Roberto Bedoya has been appointed as the City of Oakland’s first Cultural Affairs Manager. Bedoya will oversee the City’s Cultural Affairs Unit, housed in the City’s Department of Economic and Workforce Development. The unit includes the City’s public art program and cultural funding program. He will also provide leadership for new initiatives such as completing a cultural plan for the city, supporting cultural districts within the City of Oakland, and growing a technical assistance program to help artists and arts organizations build capacity.
Grantmakers in the Arts
by Steve
In the spring of 2016, GIA hosted a forum of thought leaders to discuss how funders can better support artists working in community settings such as teaching artists and artists working in cross-sector environments. For the summer edition of the GIA Reader, Margaret Hasse summarizes the fruitful conversation from that day in “Artists in Community Settings: Supporting the Movement.”
by Monica
In a recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Justin Laing writes about grantee inclusion as “a critical and important step toward mutual accountability; when implemented deeply, it lets us imagine even more far-reaching practices of accountability, transparency, and partnership between grantmakers and grantees.” The article highlights work that The Heinz Endowments has done to develop mutual accountability between the organization and its Transformative Arts Process advisory board.
by Monica
Joint Affinity Groups and its core partners – Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Association of Black Foundation Executives, Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, Native Americans in Philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy, and Women’s Funding Network – have transformed their coalition into CHANGE Philanthropy. The coalition works “to raise the level of dialogue and shift practice among funders so that philanthropic dollars are dispersed through equitable practices.”
by Monica
Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) has announced that CEO Mary Kennedy, who has held the position since 2002, has resigned her position effective October 1, 2016. Kennedy’s decision to resign comes after 27 years of service to M-AAA. She will provide consulting services to M-AAA until a new CEO is in place.
by Monica
Aroha Philanthropies has announced the first cohort of its Seeding Artful Aging initiative. Fifteen organizations were chosen to partner with Aroha Philanthropies in a seminal initiative designed to support the development and expansion of successful Artful Aging programs. Grants awarded range from $17,000 to $50,000 for projects to run between January 1, 2017 and November 30, 2017.
by Steve
In an article in the latest issue of the Reader, A More Equitable World Because of Theatre, Teresa Eyring of Theatre Communications Group details the organization’s efforts to develop its equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiative – from board-level conversations and learning to program implementation.
by Monica
The New York Community Trust has released a report on the work of its collaborative funding projects, highlighting initiatives to fund arts programs, support public schools, develop affordable housing, and others. Over nearly 40 years, The Trust has partnered with over 140 funders, distributing $119 million across 20 collaborative funds. The report discusses outcomes and lessons learned from these projects.