Janet's blog

(08-24-10) There is a lot of talk these days about “capacity”… capacity building, capacity funding etc. At a meeting of funders in Seattle that included grantmakers from every sector, everyone was talking about building capacity for nonprofit organizations as part of their funding programs from human services to the arts. It certainly is at the core of effective organizational management. Does the organization have the capacity to implement the project? Is capacity strong in human resources, fund development, operating reserves, program management and technical expertise?

(08-17-10) I just finished teaching a two-week (five hour a day) course in public policy and the arts to 10 very bright non-trad students getting their Masters of Arts in Arts Administration from Goucher College, Baltimore.

(7-20-10) This week, Grantmakers in the Arts launches its registration site for our 2010 conference in Chicago, October 17-20. This has made me think more about being “better together” and the possibilities for positive change when a community of practice meets to discuss their challenges and successes.

In much of what I’m involved with these days from discussions of improving arts education and the under-capitalization of the nonprofit world to increasing the value of the arts for average Americans, the word consensus keeps coming up. Mostly it comes up and then, like a hot potato, it gets thrown out. It’s a word that we’re hesitant to use as funders. Why is that? I have a couple of theories. Firstly, we in the arts want to be pretty open to all voices and respectful of one another’s uniqueness. This is a good thing.

On June 24th, Grantmakers in the Arts and Grantmakers for Education hosted a group of private and public foundations and corporations to discuss the barriers inhibiting arts learning in K-12 urban public schools. Cyrus Driver, Ford Foundation, set the stage with comments titled “Can the Arts Become Part of the “Basics” of our Public Education?”

(6-14-10) I’ve been executive director of Grantmakers in the Arts for 18 months. During that time I’ve learned so much about the dedication, courage and passion of our members for improving the state of artists and arts organizations. Our members believe strongly in their work and actively advocate for the arts within their own institutions, which represent state and local government, private and community foundation presidents and boards and corporate decision-makers. It’s a big and sometimes stressful job these days.

(5-26-10) Like so many of us, I’m concerned about what’s happening in Arizona. I’m concerned for a couple reasons. First, I believe the law they passed is unconstitutional and poor public policy. It is evidence of a state attempting to make national policy. There are already some pretty poor laws on state books as examples of this. State thinks its legal, the fed thinks its not. Makes great business for lawyers on both sides.

(5-11-10) So they don’t call Tennessee the “Volunteer State” for nothing! Although the national media has already moved on to the latest stock market twist and political scandal, the artists and arts organizations of Tennessee are recuperating, rebuilding and performing. The Nashville Symphony, although their hall is damaged, has designed a “traveling” season and has already performed. But there is much work to do, artists to help and organizations that will need support rebuilding.

Grantmakers in the Arts sponsored a session entitled “Hip Hop Arts in Education” at the Council on Foundations conference in Denver, April 25. This was a repeat of a session presented at our own conference in Brooklyn that packed the session room and was the talk of the conference. (Thank you Claudine Brown and the Social Justice committee.) Two of the spoken word artists, Carvens and Ceez were catapulted from the session to the plenary stage at the spur of the moment.

(4-13-2010) Grantmakers in the Arts begins a new series of Web Conferences in May designed for emerging leaders and veteran grantmakers alike. You can see the six sessions we’ve put together on the GIA website. They are free to members and pretty inexpensive for nonmembers. This is an opportunity for colleagues from the same department, office and organization to share a learning experience on various topics offered up by some pretty smart people in the field of philanthropy and nonprofit arts.