… [Read more...] about What We Know About Taylor Swift’s Philanthropy
Music
“Outsized Philanthropy.” Meet the Family Foundation Giving Chicago Performing Artists Six-Figure Awards
Get Down On It: The Family Behind This Legendary Funk Band Focuses on Music Education
When I first started hitting the dance floor at family reunions, weddings and other gatherings, Kool & The Gang was usually part of the soundtrack. The legendary R&B and funk band have one Grammy award and three Grammy nominations, and are … [Read more...] about Get Down On It: The Family Behind This Legendary Funk Band Focuses on Music Education
“That’s Where We Come In.” How Chamber Music America Supports the Field’s Artists and Ensembles
When it comes to philanthropic support for the performing arts, regrantor organizations often play an important role. One to note is Chamber Music America (CMA), which supports the chamber music field through offerings like grant programs, … [Read more...] about “That’s Where We Come In.” How Chamber Music America Supports the Field’s Artists and Ensembles
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?
“More Than Just a Check.” This Funder Couples Cash and Professional Support to Help Artists Thrive
Founded in 1999, Creative Capital provides individual artists with cash support — still hard to come by in arts philanthropy — while cultivating a deep network where artists can explore collaborations, manage their finances, and tap expertise to … [Read more...] about “More Than Just a Check.” This Funder Couples Cash and Professional Support to Help Artists Thrive
Grand Finale: A Family Foundation Focused on Free Concerts Announces its Spend Down
Based in Southern California, the Colburn Foundation Exclusively Focuses on Classical Music
Several Southern California foundations give steadily to music organizations, including the Thomas C. Ackerman Foundation and Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation. However, few in the region are more music-focused than the Colburn Foundation. This … [Read more...] about Based in Southern California, the Colburn Foundation Exclusively Focuses on Classical Music
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
Arts, Education, Conservative Policy and More. How the Kovners Are Tapping a Hedge Fund Fortune
Bruce Kovner, worth $6.6 billion at age 77, has come a long way since his boho days driving taxi cabs in New York City while writing and taking classes at Juilliard. The Harvard grad changed career paths and ended up founding a hedge fund in the … [Read more...] about Arts, Education, Conservative Policy and More. How the Kovners Are Tapping a Hedge Fund Fortune
Intergenerational Music-Making: How One Funder’s Tackling Loneliness and Division
On a balmy Monday night in mid-August, 60 musicians aged 11 to 70-something gathered in the performance pavilion of the Heart of Los Angeles’ Arts and Recreation Center in Lafayette Park in central L.A. Violin cases stood upright on the floor, along … [Read more...] about Intergenerational Music-Making: How One Funder’s Tackling Loneliness and Division
“Look to the Artists.” Checking In with Music Legend and Longtime Arts Philanthropist Herb Alpert
In April 2019, I spoke with the legendary musician, record executive and philanthropist Herb Alpert, who was preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Herb Alpert Awards in the Arts, which he created with his wife Lani Hall, and in … [Read more...] about “Look to the Artists.” Checking In with Music Legend and Longtime Arts Philanthropist Herb Alpert
Eleven Ways Funders Are Supporting Social Justice Within and Through the Arts
Art both reflects societies and has the potential to transform them. And although conventional cultural organizations like museums, opera houses and the like have historically received the lion’s share of arts philanthropy, today, some notable … [Read more...] about Eleven Ways Funders Are Supporting Social Justice Within and Through the Arts
The Donor Deplorables: a Fundraiser’s Tales of “Bad Apple” Donors
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on February 14, 2022. —Hello, fundraisers of the world! With this February’s launch of my new memoir , “BAM… And Then It Hit Me,” a recollection of my 36 years at the Brooklyn Academy of Music … [Read more...] about The Donor Deplorables: a Fundraiser’s Tales of “Bad Apple” Donors
IP Briefing: What’s Going on with Philanthropy for Music?
In Inside Philanthropy’s weekly briefings, we provide an overview of what’s happening in a particular area of philanthropy, loaded with links to our past coverage and State of American Philanthropy research. This week: music.In a sentenceMusic gets … [Read more...] about IP Briefing: What’s Going on with Philanthropy for Music?
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
How Charities Focused on Music Are Beginning to Climb Out of the Pandemic
David Zusman co-founded the We Are All Music Foundation in 2019, serves on its board, and has been working with 25 other volunteers to get the new grantmaking entity in Montclair, New Jersey, off the ground. The foundation supports music nonprofits … [Read more...] about How Charities Focused on Music Are Beginning to Climb Out of the Pandemic
After a Year of Crisis, What Does Resilience Mean for the Philanthropic Leader Who Wrote the Book on It?
When I say that former Rockefeller Foundation president, University of Pennsylvania president emerita and New World Symphony (NWS) board member Judith Rodin wrote the book on resilience, I don’t mean it in a figurative sense. Rodin actually wrote the … [Read more...] about After a Year of Crisis, What Does Resilience Mean for the Philanthropic Leader Who Wrote the Book on It?
“An Instrument for Healing.” Two Funding Leaders Discuss the State of the Opera Field
Founded in 1970, OPERA America has a membership that includes over 500 opera companies, educational institutions, affiliated businesses and other entities. For the first 30 years of its existence, the organization’s grantmaking exclusively focused on … [Read more...] about “An Instrument for Healing.” Two Funding Leaders Discuss the State of the Opera Field
Toward a “New Normal.” An Arts Leader on Boosting Representation in Classical Music
According to the most recent statistics available in a 2016 report released by the League of American Orchestras, the proportion of Asian and Pacific Islander orchestra musicians increased from 5.3% in 2002 to just over 9% in 2014. Hispanic and … [Read more...] about Toward a “New Normal.” An Arts Leader on Boosting Representation in Classical Music
An Inside Look Into a Music Funder’s Democratized Grantmaking Process
The philanthropic sector is facing growing demands to level the power imbalance between funders and the communities they aim to serve, with more attention being paid to participatory grantmaking and other practices that seek to democratize funding … [Read more...] about An Inside Look Into a Music Funder’s Democratized Grantmaking Process
The Great Latke Competition—a Fundraiser Reflects on the Holiday Event That Kept Giving
Editor’s note: This is the fourth annual holiday post from Karen Brooks Hopkins, in which 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 … [Read more...] about The Great Latke Competition—a Fundraiser Reflects on the Holiday Event That Kept Giving
In “Unconventional Times,” an Orchestra Aims to Get its Fundraising Back on Track
On March 7, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra’s board approved the organization’s $5.1 million “Campaign for the Future.” Leaders sought to build on gifts received during the campaign’s silent phase and a $3 million gift from the now-defunct Davee … [Read more...] about In “Unconventional Times,” an Orchestra Aims to Get its Fundraising Back on Track
“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?
In Fraught Times for the Performing Arts, a Mega-Donor Backs Inclusive Programming
In Los Angeles, a performing arts mega-donor is digging deep to engage audiences and artists of color in the age of COVID-19.Music industry legend Jerry Moss and his wife Tina Moss gave the Music Center a $25 million gift to support three new program … [Read more...] about In Fraught Times for the Performing Arts, a Mega-Donor Backs Inclusive Programming
How the Grammy Museum Draws Support From Music Lovers, Even With Live Shows on Hold
As museums around the world have scrambled to adjust to the new socially distanced normal, the Grammy Museum is leaning heavily on its greatest asset—musical performance. The nonprofit recently launched COLLECTION: live, a streaming service featuring … [Read more...] about How the Grammy Museum Draws Support From Music Lovers, Even With Live Shows on Hold
“We Knew They Needed Support.” A Music Prize Steps Up to Help Youth Affected by COVID
Founded by Miami philanthropist Daniel Lewis, the Lewis Prize for Music focuses on leaders whose organizations are advancing positive change for historically marginalized young people through music. The prize divides $1.5 million to three winners … [Read more...] about “We Knew They Needed Support.” A Music Prize Steps Up to Help Youth Affected by COVID
Behind a Rising Music Industry Billionaire’s Surprising Turn Toward Social Justice
June 2 was Blackout Tuesday, when organizations, brands and individuals went silent on social media in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The effort was an outgrowth of #TheShowMustBePaused, whose organizers … [Read more...] about Behind a Rising Music Industry Billionaire’s Surprising Turn Toward Social Justice
Who Needs Techies? A Familiar Donor Steps up for Performing Arts in the Bay Area
A little over five years ago, the Bold Italic asked, “Can SF’s Highbrow Arts Survive Without Tech Money?” A recent gift to the San Francisco Opera suggests that the answer is a qualified “yes.”The opera netted a $6 million gift from philanthropists … [Read more...] about Who Needs Techies? A Familiar Donor Steps up for Performing Arts in the Bay Area
With a Music Prize, a Philanthropist Takes on Inequities in Creative Youth Development
A recurring theme across IP’s music vertical is the perpetually underfunded state of music education. This gap, which is especially acute across economically underserved communities, is prompting some philanthropists and nonprofits to think about new … [Read more...] about With a Music Prize, a Philanthropist Takes on Inequities in Creative Youth Development
