Readings

The following essay was jointly commissioned by Grantmakers in the Arts for its 2002 annual conference and by the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities as one in its series of Translation Papers.

Introduction

Background

Two related sessions at grantmaking conferences last fall addressed important questions concerning the relationship of art, culture, and the environment. In each case, funders sought practical information about creative collaboration and successful cross-sector funding. Whether labeled "arts" or "environment" funders, grantmakers craved creative ways to attract new partners — both individuals and organizations — to their work.

Introduction

In February 2002, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund convened 150 representatives of San Francisco Bay Area arts and cultural organizations, philanthropic organizations, and government to discuss audience development in the context of a changing economy. The first day of the program was made up of panels and speakers. The second day was dedicated to an open space meeting – inspired by a previous collaboration with the Wallace Reader's Digest Funds in November 2000.

As a nonprofit publisher, I sometimes scan databases for foundations who might support what we do. Often, I’ll find myself reading about a foundation whose values and scale seem totally compatible with our programs. Ah, an ally against the forces of ignorance! My heart warms, my hopes rise. Then, under “restrictions,” the red light flashes: “We do not fund publications.”

At the GIA conference in fall, 2002, we hosted a round table discussion with the euphemistic title "Adapting in a Time of Constraints." Essentially its burden was to ask: what should we, as funders, be doing for the cultural institutions with whom we work in the context of these extraordinarily difficult times?