Building Financial Equity in Arts Organizations

Sunday, October 29, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized by Glyn Northington, Special Initiatives Director, Propel Nonprofits.

Presented by Kate Barr, President & CEO, Propel Nonprofits; and Kim Dempsey, Deputy Director, Social Investments, The Kresge Foundation.

Arts grantmakers have long been focused on helping philanthropists and arts organizations better understand the power behind capitalization. The goal is to help arts organizations become more sustainable through unrestricted net assets. Investing both grants and program-related investments, The Kresge Foundation, Bush Foundation, Butler Family Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Propel Nonprofits partnered to develop an Equity Builder program to strengthen the balance sheet for arts and creative placemaking organizations. The program incorporates capital, financial management guidance, and leadership development to address multiple obstacles to the financial health and resiliency of arts and culture organizations. Session presenters will demonstrate the success of this program by spotlighting what they learned from the pilot program, as they launch the next phase of the Equity Builder program.