From SMU DataArts: Support for Local Arts Agencies (LAAs) gets called into question on an all-too-frequent basis. Just recently, the Charlotte, NC city council voted to make the Arts and Sciences Council (ASC) of Charlotte ineligible to receive operating dollars to support the personnel, technology and other resources necessary to do its work for the broader cultural sector. Last year in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney proposed a $1 million cut to funding for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, though funding levels were restored in the final budget after significant advocacy from local arts communities and their supporters. Do funding cuts have consequences for a community’s arts vibrancy?

Those who work for local arts agencies witness the community impact of their work. Organizations and artists who are direct beneficiaries of local arts agency support leverage the funding to fuel their creative activity. Yet politicians and citizens who live in arts-vibrant communities may not connect the dots between their local arts agency and the direct value it adds. We decided to turn to data to empirically explore the question: Do local arts agencies contribute to their communities’ arts vibrancy?  

As part of a project with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, we undertook an effort to examine the effects of LAA funding on overall Arts Vibrancy and the individual, underlying components of Arts Vibrancy. Our colleagues at Americans for the Arts generously shared with us LAA data they collected through a survey so that we could explore the topic. 

Our research pointed to multiple ways that LAAs are catalysts for art vibrancy in their communities. The more grant dollars they have to invest in artists and arts organizations, and the more programs and services they provide, the more their communities pulse with arts-driven creative and economic life, vigor, and activity.

Read the full report here.

“A major shift is happening in which BIPOC leaders are reclaiming rest, and a newly established philanthropic fund seeks to support it,” said Nineequa Blanding for Nonprofit Quarterly. “In Washington state, the BIPOC-ED Coalition—a multicultural, cross-sector collective of nonprofit leaders working to promote community wellness and restoration—has committed $1.37M to fund sabbaticals for BIPOC leaders. Recognizing that rest is essential for healing and social justice, the coalition established a fund, resourced by philanthropic partners, to launch the Sabbatical Leadership Program. This effort enables nonprofit leaders of color to take a break from work and create room for self-care—on their own terms.”

“The need for rest isn’t limited to Washington state—it’s a nationwide issue that needs to be addressed. Given this, the BIPOC-ED Coalition’s work raises the question: What if every state established a coalition that organizes to create avenues for rest, particularly in communities most harmed by systemic oppression? What if these coalitions were fully funded and backed the collective vision of BIPOC leaders who are drawing from lived experience and are attuned to the reality that communities need to build solutions that inspire healing?”

“The BIPOC-ED Coalition certainly offers a model for how executive directors can organize to create opportunities for rest and how philanthropy can work in solidarity to fund these efforts.”

“Having to earn self-care is a common narrative in our western culture. Yet, when we prioritize taking care of ourselves—through rest, therapy, and movement, we can serve others better. An empty well doesn’t provide water for anyone.”

“The well-being of executive directors is reason enough to support sabbaticals. Physically and emotionally rested executive directors are able to show up as their best selves for their staff, their community, and their families. And, just like an individual person, an organization will be better able to support its community when the people within it are healthy and strong.”

Read the full piece here.

From Center for Artistic Inquiry and Reporting: Since the earliest days of print journalism, illustration has been used to elucidate and add perspective to stories. Even with the advent of photography in the 19th century, hand-drawn illustrations continued to have their place, both as a synthesis of the artist’s vision and the writer’s meaning. The illustrator’s art still speaks to something not just intimately connected to the news, but intrinsically human about story itself.

With the advent of generative-image AI technology, that unique interpretive and narrative confluence of art and text, of human writer and human illustrator, is at risk of extinction.

Based on text prompts, these generative tools can churn out polished, detailed simulacra of what previously would have been illustrations drawn by the human hand. They do so for a few pennies or for free, and they are faster than any human can ever be. Because no human illustrator can work quickly enough or cheaply enough to compete with these robot replacements, we know that if this technology is left unchecked, it will radically reshape the field of journalism. The result will be that only a tiny elite of artists can remain in business, their work selling as a kind of luxury status symbol. 

AI-art generators are trained on enormous datasets, containing millions upon millions of copyrighted images, harvested without their creator’s knowledge, let alone compensation or consent. This is effectively the greatest art heist in history. Perpetrated by respectable-seeming corporate entities backed by Silicon Valley venture capital. It’s daylight robbery.

Learn more and add your signature here.

From the Dodge Foundation: At the Dodge Foundation, we are committed to engaging with and learning about racial justice-focused organizations working across the state of New Jersey. We have been supporting these types of organizations through our Imagine a New Way initiative over the last several years, connecting with organizations through intentional outreach and relationship building, and through a community-engaged grantmaking process in our Momentum Fund. Today, we are excited to announce that we are creating a new pathway for connection with racial justice-focused organizations that have not previously had access to the Dodge Foundation through our first-ever “Open Call.”

We know that supporting organizations through an open call process is in alignment with our vision. We have been working and building towards this moment for years because we believe that this process is critical to achieving a just and equitable New Jersey. We expect to distribute $500,000 with grants ranging from approximately $15,000 to $75,000 to 10 to 20 organizations depending on the organizations and the number of applications we receive. Organizations are eligible to apply with the following criteria:

Have never previously received funding from the Dodge Foundation
Ensure that its racial justice work is based in and benefits communities in the state of New Jersey
Address the root cause and repair of structural racism and inequity in New Jersey
Have an annual operating budget of up to $3M
Have 501(c)(3) status or operate under a fiscal sponsor

We are interested in supporting organizations working across all issue areas, particularly those addressing how inequities overlap and intersect. You can find more details about our process on our dedicated Open Call page on our website. 

From Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: Philanthropy has the power to create meaningful and lasting change in the world. However, to do so, we must center people and communities in our work. Join us for the first session of our webinar series where we will explore the importance of centering the voices of impacted communities in philanthropy as we work towards a just world. 

In this session, as we delve into the critical role of philanthropy in addressing social and environmental issues, we will focus on the need to listen to and learn from communities who are impacted by these issues, and how to prioritize their voices in our decision-making processes. We will explore ways to center these voices, including community engagement, partnership-building, and empowering community-led solutions, among other tactics. 

We will also examine the importance of intersectionality in our philanthropic work. We will explore how issues of race, gender, class, and other forms of oppression intersect to create systemic barriers to change. We will discuss ways to address these barriers, including investing in organizations and movements led by impacted communities. 

By the end of this session, you will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of centering people and communities in philanthropy. You will learn practical steps you can take to center these voices in your work and create meaningful and lasting change in the world. Join us for this inspiring and thought provoking session and be part of a community of like-minded philanthropists committed to creating a more just world.

Register for the webinar here.

From Alliance Events: Stories connect us, and who tells them matters – this is especially true when it comes to the story of our heating planet. That’s why philanthropy’s support of climate research and journalism is such an important tool for climate action.

We want to know who these funders are, and who they’re supporting.

In a global conversation bringing together expert journalists covering climate change, as well as the funders who make supporting climate research and media a core part of their strategy, we’re focusing on how to get the story out.

Join speakers Sven Egenter (Clean Energy Wire), Mikaela Weisse (WRI), and Aarti Khosla (Climate Trends) on Tuesday, May 16 at 9am CT. Learn more and register here.

From Arts Education Partnership: Arts Education Partnership is hosting our first virtual conversation bringing together arts, juvenile justice and education-based organizations! This event is for those interested in or currently doing work at the intersection of arts, education and juvenile justice across the country. We invite you to join a national conversation focused on fostering collaborations and information sharing among attendees. Together we will discuss several topic areas that can be leveraged to support youth involved in the justice system such as funding, community partnerships, family and custodial supports, engagement, and data collection and reporting.

We hope to create a network sustained by ongoing engagements to share knowledge, raise challenges and collaborate to find solutions that can be implemented locally and nationally.Please spread the word to your colleagues and complete this pre-event survey to help inform the agenda and how we can adapt programming for future engagements!

Learn more and register here.

From Bloomberg Philanthropies: Bloomberg Philanthropies announced today that all cities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. can apply for $25,000 USD Asphalt Art Initiative grants to help improve street safety, activate public spaces, and engage community residents. The expansion of the Asphalt Art Initiative to Canada and Mexico builds upon three rounds of previous Asphalt Art Initiative grants made in 2020-2022, supporting a total of 64 projects spanning 41 U.S. cities and 22 European cities. The initiative invites Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. cities of any size to apply by June 12, 2023. Up to twenty winning cities will be announced in the fall with selected projects planned for installation throughout 2024. In addition to grants, the selected cities will receive technical consulting provided by Bloomberg Associates in partnership with tactical urbanism firm Street Plans Collaborative. 

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative responds to the growing number of cities around the world embracing art as an effective and low-cost strategy to improve street safety through interventions on crosswalks, intersections, plazas, and other transportation infrastructure. In addition to safer streets, the program creates vibrant public spaces, fosters a city’s interagency collaboration, and increases each city’s capacity to work with artists as well as community groups on creative projects. The 64 projects supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies completed to date have transformed a combined 360,464 square feet of streetscape with artwork while engaging nearly 7,765 residents and 178 artists in the design and installation process.

The Asphalt Art Initiative is inspired by work done to improve pedestrian safety and revitalize New York City streets during Michael R. Bloomberg’s mayoralty (2002-2013) and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ pro bono consultancy, Bloomberg Associates, which, as part of their scope, advises cities around the world on implementing arts-driven street design projects.

Read the full announcement here.