GIA Blog

The Head and The Heart: Two Paths for Charitable Giving
Posted on by Steve

From Paul Sullivan, writing for The New York Times:

“We feel that people do start with this heartfelt desire to do good and they have all the good intentions in the world,” said Debra Treyz, global head of the philanthropy center at J. P. Morgan Private Bank. “But giving dollars does not always translate into results.”

She said she coached clients to focus on something they care about — that’s the heart part — and then gain expertise in the field to be able to make more intelligent decisions. “There are often ramp-up periods,” she said. “There’s a little bit of trial and error around that. We need to acknowledge what we need to do better, learn from mistakes and move on.”

Summer Member Spotlight on the Colburn Foundation
Posted on by Abigail

During the months of July and August, the photo banner features grantees of GIA member the Colburn Foundation. Based in Los Angeles, the Foundation was established in 1999 by Richard D. Colburn. Below, in their own words, Colburn Foundation staff discuss their strategy of providing general operating support, as well as non-grant support through Foundation-organized grantee convenings.

Grant Makers Need to Work on Resiliency to Climate Change
Posted on by Steve

Robert Searle and Karim Al-Khafaji for The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Philanthropy’s role in fighting climate change has focused mostly on supporting projects to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases on global warming. But Hurricane Sandy’s unwelcome arrival last fall underscored the need to put front and center efforts to help people and communities adapt to the weather changes that are already putting lives and businesses in jeopardy.
Business Support for the Arts Increased 18 Percent Between 2009 and 2012, Report Finds
Posted on by Tommer

After a 14 percent drop between 2006 and 2009, support for the arts by U.S. businesses increased 18 percent between 2009 and 2012, a survey by the Business Committee for the Arts, a division of Americans for the Arts, finds.

3 Major Charity Groups Ask Donors to Stop Focusing on Overhead Costs
Posted on by Tommer

Three major groups that publish information about charities have started a campaign to persuade donors to look beyond overhead costs when deciding which groups to support.

“The percent of charity expenses that go to administrative and fundraising costs—commonly referred to as 'overhead’—is a poor measure of a charity’s performance,” says an open “letter to donors” drafted by GuideStar, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and Charity Navigator.

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Names Gary Steuer as President
Posted on by Steve

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, of Denver, Colorado, has announced new leadership with the naming of its new President Gary Steuer effective October 2, 2013. Steuer’s predecessor, Dorothy Horrell, announced her retirement earlier this year after 13 years with the Foundation. Since 2008, Steuer has served as the Chief Cultural Officer and Director of the Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy for the City of Philadelphia.

HUD, NEA Partner to Promote Post-Sandy Resilience
Posted on by Steve

In an effort to promote resilience for the Sandy-affected region on the east coast, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development is launching the Rebuild by Design design competition. The goal of the competition is to attract world-class talent, promote innovation and develop projects that will actually be built. The Rockefeller Foundation, as the lead funding partner, will provide support for the analysis and design process and its support of the competition builds upon a strong commitment to promoting urban resilience through a $100 million investment, which includes their recent announcement of the “100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge.”

Tom Kaiden Stepping Down at Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Posted on by Steve

Tom Kaiden announced this week that he will step down as President of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to join the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association as their Chief Operating Officer in Alexandria, Virginia. His departure will take place on July 26. Michael Norris, V.P. of External Relations, will serve as the interim Executive Director while the board’s Search and Transition Committee conducts a national search for the next president.

SNAAP DataBrief Looks at Artist Employment
Posted on by Steve

The latest SNAAP DataBrief draws upon data from the more than 36,000 arts alumni from 66 institutions who responded to the SNAAP survey in 2011:

Who's Working as an Artist?
  • College major with the highest percentage of graduates who have ever worked as professional artists: Dance, Music Performance, and Theater at 82%
  • College major with the highest percentage of graduates who currently work as professional artists: Architecture and Music Performance at 61%
Giving USA 2013: Giving Coming Back Slowly and Different After Recession
Posted on by Steve

From Nonprofit Quarterly:

...it appears that some categories of recipients have seen legitimate gains over the last year, recovering from the cratering caused by the recession. Giving to the arts, for instance, looks like it may be recovering, although for some organizations, deficits caused by unfortunately timed investments made in programming or facilities have caused problems that now need to be remedied. The growth of giving in this area from last year to this is even more striking when you consider that last year, the giving in that category was inflated by one $800 million gift to one museum.