From Alliance for California Traditional Arts: “Communities of Change discusses and interrogates definitions and terminology of the field, and describes case studies illustrating some of the larger issues and nuances inherent in this discipline, such as tradition and innovation, concepts of indigeneity, and cultural immersion as a teaching model. We list major cultural communities and related art forms across the wide band of 11 Bay Area counties, and share snapshots illustrating the contours on a county-by-county basis. Additionally, we examine some trends in Bay Area ethos of activism which have contributed to how traditional arts have been supported and undervalued in society and by the funding community. Finally, we conclude with recommendations and implications for the broader arts field and the philanthropic sector.”

“I welcome your feedback and comments and hope that this paper will foment a larger discussion recognizing community driven and embedded expressions that we know as traditional arts,” said Executive Director Amy Kitchener.

Read the full report here.

“Over the years, in our roles as staff at Community Wealth Partners, we’ve spoken and worked with hundreds of Black, Indigenous, and other BIPOC nonprofit leaders. They’ve consistently told us that current capacity-building approaches often miss the mark—or worse, contribute to inequities in the sector,” said Carla Taylor, Megan Coolidgeand Lauri Valerio for Nonprofit Quarterly.

“National data reinforce the urgent need to shift capacity-building practice. A 2022 Nonprofit Finance Fund survey shows that compared to BIPOC-led nonprofits, white-led nonprofits received more unrestricted funds (15 percent more), more federal funding (14 percent), and more corporate funding (13 percent more). Meanwhile, more BIPOC leaders bring lived experience representative of the communities they serve than white leaders (39 percent more). Although funders are increasingly trying to support these nonprofits and deepen their own focus on racial equity, a Center for Effective Philanthropy survey shows that one third of interviewed nonprofit leaders said funder actions on racial equity didn’t match their rhetoric.”

“It’s time to act. It’s time to adopt capacity-building approaches that leaders of color say will actually help. Below are three basic principles to guide these efforts.”

Read the full article here.

From UNESCO: “This monthly Tracker is produced by UNESCO to monitor culture in public policy with regards to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda. It highlights developments within national and regional contexts, as well as emerging debates on culture’s contribution to sustainable development. Drawing on a variety of sources, it provides a broad overview of cultural policy trends worldwide at the national, regional and international level and looks at ways in which countries integrate culture into other policy areas.”

“Culture and education together are the backbone of human development. Yet culture and education are insufficiently harnessed together as complementary dimensions that can leverage social inclusion, skills acquisition as well as the enhancement of knowledge.”

“Today’s increased multicultural societies marked by growing mobility, the interdependence of countries and the transversality of public policies, as well as the acceleration of digital technologies have prompted the need for more adaptive and agile societies equipped with the knowledge and skills to engage in a fast evolving environment. This fourth part of the special series counting down to the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022, explores the opportunities and priorities raised by Member States and other stakeholders on this topic.”

Read the full report here.

From NextCity: Join Culture Surge, Harness and the Native American Community Development Institute on Wednesday, October 5 at 1pm EST for a conversation on how culture and creativity are being used to develop culturally relevant strategies in partnership with artists, culture bearers, cultural strategists and community organizers.

This webinar is sponsored by The Kresge Foundation. The event will provide an opportunity to learn from three organizations working at the intersection of civic engagement and cultural strategy and will highlight how creative practices can contribute to a more just and engaged democratic process.

Learn more and register here.

“The Jerome Foundation today announces that earlier this year President Ben Cameron shared his intention of retiring early in 2023 and that a search for his successor has now begun. The Foundation has chosen Korn Ferry, the global organizational consulting firm, to lead this process.” Cameron was also a former GIA Board Member.

“Board Chair Kate Barr said, ‘Ben has embodied the foundation’s values in his leadership throughout his tenure and brought insight and vision to every aspect of the organization. He has led the team in re-imagining and implementing grant programs and internal systems that respond to seismic changes in the arts ecosystem. We are well positioned to continue to build on the foundation that Ben has put in place.'”

“Cameron said, ‘It has been an honor to work with the Jerome Foundation and its superb staff. I am especially grateful for the stewardship of the Members of the Jerome Corporation and for the insight, collegiality and passion of our Board of Directors, who represent true thought leaders in the arts world. Being in the same space with them all and hearing them think and share has been the highlight of my career.'”

Read the full announcement here.

“Philanthropy is no stranger to the ways that ableism is deeply embedded in the perceptions and treatment of disabled people. Historically, many charitable foundations have solicited or made donations intending to ‘cure’ disabled people, based on the so-called ‘medical model’ of disability,” said Sandy Ho and Jen Bokoff for Stanford Social Innovation Review. “While some of these organizations enabled access to services, much of their work framed disability in a way that contributed to notions that disabled people are in pitiable positions and are in need of fixing—also known as the ‘charity model’ of disability. Both the medical and charity models portray people with disabilities as objects rather than subjects, which can contribute to ableism and impede the achievement of and access to rights and justice.”

“Rooting out embedded systematic oppression will take more than one program officer, funding priority, or call for proposals. It requires a collaborative and dedicated multilayered strategy. Based on our experiences, here are seven ideas for philanthropy to consider:

Ableism doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
Hire, support, and promote disabled talent.
Ensure that your grantmaking processes and technologies are accessible.
Be in active partnership with disability communities.
Build data about disability.
Proactively support disabled-led initiatives and organizations.
Call peers and stakeholders into learning and constant improvement.”

“Dismantling ableism in philanthropy is not a nice-to-do; it’s a must-do. Without concerted efforts to root out ableist oppression, we cannot meaningfully address injustice and inequality. The ideas we offer here are just some steps that philanthropy can take to become anti-ableist to move toward transformation.”

Read the full article here.

Five years after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Fiona has caused catastrophic destruction in Puerto Rico, killing at least two people and leaving nearly the entire island archipelago without power and water. Below you will find opportunities to lend your support to Puerto Rico.

Post-Maria, the US federal government set aside billions for reconstruction, but communities in Puerto Rico remain vulnerable. Puerto Rico’s vulnerability stems from a combination of factors, including the Fiscal Control Board’s requirement that Puerto Rico privatize its power grid.

The Fiscal Control Board’s oversight of Puerto Rico’s budget is an element of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). PROMESA is a US federal law enacted in 2016 that established a US financial oversight board for Puerto Rico, a process for restructuring debt the Puerto Rican government owed to corporate creditors. The FCB’s approved fiscal austerity plan for 2017-2026 cut deeply into Puerto Rico’s public service budget, including cuts to health care, pensions, and education, in order to prioritize repaying corporate creditors.

Puerto Rico’s vulnerability is also rooted in its status as a US territory with no electoral votes for the presidency and no voting representation in Congress. Puerto Rico has an advocate in the U.S. Congress, who has no voting authority. At a Congressional hearing less than a week before Hurricane Fiona, Puerto Rico’s non-voting congressional representative questioned the effectiveness of Puerto Rico’s privatized electric grid, considering its history of poor performance, and whether it should even remain in the hands of a private company.

Grantmakers in the Arts joins friends across the nation in a call for our federal government to cancel Puerto Rico’s debt, and end private oversight of its budget to ensure that Puerto Rico may recover in the spirit of self-determination.

Ways To Give in Support of Puerto Rico:

María Fund
María Fund’s Fiona Community Response Fund
Taller Salud
Hispanics in Philanthropy’s Fiona Community Response Fund
Hispanic Federations’ Unidos Disaster Relief & Recovery Program to Support Puerto Rico
Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico
Filantropía Puerto Rico’s FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund
Filantropía Puerto Rico’s Philanthropic Call to Action Towards a Just & Resilient Puerto Rico

Information on Puerto Rico:

Latino Rebels: Hurricane Fiona Batters Puerto Rico Still Recovering 5 Years After María 
Politico: Fiona’s Outages Rekindle Anger Over Puerto Rico’s Privatized Electric Grid
The Washington Post: Puerto Rico’s Bankruptcy Is Ending: What Comes Next?
MSNBC: Puerto Rico’s New Bankruptcy Plan Does Nothing for Most of the Island
Common Dreams: Critics Warn Puerto Rico Debt Plan Will Leader to More Austerity
Open Society Foundations: The Right Way to Help Rebuild Puerto Rico
The Center for Popular Democracy: Organizing for a Just Recovery in Puerto Rico and Beyond
Latino Rebels: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Others Seek Silver Lining in Puerto Rico

Please continue to share resources with us by emailing Eddie@GIArts.org

“Borealis Philanthropy is pleased to announce the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Black-led Movement Fund’s (BLMF) first year of participatory grantmaking. This announcement includes background information about the BLMF and important details about how to apply for funding.”

“Funding will provide general operating support for U.S. based Black-led organizations or projects working within the Movement for Black Lives ecosystem, or within other movement ecosystems that are aligned with the M4BL Values.”

“Borealis Philanthropy believes that directly affected communities are the essential creative force in the larger arc of social change. As a Borealis fund leading the resourcing of social change within Black communities and larger ecosystems, BLMF defines “Black-led” as any organization with 75% or more of its organizational composition self-identifying as Black.”

“$200,000 general operating support grants will be awarded ($100,000 per year) over a two year period, 2023-2025.”

Learn more and submit a RFP here. The deadline for proposals is October 28 at 11:59pm EST.