Grantmakers in the Arts

Ford Foundation president Darren Walker has announced that the foundation will focus the nation’s second largest philanthropy on issues of inequality. From Alex Daniels at The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Each year the National Endowment for the Arts celebrates master folk and traditional artists that embody this strength and diversity of culture. The recipients of this year’s NEA National Heritage Fellowships represent art forms ranging from those born and bred in the United States — such as the quilters of Gee’s Bend from Alabama — to those that are newer to our country — such as the oud playing of Rahim AlHaj, who immigrated to the United States from Baghdad. The fellowships include an award of $25,000.

The Wallace Foundation has released a guide designed to help arts organizations use market research to identify ways to build meaningful connections with different audiences. Taking Out the Guesswork: A Guide to Using Research to Build Arts Audiences draws on evidence gathered from 10 organizations across the United States, including visual arts institutions, theaters, dance and opera companies. The guide provides valuable insight and detailed guidelines on how to learn more about current and potential audiences, create effective promotional materials, and more effectively track and assess the results of new audience-building initiatives.

The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) will expand its successful Turnaround Arts initiative into five additional school districts, as the program continues to successfully help turn around low-performing schools, narrow the achievement gap, and increase student engagement through the arts, announced the committee's co-chairs, George Stevens, Jr. and Margo Lion. This follows 2014's major expansion of the program after a Booz Allen Hamilton evaluation of the program's effectiveness.

By Mark MacNamara, at San Francisco Classical Voice: