Monica's Blog

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Monica

Grantmakers in the Arts is pleased to announce the release of new research on the formula-based funding practices of public arts funders and united arts funds. Through interviews with sixteen leaders of public arts funders and united arts funds, Recalculating the Formula for Success documents the new ways that these funders are approaching their work, rethinking longtime practices, and adapting to changing environments.

Read the report.

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Monica

From The Architect's Newspaper:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled the city’s first ever cultural plan, CreateNYC, which has been in the works for months. CreateNYC is a blueprint for expanding the Big Apple’s cultural sector; it mainly focuses on increasing diversity across museum boards and addressing historically underserved communities.

Funding will come from the mayor’s office, with an additional $5 million from City Council to be allocated. The majority of it will go towards less prominent arts groups—especially those that lay outside of Manhattan. Approximately $1.5 million will be directed towards increasing support for low-income communities and underrepresented groups, while $4.5 million will be used to support the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) in low-income communities.

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Monica

In addition to articles, reports, and policy briefings, Grantmakers in the Arts offers webinars for arts funders interested in engaging in advocacy. Video recordings are available for previous GIA webinars: Advocacy and Lobbying: How Foundations Can Change Public Policy presented by Janet Brown, President & CEO, Grantmakers in the Arts Briefing on the President’s 2018 Proposed … Continue reading Video: How Funders Can Engage in Advocacy

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Monica

A recent article in The New York Times discusses how family foundations are navigating generational changes and younger family members take on roles alongside, and sometimes in place of, founding family members:

It used to be that the philanthropic baton would be passed to the next generation when the parents died. In the past, fewer generations actively worked together.
Posted on July 17, 2017 by Monica

GIA's latest update on the National Endowment for the Arts and other threatened federal agencies comes from our federal policy firm, Penn Hill Group (Washington, DC). A recent post on Arts Funders Respond has the latest information on subcommittee budget recommendations for the federal departments and programs related to education and the arts:

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Monica

This bulletin from GIA’s federal policy firm, Penn Hill Group (Washington, DC), provides the latest information on subcommittee budget recommendations for the federal departments and programs related to education and the arts. Arts Agency Proposed Budget Appropriations Last week, the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies proposed funding both the National Endowment … Continue reading Draft Budget Appropriations for NEA, NEH, ED, IMLS, and CPB Released

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Monica

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation announced the appointment of Ted Russell as associate director of arts strategy and ventures. Russell joins the foundation with high-level arts management expertise developed through years working as an artist and arts marketing executive as well as a grantmaker. Russell’s experience includes a decade serving as the senior program officer for the arts program at the James Irvine Foundation. He has served on the board of directors of Grantmakers in the Arts since 2016.

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Monica

An article in The Denver Post cites data from a report by Fidelity Charitable pointing to the fact that “women of all ages and stages of life are more generous than their male counterparts”:

The data reported by this study indicate significant changes and opportunities in philanthropy –now and in the long term. As women continue to acquire more education, career opportunities, leadership positions and wealth (both earned and inherited), their desire and capacity to play a meaningful role in philanthropy will grow proportionately.
Posted on July 11, 2017 by Monica

Charles McNamara is a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellow working on an internationally collaborative project. In his op-ed in The Washington Post, he writes: As one of the lexicographers at the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (TLL), a 123-year-old and still-incomplete Latin dictionary, I write meticulously organized entries for this academic reference work alongside an international … Continue reading NEH Fellow: ‘If Trump Cares bout Western Civilization, He Needs to Fund the Arts’

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Monica

An article in the Philanthropy News Digest discusses the results of two recent reports from The Kresge Foundation and Point Forward: