Grantmakers in the Arts

(5-5-10) In "Philanthropy, Evaluation, Accountability, and Social Change," from the latest issue of The Foundation Review, John Bare, Vice President for the Arthur Blank Family Foundation, argues that many foundations have substituted process accountability for accountability for contributing to social change. Accountability in terms of required reporting is important, but it sets a floor, not an aspirational ceiling.

(5-5-10) The organization formally known as National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts has changed its name to National Guild for Community Arts Education. From their website:

By retaining "National Guild" we reaffirm our identity as an association of arts education providers committed to the values of quality, accessibility and accountability. The change to "for" further signals our commitment to advocating for increased access to lifelong learning opportunities in the arts.

(5-5-10) The Center for Effective Philanthropy has just released a report titled Working With Grantees: The Keys to Success and Five Program Officers Who Exemplify Them. The report concludes an eight-year analysis of several thousand grantee surveys. Its authors have distilled this information into a list of five qualities that nonprofits value in their foundation funders, briefly: fairness, comfort, responsiveness, clarity, and consistency.

(5-4-10) Last week, New York Governor David Patterson proposed a “$620 million Gap Closing Plan” that includes this line item:

Reduce Council on the Arts Grant Funding (2010-11 Savings: $10 million; 2011-12 Savings: $10 million): The New York State Council on the Arts awards approximately 2,300 grants per year to not-for-profit arts and cultural organizations through a competitive application process. After this reduction, $25.2 million would be provided for these grants in 2010-11.

(5-4-10) From The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has backed off a proposal to cut the city's arts grants by $415,000 and direct the money to cultural groups of his choosing, reports the Los Angeles Times.

(5-4-10) Betsy and Dick DeVos have pledged $22.5 million to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to expand the Center's 9-year old arts management institute. The institute, which has trained approximately 4,000 arts administrators in nonprofit operations, will be renamed the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. Betsy DeVos has served on the Kennedy Center board for six years and her husband, Dick, is the son of Amway Corporation co-founder Rich DeVos.

Read more on Bloomberg.com.

(5-3-10) The Council on Foundations and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM) are seeking submissions of films and videos for the Council on Foundations' 44th Annual Film & Video Festival, to be held April 10-12, 2011, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To be eligible, the project must have received full or partial funding for production, distribution, and/or outreach from a private, community, operating, or corporate foundation; a corporate giving program; or a donor network. The grantmaker does not have to be a member of the Council or GFEM.

(5-3-10) In July, WNYC Radio acquired classical music station WQXR-FM and launched a $15 million capital campaign. Yesterday, the station announced the largest grant yet to this campaign, a $700,000 gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. "The grant will enable the station and its contemporary classical music stream, Q2, to develop and expand their programming and audience through live concert broadcasts and new partnerships with key cultural institutions such as the New York Philharmonic and Lincoln Center."