GIA’s Benchmark Research on Support for Individual Artists: An Update

Monday, October 7, 11:10am – 12:40pm

Organized by Grantmakers in the Arts.

Presented by Claudia Bach, Principal and Founder, AdvisArts; Alan Brown, Principal, WolfBrown; and Tommer Peterson, Deputy Director & Director of Programs, Grantmakers in the Arts.

We are now in a philanthropic culture where valid data is at the heart of every decision.

GIA is at a milestone point in its initiative to establish benchmarking data on support for individual artists nationally. One major component of this work was the development of a standard taxonomy of terms describing support for artists that would allow for benchmarking data to be tracked and reported by researchers, providing a common language for future discussion. The draft taxonomy was developed to rigorous academic standards, and the process of vetting it and soliciting input from funders and other stakeholders is in progress. Individual interviews and focus groups were held during the summer of 2013 and continue.

This session will provide an update on the work in progress. Background information and a copy of the draft taxonomy will be available on the GIA website in advance of the conference. Consultants to the project will be on hand at the preconference and throughout the main conference to solicit additional feedback and comments from participants. Details on these opportunities will be provided in October.