GIA Blog

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Steve

Media Impact Funders (MIF) and Foundation Center have announced the launch of Foundation Maps for Media Funding, an interactive mapping and research tool that shows a broad scope of philanthropically-funded media projects worldwide since 2009. Developed by Foundation Center and hosted on the MIF website, this tool includes a wide array of search functions and data visualization features to explore funding trends, funder networks, types of grantmaking, populations served and much more. The project is a follow-up to an earlier data map, updated taxonomy, and a report, Growth in Foundation Support for Media in the United States, that was released in 2013.

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Steve

The California Arts Council has announced that Governor Brown has signed a state budget that includes a $10.8 million funding increase for programs of the Council. This investment will extend their capacity to meet the needs and demand for arts programs. The budget includes a $6.8 million one-time increase for the Arts Council and an additional $4 million ongoing allocation for the state’s Arts in Corrections program. The funding increase for the Arts Council will expand the reach of the agency’s competitive grant programs that serve California communities by funding nonprofit arts activities with a focus on arts learning and engagement; equity and access; cultural and community development; and technical support and resources for the arts field. The total fiscal year 2016-17 state support for the California Arts Council will reach approximately $21.1 million, inclusive of designated funding for Arts in Corrections.

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Monica

At the League of American Orchestras conference in June, the Honorable Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representative (MD-7), delivered an inspiring keynote speech on the importance of racial equity and opportunity in arts education. The theme of the conference, “The Richness of Difference,” focused on diversity and inclusion in the sector.

Watch the video.

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Monica

By Peter Hartlaub, writing for SFGate:

The Redford Center has announced a program to work with fledgling filmmakers, offering financing and guidance to five teams who have ideas for films with environmental topics.… Redford Center Grants [funded by The New York Community Trust] will provide $15,000 in funding to each filmmaker to create a demonstration reel, with the possibility of more help down the road. The program will also provide mentoring and guidance. Filmmakers will be invited to attend a retreat at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Colorado.
Posted on June 22, 2016 by Monica

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, has announced the inaugural cohort of the Rising Leaders of Color (RLC) Program. Supported by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, the RLC program will form a cohort of ten exceptionally talented early­career leaders of color from the DC, Baltimore, and Northern Virginia areas, and provide them with professional development and networking opportunities at the 2016 TCG National Conference and beyond.

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Monica

Boston has announced its new Boston Creates ten-year cultural plan, which includes over one million dollars in new arts funding.

From Malcolm Gay, writing for the Boston Globe:

Initiatives include a program linking public art to new city construction and infrastructure projects, a plan to provide affordable housing to artists, a pilot program to make new rehearsal spaces available to performers, and a collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts to conserve city-owned artworks. Meanwhile the Boston Foundation, in conjunction with the Barr Foundation, is set to establish a pooled fund providing grants to small theater and dance troupes.
Posted on June 16, 2016 by Monica

After nearly 12 years at the helm, Judith Rodin, the first female president of The Rockefeller Foundation, has announced her decision to depart the institution once a new president is identified and takes office. Rodin’s leadership ushered The Rockefeller Foundation into a new era of strategic philanthropy that emphasized partnerships with business, government, and the philanthropic community to address and solve for the complex challenges of the 21st century.

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Monica

From The NonProfit Times:

Arts and cultural organizations struggle to survive. Even as they try to ennoble or enlighten the world, leaders sometimes wonder if it is possible to reconcile two endeavors that appear incompatible.

During the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Fundraising Conference, Janet Brown of Grantmakers in the Arts and Brian Bonde of Advanced Certified Fundraising offered five suggestions for cultural organizations to help them find financial success, not just security, as they continue their operations.

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Monica

In a recent blog post from Fractured Atlas, Jason Tseng reflects on how organizations can follow up their racial equity statements with action:

And as organizations like AFTA and GIA have already acknowledged in their statements, ours is a sector that is built on decades of exclusionary practices and reproduces institutionalized oppression. But if we are truly looking forward to the changing demographics of our nation, as AFTA’s cultural equity statement suggests, we must also adapt our platform to reflect the issues that will foster the arts sector of tomorrow.
Posted on June 13, 2016 by Monica

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published a literature review entitled "Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies for At-Risk, Justice-Involved, and Traumatized Youths." The report, conducted with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts, explores recent research on arts-based programs and arts therapies. Programs were considered arts-based if at least one of the main components was an arts-related activity, or if there was a deliberate use of arts in the program to bring about a change in behavior.