The current issue of Foundation Review from the Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University has a focus on racial equity for foundations. A subscription is needed to see the full contents online, but executive summaries are available to all.
GIA Blog
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Philamplify an initiative of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy is, at its heart, a series of comprehensive reports conducted by highly regarded researchers assessing foundation grantmaking and operations. Assessments include key findings and recommendations, along with in-depth analysis of foundations’ funding strategies. By keeping these assessments public, Philamplify seeks to build a culture of transparency, mutual accountability and knowledge sharing.
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From Craig Watson, director of the California Arts Council, writing for Western City:
When the concept of creativity is combined with “community,” it evokes images of vibrancy, activity and prosperity. In terms of economic development, how important is California’s creative economy? Quite important, according to the Otis Report on the Creative Economy, released in late January 2014. The report notes that 7.8 percent of California’s gross state product is directly attributable to the creative industries, with an impact of more than $270 billion annually. The creative economy employs some 1.4 million people, either directly or indirectly.
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Barry Hessenius posts to Barry’s Blog:
There is fairly decent sector support for the effort required to protect the funding for the NEA. But that support (the response to rally cries to lobby one’s elected officials) is hardly universal. The quid pro quo for a lot of those who are willing to collaborate on a national advocacy platform to protect the Endowment’s funding is to be a recipient of that funding. Both large and small states benefit as do virtually all discipline areas. While the NEA’s budget isn’t huge, it is large enough so that a lot of people get something. Would the challenge of protecting that funding be easier if more organizations and people (including those that are not direct recipients of the funding but might someday be) were willing to collaborate on the advocacy necessary to convince elected officials that the value of the agency justifies the expenditure of the money to fund it?
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The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Arts Council are seeking artists to work for a rehabilitative arts program opening at prisons statewide. The Arts in Corrections programs will offer an array of performing, literary and visual arts disciplines, such as theater, music, creative writing, poetry, painting, drawing and sculpture.
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During the month of May, GIA’s photo banner features work of GIA member Staten Island Arts.
Founded in 1992 by a group of community artists, Staten Island Arts is the borough’s local arts council serving a variety of artistic disciplines through its Grants Program for local artists and small arts organizations; Arts Education Program in schools and senior centers; Folklife Program with new & historic immigrant communities; and Contemporary Art Program such as LUMEN, a one-night video and performance art festival that attracts around 3,000 people each year.
Melanie Franklin Cohn, executive director of Staten Island Arts, shares about an exciting new venture that will serve as a nexus between creative enterprise, community-building, and the arts:
This summer, we will be opening a 2,500 square foot space at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George called Culture Lounge. Culture Lounge is a multiform program space and an artist retail market located in a ferry transit hub that sees over 75,000 passengers a day. The goal of Culture Lounge is to create a nurturing space for local artists, heritage bearers, and small arts organizations to gain skills, whether through exhibits, productions, workshops, or retail market experience, while engaging new audiences.
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It started as a conversation in the bar at the GIA Conference in Philadelphia…
The East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF), the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) and CultureStrike came together to present the first Business of Art entrepreneurial training workshops solely for undocumented artists on April 18 & 19 in Oakland, California. CultureStrike is an Oakland-based grassroots network of artists and activists working on issues of immigration and social change. The goal of the workshop was to create a formal opportunity for undocumented artist to access business knowledge resulting in greater individual visibility and empowerment that will help to advance their careers.
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Council on Foundations President and CEO Vikki Spruill will join First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, and grantmakers from around the country on Wednesday, April 30, for the announcement of the Philanthropy-Joining Forces Impact Pledge. Made by over 30 funders, this pledge aims to bring support to service members, veterans, and military family causes over five years.
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From Ray Mark Rinaldi, for the Denver Post:
The cultural revolution that is making marijuana part of everyday Colorado life conquers another established front Tuesday as the Colorado Symphony Orchestra announces a series of performances sponsored by the cannabis industry. The concerts, organized by pro-pot promoter Edible Events, will start May 23 with three bring-your-own marijuana events at the Space Gallery in Denver’s Santa Fe arts district and culminate with a large, outdoor performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Sept. 13.
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Funding for 39 projects undertaken by many of America’s most vital artists working in the fields of contemporary performance was announced today by the MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital primarily supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with additional support by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The MAP Fund, among the longest-standing nongovernment grants programs in the nation, has supported new works in performance that challenge the conventions of contemporary performance, particularly those that address issues of cultural difference in race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, generation or any other aspect of diversity since 1989.