August 30, 2023 “The Time Was Right.” How Three Funders Joined Forces to Simplify the Grant Application Process August 30, 2023/ Mike Scutari The Common App for the Arts, launched by three Bay Area foundations, consolidates each funder’s grants on a single user interface. We look at how it came together, plans for future iterations and more. Read More
August 23, 2023 Funder Spotlight: How the Samuels Foundation Supports the Performing Arts and Healthy Aging August 23, 2023/ Mike Scutari The New York City-based Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation supports performing arts organizations and seeks to improve quality of life for older adults. We take a closer look at its history, grantmaking and more.Read More
August 21, 2023 Art for Social Change: An Arts Funder's Journey to More Fully Embrace Its Social Justice Mission August 21, 2023/ Mike Scutari Philadelphia’s Leeway Foundation supports women, trans and/or gender-nonconforming artists focused on social change. Executive Director Denise Brown walks us through its evolution, key grantmaking programs and more.Read More
August 07, 2023 "Your Agenda Is Making Houston Better." How the Houston Endowment Backs Its Home City August 07, 2023/ Wendy Paris We take an on-the-ground look at the Houston Endowment, which has been engaged in local giving for nearly a century. From the arts and parks to successes in reducing homelessness, its influence spans the city.Read More
June 26, 2023 Six Questions for Lu Zhang, New Executive Director of A Blade of Grass June 26, 2023/ Mike Scutari A Blade of Grass backs artists whose work advances social change. We checked in with new executive director Lu Zhang to discuss her career trajectory, key priorities in her new role and more.Read More
June 12, 2023 These Fellowships for Latinx Artists Are a Bright Spot Amid Pervasive Underfunding June 12, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The U.S. Latinx Art Forum administers art fellowships with support from Ford and Mellon. Here’s more on the awards, why the forum uses the term “Latinx,” and the impact of unrestricted support on artists struggling to pay the bills.Read More
May 30, 2023 Literary Writers Get Peanuts from Philanthropy. With a New Prize, South Arts Is Doing What It Can May 30, 2023/ Mike Scutari With scant funding available for writers, a new literary prizes program from the Atlanta-based South Arts is a refreshing anomaly. The amounts aren’t vast, but this is good to see in a region where writers often struggle.Read More
March 21, 2023 “Miami Is Our City.” How Two Generations of the Billionaire Pérez Family Give March 21, 2023/ Ade Adeniji Real estate billionaire Jorge Pérez, along with his wife Darlene and their children, are prominent philanthropists in the Sunshine State. Here’s how the family gives, and how the second generation is stepping up.Read More
December 02, 2022 A Conversation with Jeffreen Hayes, Executive Director of Chicago-Based Arts Funder Threewalls December 02, 2022/ Mike Scutari Dr. Jeffreen Hayes heads the Chicago-based arts organization and grantmaker Threewalls. We chatted with her to discuss her career trajectory, why she’s optimistic about the state of philanthropy, and more.Read More
February 24, 2022 Eleven Ways Funders Are Supporting Social Justice Within and Through the Arts February 24, 2022/ IP Staff An increasing number of funders have been looking to spur social change through their arts funding, especially during the pandemic. Here are 11 examples we’ve been following.Read More
February 23, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going on With Philanthropy for Visual Arts? February 23, 2022/ IP Staff Public funding for the arts has been dwindling for decades, so most arts nonprofits rely on a mix of earned income and philanthropy. Major donors play an outsized role in this area, often creating tensions within institutions.Read More
February 14, 2022 The Donor Deplorables: a Fundraiser’s Tales of "Bad Apple" Donors February 14, 2022/ Karen Brooks Hopkins, Guest Contributor Karen Brooks Hopkins regales us with tales of a “small but truly miserable group” of hard-to-deal-with donors she encountered during her time leading the Brooklyn Academy of Music.Read More
September 10, 2021 The ArtsFund in Seattle: How Does It Make Grants? And Who Gets Support? September 10, 2021/ Alyssa Ochs ArtsFund, an important backer of the arts in Seattle, has a history dating back to 1969. Here are a few key things to know about how this local grantmaker operates. Read More
May 21, 2020 Understanding the Boulder County Arts Alliance's Colorado Grantmaking May 21, 2020/ Alyssa Ochs Here’s a closer look at the Boulder County Arts Alliance’s local grantmaking and programming in Colorado.Read More
January 11, 2019 Anonymous No More: A Closer Look at an Intriguing Arts Funder January 11, 2019/ Julia Travers After more than 20 years of anonymity, the funder of a coveted set of grants for older women artists revealed her identity last year. What inspires her giving—and why did she decide to finally step forward publicly?Read More
October 08, 2013 Further Proof That Houston is Where the Philanthropic Action Is (Sorry, New York) October 08, 2013/ Mike Scutari The Kinder Foundation's gift to the Nau Center for Texas Cultural Heritage reflects a larger trend: Houston is seeing an explosion of charitable giving. Thanks in no small part to oil revenue, corporations and private philanthropists alike are transforming Houston in to an arts destination that rivals The Big Apple.Read More