OVERVIEW: American Dance Movement supports dance education programs prioritizing programs that serve children, youth and disabled people. IP TAKE: American Dance Movement is an accessible source of funding for community dance programs anywhere in the … [Read more...] about American Dance Movement
Dance
“Outsized Philanthropy.” Meet the Family Foundation Giving Chicago Performing Artists Six-Figure Awards
Alvin Ailey: How a Historic Dance Organization Rakes In Philanthropic Support
As a Black New York native, I first heard the name Alvin Ailey when I was very young, even as someone not necessarily inclined toward the performing arts. The pioneering African American dancer, choreographer and activist came up in Texas in the … [Read more...] about Alvin Ailey: How a Historic Dance Organization Rakes In Philanthropic Support
The Wallace Foundation Invested $52 Million in Audience Engagement. What Did It Learn?
Finding ways to engage new and existing audiences is obviously a huge, long-term priority for arts organizations and for their philanthropic backers. How Americans interact with art is constantly evolving, and so is the profile of the arts donor, who … [Read more...] about The Wallace Foundation Invested $52 Million in Audience Engagement. What Did It Learn?
“The Theater Is My Favorite Church.” MAP Fund Supports Artists Through Cash and Coaching
Founded in 1988 and launched by the Rockefeller Foundation, MAP Fund is one of the nation’s longest-running private grantmakers for new performance pieces, and a somewhat rare example of an arts funder focused on individual creators, artist duos or … [Read more...] about “The Theater Is My Favorite Church.” MAP Fund Supports Artists Through Cash and Coaching
A Tough Nut to Crack: Reflecting on the Delicate Dance of Holiday Fundraising
Editor’s note: In our annual holiday post from Karen Brooks Hopkins, the president emerita of Brooklyn Academy of Music shares some end-of-the-year reflections from her career in fundraising. You can read Karen’s previous posts here.Holiday shows at … [Read more...] about A Tough Nut to Crack: Reflecting on the Delicate Dance of Holiday Fundraising
Funder Spotlight: How the Samuels Foundation Supports the Performing Arts and Healthy Aging
We periodically publish quick overviews of grantmakers on our radar, looking at recent developments and key details about how they operate. Today, we’re taking a look at the Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation (the Samuels Foundation).The New York … [Read more...] about Funder Spotlight: How the Samuels Foundation Supports the Performing Arts and Healthy Aging
“Dance for Every Child.” Catching Up With Educator, Advocate and Philanthropist Jody Gottfried Arnhold
In 2013, acclaimed dance educator and philanthropist Jody Gottfried Arnhold had an idea. She wanted to bring dance education back to her alma mater, Teachers College at Columbia University, an institution that has played a pioneering role in dance … [Read more...] about “Dance for Every Child.” Catching Up With Educator, Advocate and Philanthropist Jody Gottfried Arnhold
Six Questions for Laura Aden Packer, Howard Gilman Foundation President and CEO
As the president and CEO of the Howard Gilman Foundation, Laura Aden Packer oversees what is now one of the most impactful and reliable supporters of performing arts organizations in New York City. This wasn’t always the case.When Packer assumed the … [Read more...] about Six Questions for Laura Aden Packer, Howard Gilman Foundation President and CEO
IP Briefing: What’s Going On With Philanthropy for Dance?
In a sentence: The dance funding ecosystem is small compared to other performing arts, and the impacts of the pandemic on top of decades of declining public funding mean a growing role for philanthropy. What’s going onSupport for dance is modest, we … [Read more...] about IP Briefing: What’s Going On With Philanthropy for Dance?
COVID-19 Nearly Killed the Performing Arts. Innovations in Funding Can Revive Them
Ever since the pandemic brought live performances to a screeching halt, Don*, a jazz musician, has been forced to put off addressing urgent dental work, without which it is impossible to play his woodwind instruments. Mary, a dance artist who has … [Read more...] about COVID-19 Nearly Killed the Performing Arts. Innovations in Funding Can Revive Them
As the Dance Community Struggles Financially During COVID, Performers Suffer the Most
Robert Moore—a 27-year-old contemporary dancer in Seattle who also performs ballet—is relying on unemployment aid during the pandemic, and for that, he considers himself lucky.“With unemployment, I felt fortunate to have gotten through. Another … [Read more...] about As the Dance Community Struggles Financially During COVID, Performers Suffer the Most
“This is a Big Leap.” How Are Performing Arts Funders Democratizing Grantmaking?
One of the concerning findings from IP’s recent survey of performing arts professionals was the apparently glacial pace of funders’ efforts at democratizing their grantmaking practices.The survey asked respondents—including development officers, … [Read more...] about “This is a Big Leap.” How Are Performing Arts Funders Democratizing Grantmaking?
As Individual Giving Drops, Performing Arts Leaders Weigh in on the State of Fundraising
Over the summer, Inside Philanthropy surveyed performing arts professionals about COVID-19’s impact on the sector’s fundraising fortunes. Their pessimistic outlook reminded me of an old quote by Stephen King: “There’s no harm in hoping for the best … [Read more...] about As Individual Giving Drops, Performing Arts Leaders Weigh in on the State of Fundraising
“How Do You Survive?” A Seasoned Dance Funder on the Future of a Struggling Field
As the founding director of the Dance Education Laboratory and executive director of the New York City-based Harkness Foundation for Dance, Joan Finkelstein is uniquely positioned to gauge the state of a sector buckling under the strain of the … [Read more...] about “How Do You Survive?” A Seasoned Dance Funder on the Future of a Struggling Field
“True Partners.” How Performing Arts Funders Can Support the Field in Difficult Times
In mid-September, TRG Arts published a study looking at 219 organizations’ current plans for returning to in-person paid performance in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. The study found that just 23% of U.S. performing arts organizations … [Read more...] about “True Partners.” How Performing Arts Funders Can Support the Field in Difficult Times
“Remake the Model.” Philanthropy and the Arts After Coronavirus
As arts funders navigate the opening stages of what will be a prolonged effort to stem the impact of COVID-19, many are already looking beyond the pandemic. As A Blade of Grass Executive Director Deborah Fisher told me, “In the long term, I think … [Read more...] about “Remake the Model.” Philanthropy and the Arts After Coronavirus
Here’s Why Socially Conscious Younger Donors Will Reshape Arts Philanthropy
A new report by TEFAF titled “Arts Patronage in the 21st Century” joins a growing body of research looking at how young individuals poised to inherit trillions of dollars will affect the future of arts philanthropy. The most important finding in the … [Read more...] about Here’s Why Socially Conscious Younger Donors Will Reshape Arts Philanthropy
“We Can Do Better.” An Activist Donor’s Advice on Making the Field of Dance More Equitable
All across arts philanthropy, funders are grappling with addressing deeply rooted inequities. This is not news to Elizabeth “Liza” Yntema, whose nonprofit, Dance Data Project (DDP), highlights persistent gender and funding inequalities in the dance … [Read more...] about “We Can Do Better.” An Activist Donor’s Advice on Making the Field of Dance More Equitable
“An Easy Decision.” Behind a Gift to Reinvent a Dance Company Focused on Social Impact
Gibney, the New York City-based pioneer in framing dance as an agent for social good, recently received a $2 million gift from Andrew A. Davis, a trustee of the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund for its resident company, Gibney Company. The … [Read more...] about “An Easy Decision.” Behind a Gift to Reinvent a Dance Company Focused on Social Impact
A Big Gift Offers Clues to the Future of Performing Arts Organizations
News out of southwest Ohio finds a regional performing arts organization successfully tapping donor support for its bold expansion plans. Local patrons Margaret and Michael Valentine committed $10 million to the rapidly expanding Cincinnati Ballet’s … [Read more...] about A Big Gift Offers Clues to the Future of Performing Arts Organizations
Sparking Something Bigger: A Donor’s Big Bet on Dance Education is Starting to Pay Dividends
A few years ago, Jody Gottfried Arnhold and her husband John gave $4.36 million to Columbia University to make New York City the dance education capital of the world. Recent developments suggest things are trending positively. This spring, the 92nd … [Read more...] about Sparking Something Bigger: A Donor’s Big Bet on Dance Education is Starting to Pay Dividends
With a Growing Stream of Grants, This Stalwart Arts Funder Helps Offset Ominous Trends
The New York City-based Shubert Foundation recently awarded $32 million to 556 nonprofit performing arts organizations—the 37th consecutive year that the foundation has increased its giving. Ranging from $10,000 to $325,000, the grants benefit a … [Read more...] about With a Growing Stream of Grants, This Stalwart Arts Funder Helps Offset Ominous Trends
Charmed and Charitable: The Archetypal Regional Donors Behind a Big Arts Gift
Developments in Milwaukee provide more good news for “highbrow” performing arts organizations operating in locales not named New York City or Los Angeles.Prominent local philanthropists Donna and Donald Baumgartner donated $10 million to the … [Read more...] about Charmed and Charitable: The Archetypal Regional Donors Behind a Big Arts Gift
Individual Mandate: How Artist Trust in Washington State Provides Support
When we write about the many different types of foundations around the U.S., one thing we always take note of is the list of things that these groups do not fund. For example, many foundations don't back capital projects, like new buildings. Others … [Read more...] about Individual Mandate: How Artist Trust in Washington State Provides Support
“Where is the Next Voice?” A New Gender Equity Initiative in a Storied Arts Niche
Strange as it may sound, despite the large number of women in the dance field, relatively few contemporary ballet troupes present works by female choreographers.A new initiative courtesy of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) hopes to change that.This … [Read more...] about “Where is the Next Voice?” A New Gender Equity Initiative in a Storied Arts Niche
The Kids Will Come: More Insights About How Arts Groups Can Engage Millennials
"Kids! I don't know what's wrong with these kids today."Fans of Broadway will instantly recall those timeless words from the play "Bye Bye Birdie." But I suspect that programmers at performing arts organizations can also relate. Barriers to entry for … [Read more...] about The Kids Will Come: More Insights About How Arts Groups Can Engage Millennials
Lifeline: Some Badly Needed Support for Dance-Driven Musicals
In a recent post, I reported on institutional dance funders like the Shubert Foundation ramping up giving as strapped government agencies cut back. News out of New York City provides another example of this phenomenon while suggesting that a … [Read more...] about Lifeline: Some Badly Needed Support for Dance-Driven Musicals
A Friend Indeed: What This Foundation’s Giving Says About the Future of Arts Philanthropy
When you consider that private philanthropy is coming to play a greater role in civic life as strapped government agencies cut back, you might tend to think about mega-givers stepping forward with ambitious plans for public education or to build new … [Read more...] about A Friend Indeed: What This Foundation’s Giving Says About the Future of Arts Philanthropy
Real Change: How This Grantmaker Got Serious About Diversity
After years of paying lip service to the concepts of diversity and inclusion, some charities have completely restructured their operations—going well beyond the tokenism that has angered and alienated minority communities for years.One such … [Read more...] about Real Change: How This Grantmaker Got Serious About Diversity
