Grantmakers in the Arts

From Anne Stanton, Chair, Grantmakers for Education:

Once again, Lucy Bernholz brings us the list of philanthropy buzzwords for the year. Thanks, Lucy!

In The New York Times, a story about Roosevelt School in Bridgeport, CT, one of eight schools participating in the federal government's Turnaround Arts initiative, which was designed to "test the hypothesis that high-quality and integrated arts education can be an effective tool to strengthen school reform efforts-boosting academic achievement and increasing student motivation in schools facing some of the toughest educational challenges in the country."

"There is a gift within the gift—the greatest of gifts is when it transcends the evidence upon which it is based. Its mystery is in the relationships between donor, recipient, and the community of interest that is served. It is a dynamic that operates on multiple levels." – Peter Karoff in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Lynn Stern, Thriving Cultures Senior Program Officer, has announced her departure from the Surdna Foundation as of January 1, 2013. In her tenure of over half a decade, Lynn was an integral part of the design and delivery of programs that gave expression to the foundation’s ongoing, deep commitment to the field of arts and culture.
 

From Associated Press via New York Times:

Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said Tuesday that he would donate nearly $500 million in company stock to a Silicon Valley charity with the intention of providing funds for health and education issues.

From Associated Press via Washington Post:

Does new research reveal a surprising trend?

There are two truths arts advocates have long taken for granted:

• Arts education is in decline in public schools.
• When budgets tighten, art is usually the first to get the ax.

Attempting to quantify just how arts education has fared over the past 15 years suggests the reality is a lot more difficult to pin down.