Grantmakers in the Arts

This weekend I had the great privilege to talk with current and past board members and staff of Artist Trust, an organization that supports individual artists in Washington. Led by Fidelma McGinn, this is one of several organizations in the country running stellar grantmaking and service programs for artists. In addition to a great group of people, they met in Snohomish, WA, a small town surrounded by mountains with a river running through it.

(9-28-10) Theater Communications Group (TCG) announced the third annual Free Night of Theater New York City, which will take place at nearly 100 participating Off-Broadway, Off Off Broadway and Independent Theaters in all five boroughs during the entire month of October 2010. Introduced by TCG as a three-city pilot-program in 2005 and to New York City in 2008, Free Night of Theater is now presented in more than 23 states.

(9-28-10) A large number of artists among this year's fellowship recipients. See the complete list.

(9-27-10) Earlier this month, the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) invited Ron Ragin, associate program officer in the Performing Arts Program at GIA member William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, to contribute to the CEP blog. Ragin responded with four well executed and arts program specific entries on matters ranging from investing in grants-related data collection to providing general operating support to nonprofits. He also provides a candid and informative response to the CEP Grantee Reception Report commissioned by Hewlett in 2009.

(9-27-10) Calvin Hennick for The Boston Globe:

The Boston Foundation, the biggest public philanthropy in New England, and three other nonprofits today unveil a new fund to help local charities work together, or even merge, to better serve their communities.

Over the next five years, the $1.7 million Catalyst Fund for Nonprofits will offer grants meant to help charities form partnerships, combine functions like bookkeeping or community services, or merge into new groups.

(09-21-10) Grantmakers in the arts will gather in Chicago, October 17-20 for their annual conference. This is actually the organization’s 25th conference. It is my second. The first eleven or so were put together solely by members (in the grass roots tradition) without staff. Anne Focke, my predecessor and GIA staff managed the next ten years.

(9-17-10) After a successful three-year stint in Miami, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will be giving for- and nonprofits in Philadelphia three opportunities (one per annum) to apply for $9 million in available arts grants. Proposed projects must benefit both the arts and Philadelphia, and applicants must provide proof of matching funds. There is no limit on the number of applications or ideas an individual or organization can submit, nor is there a limit on how much the foundation may bestow in a single grant.

(9-17-10) Art meets science at the 3rd annual "Dance Your Ph.D." competition wherein Ph.D. candidates explain their work in dance, sponsored by Science Magazine. You can see the finalists here.