GIA Blog

Facebook’s most recent algorithm change has sparked a conversation about its implications for publishers like nonprofit organizations. In a post published on January 11, the company said its News Feed will prioritize posts from friends and family and updates that spark conversation, and “show less public content, including videos and other posts from publishers or businesses.”

John E. McGuirk, the recently retired director of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Performing Arts Program, discusses arts philanthropy nowadays and where it is headed in an interview with Barry Hessenius, author of the nonprofit arts Barry’s Blog. “I believe the most significant change in arts philanthropy I’ve seen over the past two decades is the growing importance of cultural equity in grantmaking. This has its roots as far back as ‘multi-culturalism’ in the 1980s when I first entered the field. Racial equity is a more recent priority at the national level as articulated by Grantmakers in the Arts,” said McGuirk.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) has announced Karl Blischke as its new executive director, succeeding Philip Horn, who is retiring from state government after leading the agency for 25 years of its nearly 52-year history.

Jeffrey Parks, chairman of the PCA, said he was “delighted that Karl is rejoining the agency, bringing with him important experience, especially regarding economic development programs.”

Kenneth Taylor, former CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, shares his personal story on The Conversation calling for greater diversity of leadership on corporate and nonprofit boards, nationally.

Taylor discusses revealing data from a report by BoardSource, which notes that while “only 61.3 percent of Americans are white, about 84 percent of nonprofit board members are in that demographic group, along with 90 percent of nonprofit board chairs.”

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced that Emiko Ono is the new program director of the foundation’s Performing Arts Program. Ono has served as a program officer at the Hewlett Foundation since 2011.

"It is unusual, though not unprecedented, for the Hewlett Foundation to promote someone from our own staff to a leadership role. In this case, the choice became clear as we moved through an extensive, nationwide search process," said Larry Kramer, Hewlett Foundation president, announcing Ono’s appointment. "In addition to her deep knowledge of the Bay Area arts community and our own program, she is recognized as a national leader in arts philanthropy, and her name came up over and over again in conversations with colleagues both inside and outside the foundation as the ideal candidate for this position."

From Philanthropy News Digest:

In an article on artnet news, Tim Schneider explores how admission fees at museums affect overall attendance. After the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it would no longer allow free admission for out-of-state visitors, Schneider delves into the data to ask: Do admission fees meaningfully affect museum attendance? More specifically, do free museums actually attract larger, more diverse audiences than those that charge for entry?

North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) has announced Kim Konikow as the new executive director of the agency effective January 12, 2018. Konikow will replace Dr. Beth Gigante Klingenstein, who served in this role since July of 2014.

Konikow has a varied background in the arts as a presenter, artist manager, administrator, and consultant. She helped institute a Recreation Arts & Parks (RAP) tax for Utah’s Washington County Arts Council. Prior work experience includes conference coordinator for Dance/USA; executive director of The Mesa, an arts & humanities residency center in southern Utah; and executive director of Minnesota Dance Alliance.

The National Center for Arts Research (NCAR) at Southern Methodist University has released a report detailing financial health of arts organizations in the US. The report examines organizational bottom lines using data collected from over 4,800 organizations between 2013 and 2016. Overall, the report shows that it has become increasingly difficult for arts and cultural organizations to break even, a trend that is particularly alarming given the current period of economic growth in the US.