Statement of Purpose and Recommendations for Action
Published March 2015
Revised March 9, 2017
Revised March 9, 2017
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The GIA Library is an information hub that includes articles, research reports, and other materials covering a wide variety of topics relevant to the arts and arts funding. These resources are made available free to members and non-members of GIA. Users can search by keyword or browse by category for materials to use in research and self-directed learning. Current arts philanthropy news items are available separately in our news feed - News from the Field.
An Arts Education Funders Coalition Forum
Target Corporate Headquarters, Minneapolis, MN
Thursday, May 7, 2015
8:00am - 4:30pm
Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 2:00pm EDT / 11:00am PDT
- Kathy Hsieh, Cultural Partnerships & Grants Manager, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
- Martha Richards, Executive Director, James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation
Session 2 of the 2015 Web Conference Series
A recording of this presentation is available here.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015, Grantmakers in the Arts will host a national forum for funders who want to more equitably support African, Latino(a), Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA) arts organizations. This convening is a continuation of GIA’s work towards racial equity in arts philanthropy. It will be held at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
GIA’s work in race and social justice began in 2008 with the creation of the Arts and Social Justice Working Group by Claudine Brown. Initially, GIA focused generally on equity across various identities which have been historically marginalized in philanthropy including race, gender, sexuality, socio-economic status. In 2011, GIA’s focus turned specifically to racial equity with a Thought Leader Forum and subsequent actions by the board of directors.
Conference blogger Barry Hessenius turns in a final post to the GIA 2014 Conference blog:
The 2014 GIA Conference was, I think, very successful. This gathering remains small enough to be intimate, but large enough so that the conversations are expansive. As the funding community continues to grapple with some very large challenges, as a body it is making steady progress on working together to, if not collaborate on every approach, at least coordinate some of what use to be very disparate and wide ranging approaches. Perhaps the word that ought to be included in the vocabulary above is the word SHARING.
When I first got into this field, the dominant buzz was all about PARADIGM. Irrationally, I grew to hate that word. Over time our lexicon changes. Here is a summary of the GIA Conference in BUZZ WORDS (all of which I heard repeatedly during the three days).
This day-long preconference was intended for newer program officers, trustees and foundation executives – but the reality was that the attendees were split between newbies and those who are recognizable names in the philanthropic community with long resumes. The combination of the two made the questions throughout the session very interesting and relevant.
I. Session: Funding Commercial Creative Businesses: Sell Out or Smart Strategy? The City of San Jose (CA), in partnership with the Center for Cultural Innovation, has started providing small “investment grants” to creative entrepreneurs with goals at the nexus of cultural and economic development. Basically this project is still in its infancy, as only two rounds of funding have been completed, and only a total of $40,000 has been awarded in total to 12 grantees, with the $40,000 third round coming up.
Can a conversation about race be a performance? What does that simple framework shift do to the conversation? The answer: everything. The long table conversation is a fascinating thing to watch unfold. Participants come in and out as they please. There is snacking and scribbling, mostly on topic. Some people were determined watchers, setting up camp on the chairs on the far edge of the perimeter. And others eagerly queued up in the seats closest to the table, waiting for the moment they could tap someone on the shoulder, sending that performer out and putting themselves into the conversation.