GIA News's Blog

(8-22-10) 49 school districts, nonprofit education organizations and institutions of higher education have been selected from among nearly 1,700 applicants to the US Department of Education for potential funding under the Investing in Innovation (i3) program. Three of the applicants were identified as arts-related by the USDOE. To receive a share of the $650 million in i3 grants, the winning applicants must secure a commitment for a 20 percent private sector match by Sept. 8.

(8-18-10) Last week, Piper Trust announced $1.2 million in Arts Restructuring and Transformation Fund grants. These "ART Fund" grants, comprising remaining funds from the wind-down of Metro Phoenix Partnership for Arts and Culture (plus $200,000 in uncommitted Trust funds), were awarded to eleven organizations to "develop new business models, streamline internal processes and create strategic alliances—all intended to help organizations increase revenue or reduce costs." Selected projects were prepared by Phoenix-area visual art, performance, and botanical garden venues.

(8-17-10) To assist its members, colleagues, and the field with leadership and guidance on global disasters, the Council on Foundations compiles timely, crisis-specific resources, available at www.cof.org/disasterresponse, including links to eight principles for disaster management, legal FAQs, and templates for your foundation’s disaster preparedness and recovery plans.

In addition, below are resources specific to the Pakistan floods:

(8-17-10) In a recent Financial Times column, John Kay outlines the sometimes overlooked (or skewed) factors in determining the economic benefit of the arts. An excerpt:

But bad economics has been allowed to drive out good. I am sympathetic to the well-intentioned people who commission studies of economic benefit, though not to those who take money for carrying them out. They are responding to a climate in which philistine businessmen assert that the private sector company that manufactures pills is a wealth creator, but the public sector doctor who prescribes them is not.

(8-16-10) The 2010 Edition of Foundation Giving Trends: Update on Funding Priorities shows a decline in support for half of the major funding areas. Arts & Culture registered 13% of grant dollars in 2008, 14% of the number of grants given. Other key findings:

• Foundations awarded a record 214 grants of $10 million or more in 2008. Of the 10 largest, six were made by the Gates Foundation mainly for health-related activities and international development.

(8-16-10) Council on Foundations is actively planning the 2011 Annual Conference, which takes place in Philadelphia. A "session idea form" is available to fill out which CoF will take as input for the planning process. The form and other information is available on the CoF website at www.cof.org/events/conferences/2011Annual.

(8-16-10) After two weeks of meal prep and showing dinner companions to their seats (i.e. a thoroughly engaging back-and-forth discussion on individual artists and grantmaking), GIA guest bloggers Ute Zimmermann and Theaster Gates have sat down at the table to cut into the meat of this matter. Pull up your own seat and share your thoughts here.

(8-10-10) On August 7, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported on its survey of philanthropic programs at 162 of the largest U.S. corporations. In summary:

• Seventy-three percent of businesses polled said they expect their cash and product giving to be about the same as in 2009, reflecting a 7.5 percent reduction from 2008 giving.
• With less money to give, some companies are focused on responding to needs aggravated by the economy.

(8-10-10) Bob Booker, Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, (and former president of NASAA) welcome attendees on July 29 to the Southwest Arts Conference. Jonathan Katz passes along the text of Bob's introduction:

The arts hold the ability to shed the “light of truth and understanding” across America in these challenging times. The arts have always taken the lead in facing the tough issues head on. From Picasso's painting, Guernica, to the poems of Langston Hughes, the arts are not shy, quiet or reserved.

(8-10-10) New England Foundation for the Arts has announced the National Theater Pilot. Applications became available on August 6 and the deadline for submitting the application is Wednesday, September 1: