Leslie A. Ito

Over eighteen months, the California Community Foundation (CCF) provided seed grants as incentives for five small and midsized arts organizations to build capital reserves through its pilot program, Building Equity in the Arts (2012–14). The program’s goals were for these organizations to raise a reserve fund, to create a cash reserve policy, and to evidence an increase in their fund balance. While a seemingly straightforward challenge, the building of cash reserves required a great deal more than simple development and reallocation of resources.