GIA Blog

From Hyperallergic: "Last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture opened applications for its new grant program Creative Recovery LA. The regional initiative will distribute $26 million to nonprofit arts organizations hardest hit by the pandemic — the “largest investment we’ve ever received at the County level for the arts,” according to Anji Gaspar-Milanovic, director of grants and professional development for LA County Arts and Culture."

"Creativity, Culture & Capital is a collaborative project between Arts & Culture Finance (UK), Upstart Co-Lab (US) and Fundación Compromiso (Argentina), three women-led non-profit organisations, all working at the intersection of impact investment and the creative economy."

Despite civil society organizations being at the forefront of fighting the complex problems of our world, most of them suffer from financial instability. Research done by Humentum highlights these “starvation cycles” CSO’s are stuck in with recommendations for funders to break that cycle. What comes after that research?

"The Mellon Foundation—the nation’s largest funder of the arts, culture and humanities—today announced more than $12 million in funding to support twenty-six colleges and universities across the nation mounting social justice-related research or curricular projects."

From The Chronicle of Philanthropy, "The need to increase funding for Black feminist organizations is urgent, according to an open letter released Thursday from some of philanthropy’s most influential organizations, including Melinda Gates’a Pivotal Ventures, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, as well as the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation."

Art.coop invites listeners to Remember the Future together by listening to the stories of artists and culture bearers who know that the practices of the Solidarity Economy are not some new technology, but actually are ways of being in relationship with people and planet that are as old as time. They are our ancestral practices. In this 7 episode narrative pilot, listeners learn: You don’t have to be a starving artist or a sell out. You can find work where you joyfully live your values and pay the bills.

Creative Study introduces a new solidarity economy source, No Starving Artists! No Sellouts!: Introduction To Creative Work In The Solidarity Economy, The What And The Why In Four Parts in partnership with Art.coop. The free course, " introduces you to a growing library of courses dedicated to creatives building their own worlds. It is a part of a living, breathing process created by people who know that values-aligned ways of working together can be joyful, impactful, and pay the bills. We have survived and thrived by being in community and we welcome you.

"Adriana Griñó, Arts Program Officer, has announced she will leave the Kenneth Rainin Foundation effective January 20. Adriana joined the Foundation as Program Assistant in 2014. She was promoted to Program Associate, which was followed by her appointment to Program Officer in 2017," said the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. "Her decision to leave the role comes after over eight years of service in advancing the Foundation’s goal of enabling Bay Area artists to thrive. Over the years, Adriana has developed meaningful connections with grantees, peer funders, partners and staff, and has strengthened the Foundation’s contributions and impact in the field."

"As the New Year promises to bring many changes to the social sector and beyond, one thing remains unchanged and top of mind for many: the economic climate in the U.S. With high levels of inflation persisting and the possibility of a recession looming, many are predicting what 2023’s economy will mean for today’s workforce," said Guy Mika for Candid. "Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball that can tell employees what to expect this year. However, we can revisit the topic of workers’ rights through a new lens by exploring the increasing role that a newer breed of labor organizations plays in the social sector."

From Democracy and Belonging Forum: "Four days away from the Christmas of 1848, in the dark and occult hours before morning wakes, Ellen and William Craft beheld each other through tearful eyes for the last time. Minutes later, they collapsed to the floor, both falling into a writhing heap of limbs and agony, convulsing, trembling, and flailing until the strong brew they had ingested hours earlier passed through them. When the sun yawned awake to the sounds of the cock crow, his surveillant gaze travelled across the undulating fields of Georgia, across the cottonfields of one plantation in Macon, and fell through the cracks of the cabin where two lovers had spent their last human moments, and where a few obsidian-black feathers belonging to two fugitive crows now littered the log floor – tell-tale signs of a daring escape, a transformation too offensive for history to embrace."