Funders Statements

A group of philanthropic organizations signed a joint letter condemning the violence that unfolded January 6 as a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol.

"When it comes to racial bias, you either participate in it actively or through silence, or you use your power and privilege to dismantle it. Each day you make this choice – when you serve as a juror, when you call the police or see someone else call and when and for whom you vote. If oppression happens, then we are allowing it to happen and we are all in the position to stop it."

   Download this letter as a .pdf (90Kb)

Dear colleagues,

I’m sending this letter now to rally the arts funding community during this difficult moment to not only react to crisis but also to be sure we treat this as moment to create our desired future. I write this letter as a follow up to the Grantmakers in the Arts webinar, COVID19 and the arts ecosystem and a pre-amble to ongoing programming throughout the year that will highlight examples of inspiring work that is happening now and of the future we can all create together.

Lisa Pilar Cowan, vice president of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, shared recently how the foundation has started to take action in light of the ongoing impact of the coronavirus "to reflect where we are – off a cliff."

The federal administration’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget, released on Monday, would eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as Americans for the Arts informed.

In a video series "Further Together: Helping artists thrive," the Kenneth Rainin Foundation moves forward equity conversations for a better philanthropic field as it asked its leaders to look to the future.

After funding loss, the Alaska State Council on the Arts closed its doors Monday July 15.  In a recent communication, Grantmakers in the Arts expressed its support of Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) and encouraged the state legislature and Governor’s office to restore the agency at prior funding levels in FY 2021. With … Continue reading Grantmakers in the Arts’ Response to Alaska Arts Council Funding Veto →

In The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s latest annual report, foundation President Elizabeth Alexander explains how the foundation works to support arts and humanities projects that advance a better world. Alexander writes that it is her aim to help Mellon adopt “a broader programmatic lens” and play “an even greater leadership role in higher education and the humanities” considering our rapidly changing … Continue reading Elizabeth Alexander, Mellon Foundation President, Reflects on Centering Community and Taking Diversity as a Value →

In a recent letter, the board of directors of Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) requested that Congress support appropriations of $167.50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) respectively, as well as $262 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and $480 million for the … Continue reading GIA Board Responds to the Trump Administration Budget Proposal Cuts for FY 2020 →

One of philanthropy’s responses to the horrific Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that left 11 people dead came from Grant Oliphant, president of The Heinz Endowments, in a blog post called We are the Cure.  We are becoming so inured to these moments that we risk forgetting the totality of … Continue reading “Coming Together in Community is the Cure”: Grant Oliphant Writes After the Tree of Life Shooting  →