On Living our Values: Eddie Torres’ Most Recent President’s Blog

Grantmakers in the Arts treated this year’s annual conference in Oakland as an experiment in living our values in real time. GIA has historically held the conference in a hotel, negotiating each venue approximately two years in advance of the event. But when Unite Here announced that its workers at the Oakland City Center Marriott were going on strike, two weeks before the conference, we had a series of tough choices to make. GIA President & CEO, Eddie Torres, writes about how we lived our values and philosophy at this year’s annual conference Race, Space, and Place in Oakland.

Today! GIA at PNY Equity Speaker Series: Exploring Racism in America with Titus Kaphar

As part of its Equity Speaker Series, Exploring Racism in America, Philanthropy New York presents a discussion with Titus Kaphar, internationally-renowned artist and 2018 MacArthur Fellow, and a screening of his short film, The Jerome Project, a multimedia investigation into the criminal justice system. The Jerome Project began as Kaphar was researching his father's prison records, which led him to find the mugshots of many other African-American men who shared his father's first and last name. Moderated by GIA President & CEO Eddie Torres, Kaphar will discuss his recent work and how art can inspire philanthropic support of justice reform.

Open to grantmakers, this event will take place today at 5:00pm. More details here.

Follow GIA on Twitter to learn more about how you and fellow funders can support justice reform.

From the GIA Reader

Among the special contributions to the Fall 2018 issue of the GIA Reader are reflections by local writers on “My Oakland.” In her piece, Stephanie Young reflects on moving to the Bay Area, the rising cost of rents in Oakland, and how she experienced her neighborhood becoming, like her, white.

“The Value of a PSO” Webinar

Philanthropy-serving organizations (PSOs), often referred to as affinity organizations (AO) or membership organizations (MO), hold a unique position in the nonprofit-sector. These types of organizations gather insights and aggregate information on both the nonprofit field and the funder-response to those needs. Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) provides information, resources, and leadership to funders of artists and arts organizations. A 2017 United Philanthropy Forum study revealed that national and regional PSOs reported a median 93 percent membership renewal rate, but why?

Join us to hear from David Biemesderfer, president and CEO, United Philanthropy Forum and Tatiana Hernandez, senior program officer, The Kresge Foundation’s Arts & Culture Program and a GIA board member. They will discuss the value of membership organizations, their impact, and why you should be a part of one! “The Value of a PSO” will be held Tuesday, December 4, at 2:00pm EDT / 11:00am PDT. Details and registration available here.

The article How Grantmakers Can Use Power Mindfully to Advance Equity, part of the “Power in Philanthropy” series presented by Stanford Social Innovation Review and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, addresses that even if there may be barriers to utilizing power ethically and responsibly, “funders can —and must—overcome them to truly advance equity and justice”…

The deadliest and most devastating wildfire in California history has killed at least 77 people and, according to authorities, more than 990 people are missing in Butte County. In response to these fires, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) has launched the CDP California Wildfires Recovery Fund to support strategic medium- to long-term recovery…

Much has been discussed about the importance of exposure to the arts as part of early-childhood education programs, but according to a recent column in Education Dive, researchers and educators still have questions about how these experiences benefit children as they continue through school…

On November 6, an article in Vulture explored the “unprecedented sense of mission” in the art world that “something must change, and that, perhaps, artists could help” achieve that change, following the election of Donald Trump as president…

Two indigenous poets, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner and Aka Niviâna, and a small film crew traveled to southern Greenland’s ice sheet to recite a poem they wrote together, “Rise,” on top of a melting glacier, emphasizing climate change's effects…