Arts
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How the Prebys Foundation Provided a Lifeline to Arts Groups Affected by Federal Cuts
We take a closer look at how one of San Diego’s largest funders is balancing the need to provide immediate support with preserving its long-term grantmaking capacity.
Agnes Gund Was Much More than Your Archetypal “Old World” Arts Patron
The collector and philanthropist, who passed away this month at 87, launched the Art for Justice Fund to reduce mass incarceration in the U.S.
The New Art Prize Channeling Alice Walton’s Vision
The inaugural Bridgemaker Prize recognizes achievements of Art Bridges Foundation’s partner museums. CEO Anne Kraybill shares more.
If It’s Summer, It Must Be Shakespeare: Who Funds the Season on the Stage?
A look at the major foundations, local bigwigs, and grassroots theater fans who power performances of the Bard’s classic plays.
A Film Regrantor Goes All-In as Support for Disability Rights Wanes Post-Election
Inevitable Foundation cofounder and president Richie Siegel discusses its growing support for disabled filmmakers and the fraught state of funding for disability rights organizations.
The Literary Arts Are in Crisis. Funders Can Help More Than They Realize
Katherine Don surveys the dire state of funding for writing and literature amid federal cuts, arguing that there is actually a lot grantmakers can do at relatively low cost.
Cave Canem’s Lisa Willis on Sustaining Black Literary Arts Organizations
Willis discusses a new report on the opportunities and challenges facing Black literary organizations, including those with cancelled or suspended NEA grants.
How the Zellerbach Family Foundation Transformed Its Giving to Better Support Grantees
The Bay Area foundation has dramatically increased its unrestricted giving, abolished an outcomes-based evaluation model and eliminated reports for its Community Arts grantees.
5 Funders Working to Expand Public Access to Knowledge
The right to open and equitable access to knowledge been under strain, and even outright attack, in recent years. Here are some of the grantmakers aiming to safeguard and expand knowledge access for everyone.
An Online Learning Collaborative Aims to Empower Arts Leaders of Color
Launched earlier this year, the Creative Disruptors Learning Collaborative surfaces opportunities and challenges facing leaders of color in the arts.
How Foundation Partnerships Catalyzed the Arts Across Massachusetts
The Barr Foundation’s decade-long initiative tapped community foundations across the state. Here’s a look at what makes the approach stand out.
What a New Grant Program Tells Us About the State of Socially Engaged Art
A Blade of Grass Executive Director Lu Zhang discusses how its new initiative builds connections and shared power between socially engaged arts groups.
MAP Fund’s David Blasher on the End of Its Grantmaking for Individual Artists
On the heels of its largest grantmaking year, the 35-year-old regrantor has seen some major foundation backers drop away. Executive Director David Blasher discusses what’s next.
Mellon Foundation Counters Dark Border Narratives with New Fund
With its new $25 million Frontera Culture Fund, the iconic arts and humanities funder aims to support authentic stories and cross-border exchange.
Dance Data Project’s Elizabeth Yntema on Pay Inequity, Women Donors and More
The donor and advocate shares her provocative insights about donors’ blind spots, fundraising trends and encouraging news in the field.
Koreatown Community Center Shows Off Place-Based, Multisector Funding in L.A.
Korean, Mexican and Central American healing practices and traditions are coming together in troubled MacArthur Park.
Bloomberg and the Arts: Inside One Mega Funder’s Approach
Bloomberg Philanthropies has long backed the arts as one of its key priority areas, focusing on projects that complement other priorities, like public health, and with an eye toward “figuring out what metrics really matter.”
Key Trends to Watch in Native American Arts Giving
Giving for Native artists and organizations constitutes a unique segment of the arts funding ecosystem. Prominent funding leaders tell us about the state of the field.
Starving in Plain Sight: Survey Shows Black Literary Arts Nonprofits Ignored by Funders
Poetry nonprofit Cave Canem’s final report won’t be fully released until February, but early figures released to IP show this important corner of the arts sector has been overlooked.
Patrons, Playwrights and More: Five Notable Arts Philanthropies Founded by People of Color
Arts-focused funding vehicles established by people of color account for a small but important and varied segment of a sprawling arts ecosystem. Here are five of them to watch.
At a Critical Time, This Foundation’s Providing Fresh Support for Muslim Creatives
The Doris Duke Foundation’s Building Bridges Program has sought to create a more inclusive society since 2007. We connected with director Zeyba Rahman to learn more about how its support for U.S. Muslim creatives is evolving.
A Year and a Half After Its Founder’s Passing, Robertson’s Green Program Looks Abroad
Now led by Julian Robertson’s heirs, the foundation has overhauled its environmental strategy to put money directly in the hands of local organizations outside the U.S.
The Wallace Foundation Invested $52 Million in Audience Engagement. What Did It Learn?
Through its five-year Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative, Wallace dug deep into the question of how arts organizations can grow their reach and revenue. A new report offers some key findings.
A Conversation with Anne Kraybill, New CEO of the Art Bridges Foundation
Preeminent arts philanthropist Alice Walton established the Art Bridges Foundation to expand access to American art. New foundation head Anne Kraybill walks us through Art Bridges’ work, how she got there, and more.
With a New Arts Initiative, Gilbert Family Foundation Expands its Philanthropic Footprint in Detroit
Billionaire Dan Gilbert has an outsized role in his home city of Detroit, including far-reaching philanthropy. A new program focuses on BIPOC artists as part of his foundation’s revitalization efforts.
How Getty’s Bringing Curators Together After the Disruption of COVID
As its seven-year funding initiative for curators of prints and drawings comes to a close, the Getty Foundation is going “all-in” on in-person professional learning and community development.
A Massive Bequest Powers Participatory Giving: What’s New with the Ruth Foundation for the Arts?
Backed by $440 million from its late founder in 2022, the Ruth Foundation for the Arts takes a “nonhierarchical” approach that puts funding power into artists’ hands. Two years on, it’s hitting its stride.
Grand Finale: A Family Foundation Focused on Free Concerts Announces its Spend Down
The Levitt Foundation has a unique focus on creating music performance spaces as a way to support communities nationwide. The family recently announced it would spend down to boost its impact.
“This is Just the Beginning.” Digging into Meow Wolf Foundation’s Inaugural Round of Grants
This year, Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf launched a new foundation. We get a status report from Executive Director Julie Heinrich on the heels of its first foray into grantmaking.
Lieutenant Dan: A Close Look at Actor Gary Sinise’s Longstanding Support for Veterans
Known in part for his role as platoon leader Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump,” the actor has been engaged in veterans-focused giving for decades. We connected with Sinise to get the inside story.
