“A sea change is underway in the world of philanthropy,” said authors Charlotte Vangsgaard and Mads Holme (ReD Associates) for Alliance Magazine, “The shift is driven partly by the cataclysmic effects of a global pandemic that has wiped out decades of developmental gains over the past few years while crowding out investment in other sectors.”

“…what if strategic philanthropy doubled down on embracing its humanist side? We would argue that it is entirely possible for philanthropists to build a deeper, more empathetic, and more contextual understanding of the communities they operate in – given the right tools and guidance. Private capital affords philanthropists extraordinary flexibility and autonomy, which can be leveraged to build a strong understanding of the human lives at the other end of their grant or donation.”

Read the full article here.

Upstart Co-Lab, the Association of Art Museum Directors, and the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums released a new report, Cultural Capital: The state of museums and their investing, “a first-of-its-kind survey of U.S. museums of art and design to establish their current level of impact investing activity and profile first-mover museums exploring the integration of values, mission, and investment.”

“Our findings demonstrate there is significant room for improvement with 13% of museums engaged in impact investing compared to 47% of colleges and universities and 51% of foundations… Barriers to action include persistent questions which are easily resolved: the ability to achieve targeted financial returns; the ability to measure impact; and the availability of quality impact investing products across asset classes.”

“Everyone committed to the future of America’s art museums—including the Boards, Leadership Teams, Staff, Donors, Artist, and Public that support them—can play a part in shifting museum endowments to impact investing. We hope the findings and recommendations in this report will help usher in a new era of ethical investing for the creative sector.”

Read the full report here.

From Hyperallergic: “A new study discovered that going to museums can have myriad health benefits, such as improving feelings of depression, easing chronic pain, and decreasing the likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia.”

“It turns out that visiting a museum is good for your health: New research from the University of Pennsylvania found reductions in anxiety and depression and increases in cognitive function and empathy, among a number of other promising outcomes.”

“The encouraging findings didn’t end there: People living with dementia and people with severe mental health conditions were more cheerful, happy, uplifted, and engaged after visiting a museum, and older adults felt that their time viewing art was rewarding.”

Read the full article here.