Grantmakers in the Arts

NCRP to Present Webinar on ALAANA-led Philanthropy in the South
by Monica in Racial Equity

On June 14, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) will host a webinar highlighting what national grantmakers can learn from ALAANA-led social movements and philanthropic institutions in the South:

[The South has] a vibrant history of successful movements for racial and social justice, yet grassroots Southern leaders are often overlooked by philanthropy and lack funding to pursue their own agendas.

The South is already home to a strong ecosystem of people-of-color (POC)-led philanthropic institutions that can help drive resources for racial and social justice. This webinar will explore the crucial role of POC-led philanthropy in the South, with an emphasis on the powerful potential for significant impact not only in the Southern region, but nationally.

Read more...
Resurging Trend of Patronage Provides Direct Sustained Support to Individual Artists
by Monica in Support for Individual Artists

A recent article in The New York Times discusses the modern-era revival of artist patronage, with individuals giving sustained support that funds an artist’s overall career rather than a specific project. The article discusses the impact of sustained funding as an artist develops, how this current trend differs from Renaissance-era patronage, and how online platforms like Patreon enable artists to garner sustained support from individuals across the world.

Read more...
New NEA-Funded Report on Increasing Access to Arts Education in Rural Areas
by Monica in Arts Education

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has released a working paper detailing progress on a pilot project funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to increase access to arts education in rural Massachusetts. This working paper shares highlights of research conducted as part of the project, including impediments that prevent arts education from being fully utilized in rural areas, and promising practices for increasing access to arts education in rural areas. It also shares insights from a subsequent convening aimed at generating cross-sector collaboration on the subject.

Read more...
Video: Steven Tepper on the Power of Arts in a Changing World
by Monica

Steven J. Tepper, dean of the Herberger Institute for Design in the Arts at Arizona State University, recently presented the keynote address at ArtsFund's 29th Annual Celebration of the Arts Luncheon. His speech titled “Creativity, Education, and Work in the 21st Century” makes the case for the vital necessity of creativity in today’s society as we face unprecedented rates of growth and change. Tepper was also a keynote presenter at the 2014 GIA Conference in Houston, Texas.

Read more...
WESTAF Boosts Advocacy Efforts to Support NEA
by Monica

From the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF):

WESTAF has expanded its advocacy work on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts. Recently, three contractors were hired to focus exclusively on this project and to work closely with our regional network of advocates. WESTAF has also created an NEA Advocacy enter with the latest updates on the NEA FY18 budget as well as an Advocacy Toolkit that contains step-by-step guides for calling, writing, and meeting with members of Congress. Advocates can also find talking points there to use when engaging with members of Congress or their staff.
Read more...
Joy Harjo Awarded $100K Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for Lifetime Accomplishment
by Monica in Support for Individual Artists

Native American artist and poet Joy Harjo has been awarded the 2017 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, a $100,000 award from The Poetry Foundation. Harjo was a keynote presenter at the 2014 GIA Conference in Houston, Texas (watch the video). Presented annually to a living US poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant singular recognition, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is one of the most prestigious awards given to American poets.

Read more...
Could $499,000 in Grants That Help Our Soldiers Be One Reason Congress Spared the NEA?
by Steve

From Carolinia A. Miranda, writing for the Los Angeles Times:

After President Trump threatened to eliminate the [National Endowment for the Arts], Congress approved a spending bill that not only funds the NEA for another year, but increased its $148 million annual budget by nearly $2 million. Lost in much of the acrimonious debate over whether the NEA should live or die is the organization’s support for cultural programs that cater to military veterans, active duty service members and their families.
Read more...
Over 50 Percent of Americans Live and Work in Suburbs. Are 50 Percent of Them Arts Leaders?
by Steve

Joshua Heim, Arts Program Manager for the city of Bellevue, Washington, posts to AFTA’s Artsblog:

The lack of suburban arts leaders shouldn’t come as a surprise. From 2011-2015, Barry Hessenius published an annual list of the Fifty Most Powerful and Influential People in the Nonprofit Arts. Of the 142 individuals included on that list over the years, just three people came from suburbs. If you’re anxious about the steady decline in arts participation and interested in a fully integrated creative situation, then this is a problem. Because over half of Americans live and work in suburbs.
Read more...