For the next four weeks, Julie Fry, Program Officer in the Performing Arts Program for The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, will join Barry Hessenius on his blog for an ongoing discussion on arts education and the myriad issues and challenges facing the field in moving arts education forward. The discussion begins today with an introductory post.
Steve's Blog
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The redesigned Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, has been the subject of much discussion since the IRS released it in 2007. As the exempt sector and practitioners have been adjusting to the new filing requirements, areas of confusion have been identified. Earlier this year, an IRS official reported filing errors in approximately 1% of redesigned Forms 990 filed electronically during 2010. Common errors include failure to file Schedule O, Supplemental Information to Form 990, and failure to complete required lobbying details when a Sec. 501(h) election has been made.
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Cultural industries are economic powerhouses and states have the data to prove it, according to a new analysis from the National Endowment for the Arts. Drawing on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arts and the GDP: Value Added by Selected Cultural Industries is a new NEA research note that examines the value added by three selected cultural industries: (1) performing arts, sports, and museums; (2) motion pictures and sound recording; and (3) publishing (including software). Combined, these three cultural industries contributed a total of $278.4 billion to the U.S. economy in 2009.
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Critical Contributions: Philanthropic Investment in Teachers and Teaching is a new report that examines recent foundation activity to improve instruction and offers an in-depth review of grantmaking in the 2000s. A key finding of the report was the magnitude of philanthropic investment in strengthening teacher quality—between 2000 and 2008, $684 million was directed toward teachers and teaching. Half of this funding came from a group of ten foundations. Similarly much of it—60 percent—was directed to just twenty organizations.
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Helen Walters from Fast Company on the persistent problems with design thinking, and the attempts to graft its processes onto businesses:
At the recent Design Research conference in Seattle, the consensus reportedly held that whether or not you like the term, design thinking is here to stay. At a recent panel discussion in New York, “Design Thinking: Dead or Alive?” it was hard to find any of the speakers (of which I was one) quibbling with more than the fact that it wasn’t a very interesting question.
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William I. Miller took the reins of The Wallace Foundation on July 1. Today he introduces himself via email:
Dear Colleagues,
As the new president of The Wallace Foundation, I want to introduce myself and let you know how much I look forward to working together with all of you.
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From the Glasspockets Blog:
Kudos to the James Irvine Foundation for two very visible steps designed to increase its grantmaking transparency and participation. This month the Irvine Foundation announced that it will introduce a new grantmaking strategy for its support of the arts in California, effective 2012.
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From Narric Rome at ARTSBlog:
Many Americans for the Arts members and friends may be most familiar with the grant programs of the National Endowment for the Arts, which distributes about 2,400 grants annually to arts organizations. But less familiar are the grants located at other federal agencies that represent a more non-traditional source of funding that can benefit arts organizations as well.
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TCG's I Am Theatre video series spotlights the stories of theatre practitioners, in their own words. With 50 videos over the next 50 weeks, the series celebrates TCG's 50th anniversary by sharing stories from a diverse group of people who are creating, supporting, and engaging with theatre. A new video will post weekly of individuals sharing pivotal moments in theatre and you are encouraged to tell your stories too. Watch this week's video of Rachel Grossman, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's Connectivity Director.
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Some look at the city of Flint and see only urban blight, a city drained of its soul. Others, like Natasha Thomas-Jackson, Executive Director of RAISE IT UP! Youth Arts and Awareness, see a city alive with creativity, a community on the brink of rediscovering its voice. Her non-profit was founded to ensure that the creativity and collective voices of the youth in her hometown are discovered, nurtured and expressed.