GIA Blog

Posted on February 24, 2011 by GIA News

(2-24-2011) In a spending plan released earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee proposes to eliminate funding to several national arts, humanities, and social service programs, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Facing a similarly dire funding situation in 1969, Fred Rogers addressed the (increasingly enraptured) Senate.

Watch him here.

Posted on February 23, 2011 by GIA News

(2-23-2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the application period for the 10th annual National Award for Smart Growth Achievement is now open . Through this award, EPA recognizes and supports communities that have successfully used smart growth principles to improve communities environmentally, socially, and economically. Open to public- and private-sector entities, winners will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, DC, in December 2011.

View the application and complete entry guidelines.

Posted on February 23, 2011 by GIA News

(2-23-2011) Philanthropy New York, with Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media, will present a Thought Leader Program, What Really Caused the Economy to Blow Up: And What We Can Do To Prevent It From Happening Again? on Tuesday March 8, 4pm Eastern Time in New York City.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by GIA News

(2-22-2011) Registration is open for Holding on to What We’ve Got: New Approaches to Retaining Emerging Arts Leaders in the Field, a web-based presentation by Jeanne Sakamoto of The James Irvine Foundation and Marc Vogl of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The webinar, the first in GIA's 2011 Web Conference Series, is scheduled for one week from today, Tuesday, March 1st, at 2:00 EST/11:00 PST.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by GIA News

(2-22-2011) This spring, the sixth NEA Education Leaders Institute will convene decisionmakers from state education departments, state arts agencies, along with educators, artists, public policy, business, and philanthropic leaders to put arts education at the center of discussion on education policy. The upcoming NEA Education Leaders Institute will take place May 11-13, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by GIA News

(2-22-2011) By Steven Lawry from The Nonprofit Quarterly:

Several powerful donors have concluded that nonprofits make inadequate use of impact assessment tools. They are backing up their arguments with an implicit threat: measure in particular ways or you don’t get the money. Wise nonprofit leaders know that the problems they work on are not susceptible to simple measurement. They know that the kind of formal impact measures some donors expect and management consulting firms prescribe are hard to come by honestly. They collect various data all the time to inform their judgment and decision-making and to spur learning. Now, data collection (to donor-specified standards) is increasingly used for accountability purposes.
Posted on February 16, 2011 by GIA News

(2-16-2011) Erica Orden for The Wall Street Journal:

A year after ending a charitable program that pumped nearly $200 million into hundreds of arts and social-service organizations, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is reopening the pipeline to his personal fortune through his multibillion-dollar family foundation.

Posted on February 14, 2011 by GIA News

(2-14-2011) From AFTA News:

Today the Obama Administration released its much anticipated Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request to Congress which includes funding for the nation’s cultural agencies and programs including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the Smithsonian Institution.

Posted on February 14, 2011 by GIA News

(2-14-2011) This report, Next Generation Organizations: 9 Key Traits, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, provides a simple framework and self-assessment tool to guide nonprofits as they foster learning, identify organizational areas of strength, and focus staff and board conversations where they need to be to become next generation organizations.

Posted on February 13, 2011 by GIA News

(2-13-2011) Composer Christopher Tin won a Grammy for the track "Baba Yetu" title song for the video game Civilization IV. The track features GIA member, Ron Ragin, program officer at the Hewlett Foundation. Here's a clip of a live concert version, and here's the video game trailer.