Grantmakers in the Arts

From Aspen Institute: Join us Monday, March 13 at 12:30pm-1:30 pm (EDT) for a webinar to review the progress and future plans of the NeuroArts Blueprint initiative.

Dedicated to strengthening the essential role that the arts can play in advancing health and wellbeing, neuroarts has captured the attention of an expanding network of researchers, practitioners, arts groups, health providers, and other public sector and private sector organizations. We are honored to serve as a hub for the growing body of knowledge they are generating, and to act as a catalyst to inspire more.

In the year since publishing the NeuroArts Blueprint in December 2021, we have made important strides in our shared understanding of how the arts can be used to expand the boundaries of medicine. A newly released Progress Report updates our collective efforts to implement the recommendations and action steps detailed in that foundational document. Learn how we are advancing research, practice, education, policymaking, advocacy, leadership, and communications in this emerging field.

From Gibrán Rivera: Jihan Gearon is an artist who is pouring her spirit into the sort of art that can change your life. She is a friend. We met when I used to facilitate the fellowship that developed the Young Climate Leaders Network. I think of her as a recovering activist. But that’s not exactly true. She can’t stop being an activist. She is just another one among the ranks of us who are looking for a better, kinder, and more sustainable way to make the world whole again.

I titled this episode “Life Giver,” because that is who Jihan is, and what she does. She breathes life into the world. She reminds us that we can create anything. Here you’ll learn about how: at the age of thirty-five, Jihan was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. As part of her journey of healing, she turned to painting, creating bold, powerful works that featured the animals, people, and other beings that protected, motivated, and transformed her during her recovery. Her paintings bring her passions in life together, showcasing feminine energy, connections with the natural world, and the future of a healthy planet.

From the National Endowment for the Arts: The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Packineau (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Pueblo of Jemez, Pueblo of Laguna) as NEH’s first Strategic Advisor for Native and Indigenous Affairs.

In this new position, Packineau will serve as the lead policy and strategy advisor for NEH’s outreach and engagement with Tribal Nations and Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. He will also coordinate NEH’s Tribal consultation policy, develop partnerships that enhance the agency’s support of Indigenous communities, and support convenings, listening sessions, capacity-building, and information sharing among state and jurisdictional Indigenous networks.

From Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: Think of this guide as an experienced friend—a partner who can guide you in investigating, learning and maybe even getting inspired by how women give. Think of it as a companion as you explore how philanthropy can add to your life and the life of your loved ones.
Because philanthropy can help organizations take calculated risks, not all philanthropy achieves its goals. However, when successful, philanthropic and personal investments can pay dividends in the form of meaningful connection and even joy.

Why does women’s philanthropy matter?

Public Health Grand Rounds at the Aspen Institute invite you to a lunchtime book talk in D.C. featuring authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross in discussion about their new, ground-breaking work.

Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us shares the new science behind humanity's evolutionary birthright — to make and behold art and its power to transform our lives. What artists have always known, and researchers are now proving is that arts, in all its forms, amplify physical and mental health, learning and flourishing and build stronger communities.

Upstart’s people-focused approach to impact assessment recognizes the role that investments in the creative economy can play in advancing social justice, financial inclusion, economic opportunity, and community development. Upstart tracks the impact of creative economy investments across five dimensions:

From ASC: Last night, Feb. 27, 2023, Charlotte City Council approved a policy framework for its Arts and Culture Advisory Board. The framework makes ASC ineligible to receive operating dollars to support the personnel, technology and other resources necessary to do its work for the broader cultural sector.

"How much do we really know about how the ultrarich give their money away?" said Whizy Kim for Vox. "It’s surprisingly hard to say. This week, the Chronicle of Philanthropy published its annual ranking of the top 50 donors from 2022, a list it compiles by asking nonprofits what gifts they received and philanthropists what gifts they gave. It’s a list dominated by Silicon Valley billionaires with sprinklings of Wall Street investors, real estate magnates, media moguls, and heirs and heiresses of industry, who gave hundreds of millions (and in a few cases, billions) to private foundations, universities, and medical centers."