased polarization, and to growing concerns about equity and opportunity for vulnerable populations. Read more from … Continue reading Barr Foundation Announces Grants Supporting Freedom of Press →

From Robert W. Deutsch Foundation: From political dissent and protests against injustice, to influencing the public discourse and criticizing actions of the government, artists and cultural workers have been at the forefront of social change using creativity to help shift the way people think about the world. Now more than ever, artists and cultural workers need to … Continue reading Funders Collaborate to Host Training on Digital Security for Artists →

In response to federal policy changes, the City of Seattle has formed a Rapid Response Policy Coalition, a group of City staff, private sector attorneys, non-profit staff, and other policy experts to offer analyses and action items on federal executive orders and legislation. The coalition has published a number of articles detailing the potential local … Continue reading City of Seattle Forms Rapid Response Policy Coalition →

Funders have shown interest in offering resources for artists related to safety, security, and legal issues in the current political climate. For example, the Center for Cultural Innovation, a GIA member, has recently collaborated with the National Lawyers Guild to present a “Know Your Rights” workshop for artists interested in engaging in civil disobedience. Read … Continue reading Center for Cultural Innovation Hosts “Know Your Rights” Training for Artists in Protest →

The MIT Media Lab has opened nominations for the Disobedience Award, a one-time award of $250,000 for “a person or group engaged in what we believe is extraordinary disobedience for the benefit of society”: We’d like to call out action that seeks to change society in positive ways and is consistent with a set of … Continue reading MIT Media Lab ‘Disobedience Award’ to Recognize Courage and Creativity that Benefit Society →

In a recent blog post, The Heinz Endowments President Grant Oliphant writes about the power of arts, journalism, and courage in times of political conflict. In the spirit of this idea, the Endowments have increased their arts grantmaking budget: For our part, the Endowments has decided to increase its normal grantmaking in the arts and … Continue reading Heinz Endowments President on the Power of Arts and Journalism, Increases Arts Spending $1.5M →

The New York Community Trust has announced a new program called The Liberty Fund, a “special funding opportunity to help New York City nonprofits address immediate issues affecting vulnerable New Yorkers.” The fund is a partnership with the New York Foundation and aims to address issues related to identity-based discrimination, mental health, health care, immigrant … Continue reading NYCT Announces The Liberty Fund for Immediate Community Support against Discrimination →