Grantmakers in the Arts

(8-22-10) 49 school districts, nonprofit education organizations and institutions of higher education have been selected from among nearly 1,700 applicants to the US Department of Education for potential funding under the Investing in Innovation (i3) program. Three of the applicants were identified as arts-related by the USDOE. To receive a share of the $650 million in i3 grants, the winning applicants must secure a commitment for a 20 percent private sector match by Sept. 8.

(8-18-10) Last week, Piper Trust announced $1.2 million in Arts Restructuring and Transformation Fund grants. These "ART Fund" grants, comprising remaining funds from the wind-down of Metro Phoenix Partnership for Arts and Culture (plus $200,000 in uncommitted Trust funds), were awarded to eleven organizations to "develop new business models, streamline internal processes and create strategic alliances—all intended to help organizations increase revenue or reduce costs." Selected projects were prepared by Phoenix-area visual art, performance, and botanical garden venues.

(08-17-10) I just finished teaching a two-week (five hour a day) course in public policy and the arts to 10 very bright non-trad students getting their Masters of Arts in Arts Administration from Goucher College, Baltimore.

(8-17-10) To assist its members, colleagues, and the field with leadership and guidance on global disasters, the Council on Foundations compiles timely, crisis-specific resources, available at www.cof.org/disasterresponse, including links to eight principles for disaster management, legal FAQs, and templates for your foundation’s disaster preparedness and recovery plans.

In addition, below are resources specific to the Pakistan floods:

(8-17-10) In a recent Financial Times column, John Kay outlines the sometimes overlooked (or skewed) factors in determining the economic benefit of the arts. An excerpt:

But bad economics has been allowed to drive out good. I am sympathetic to the well-intentioned people who commission studies of economic benefit, though not to those who take money for carrying them out. They are responding to a climate in which philistine businessmen assert that the private sector company that manufactures pills is a wealth creator, but the public sector doctor who prescribes them is not.

(8-16-10) The 2010 Edition of Foundation Giving Trends: Update on Funding Priorities shows a decline in support for half of the major funding areas. Arts & Culture registered 13% of grant dollars in 2008, 14% of the number of grants given. Other key findings:

(8-16-10) Council on Foundations is actively planning the 2011 Annual Conference, which takes place in Philadelphia. A "session idea form" is available to fill out which CoF will take as input for the planning process. The form and other information is available on the CoF website at www.cof.org/events/conferences/2011Annual.

(8-16-10) After two weeks of meal prep and showing dinner companions to their seats (i.e. a thoroughly engaging back-and-forth discussion on individual artists and grantmaking), GIA guest bloggers Ute Zimmermann and Theaster Gates have sat down at the table to cut into the meat of this matter. Pull up your own seat and share your thoughts here.