MOST RECENT
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.
Bruce and Suzie Kovner are major backers of arts institutions like the Juilliard School, along with several right-leaning think tanks. The New York couple’s giving holds some interesting twists too.
For the Eisner Foundation, funding a community-based orchestra, open to all ages, has helped build ties between the generations, enriching an L.A. neighborhood. It’s a testament to the power of intergenerational programming.
For over three decades, Herb Alpert has been one of arts philanthropy’s most impactful and articulate patrons. We check in with the music legend about how he goes about his giving, recent gifts and news, and more.
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.
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.
This week’s IP Briefing—music philanthropy. Music gets more support from philanthropy than other performing arts, but funding amounts vary greatly, with opera companies and orchestras receiving the lion’s share.
The pandemic was devastating for working artists, many of whom lost their livelihoods. In this guest post, Maurine Knighton of Doris Duke Charitable Foundation shares how powerful unrestricted funding provides a lifeline.
Music nonprofits faced difficult challenges during the pandemic, with crucial revenue streams shut down for months. We spoke with fundraisers to find out how they got by—and how they are moving forward.
Judith Rodin made resilience a key component of the Rockefeller Foundation’s grantmaking during her time as president. Here’s how she’s applying resilience strategies to help the New World Symphony evolve at a critical juncture.
For years, arts funders have sought to make opera more relevant, engaging and responsive to local communities. We check in with OPERA America about how philanthropy can move the field forward.
Despite incremental progress over the past decade, classical music remains predominantly white. We check in with Afa Dworkin, head of the Detroit-based Sphinx Organization, about how funders can boost representation.
IP’s Mike Scutari recently observed the Lewis Prize for Music’s participatory grantmaking process. He reports on the experience and checks in with panelists and leadership on how arts funders can best democratize their grantmaking.
In her annual year-end post, Karen Brooks Hopkins, president emerita of Brooklyn Academy of Music, fondly recalls a very different holiday season than this one, and a fundraising event that turned out to be more than she bargained for.
A big question in the early days of the pandemic was whether nonprofits should keep the fundraising machinery humming or take a breather. The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra put things on hold for months. But raising money can’t wait forever.
An IP survey found that performing arts professionals were skeptical about grantmakers’ efforts at reform. But all hope is not lost. Foundations and regranting organizations share how they are fast-tracking democratization efforts.
A big gift from music mogul Jerry Moss and wife Tina Moss focuses on boosting audience engagement, especially among communities of color, providing arts organizations with a potential roadmap for a challenging time.
Leveraging a powerful brand, the Grammy Museum recently made a digital push to adjust to uncertain times. We speak with leadership about the changes, and get the personal story about why donors are so devoted to the museum.
A new COVID-19 emergency fund from the Lewis Prize for Music throws a lifeline to organizations serving historically marginalized youth. It reflects growing funder attention to creative youth development that aims to boost racial and social equity.
Controversial billionaire Len Blavatnik’s philanthropy continues to expand. After an IPO windfall, his support, along with Warner Music Group, of a $100 million fund focused on social justice marks an unexpected new area of giving.
A common theme across the Bay Area philanthropshere is tech donors' lack of enthusiasm for the arts. A recent gift to the San Francisco Opera from one of the region's most influential and generous couples reinforces this narrative.
Funders continue to grapple with how to address issues of systematic inequality across their communities. We connect with Daniel Lewis, a longtime arts philanthropist looking to bring new thinking about inclusion to music education.
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy recently gave $4 million to the museum devoted to preserving the label’s legacy and boosting Detroit. Lots of other funders are also excited by the Motown Museum’s plan for a $50 million expansion.
While fundraisers are increasingly concentrating their efforts on younger and more impact-focused donors, they shouldn’t discount the emotional power of classical music and the giving power of “old world” patrons. For proof, we turn to a big recent gift.
Orchestras continue to grapple with dwindling revenues and labor unrest. But a $55 million gift suggests that if ensembles can ensure organizational stability and roll out strong community outreach efforts, donors will throw them a lifeline.
Over three decades into his career as an arts patron, Herb Alpert has carved out a unique, prescient, and often contrarian brand of giving. We check in with the acclaimed musician and record producer on his recent big donation and what lies ahead.
Los Angeles-area lawyer David Gindler and his wife Kiki Ramos Gindler have emerged as top local arts funders in recent years. They are likely to play a hands-on role in the organizations that they support.
As opera companies grapple with a dwindling subscriber base and the exodus of older audience members, the Wallace Foundation’s latest installment in its $64 million initiative to drive engagement at performing arts organizations is both timely and instructive.
As regional giving continues to reshape the higher ed landscape, we’re seeing greater support for the highbrow performing arts at universities far from the familiar urban enclaves. Here’s an instructive case study.
The relatively few tech donors in the arts space typically hail from the engineering world. Ann S. Bowers, however, doesn’t fit the mold. We dig into her back story and recent big gift for chamber music.