“This summer there’s been a steady stream of articles about American theaters in jeopardy, with headlines like ‘Theater Is in Freefall‘ (Washington Post) and ‘American Theater Is Imploding Before Our Eyes‘ (New York Times). Prestigious theaters around the country are pausing and terminating programs and laying off staff,” said Ariel Fristoe for Saporta Report. “Meanwhile, my theater company is booming. Out of Hand Theater has landed on a model that has tripled our income in four years while moving our neighbors to action on important issues and elevating the role of theater in our community. It’s a win for art, a win for business, and a win for our community, and I want to share it in the hopes that other arts organizations can benefit from it in this time of crisis.”

“Pairing theater with information and conversation leads to a culture shift towards social justice, increases visibility, and provides new income streams, making theater financially viable and increasing its community value while serving the greatest community needs.” 

“Our Shows in Homes pair one-act plays with cocktail parties and conversations with community partners, and we typically perform in forty to fifty living rooms across Metro Atlanta each year. Shows in Homes have addressed gun violence with Moms Demand Action, mass incarceration with Georgia Justice Project, and political action with Partnership for Southern Equity. We just commissioned our next play, which will tackle Divisive Concepts legislation with the ACLU of Georgia.”

“Our Community Collaborations include a film-based vaccine confidence program developed with the CDC Foundation and delivered across Georgia with the Department of Public Health; a child sex trafficking prevention program for Georgia middle school students developed with the Georgia Council for the Arts, Department of Education, Attorney General’s office, Wellspring Living and Street Grace; and a project addressing HIV stigma with the CDC and Positive Impact Health Centers. We have developed Juneteenth programs for The Home Depot Foundation, EY and UPS, and short plays and films for Habitat for Humanity International, Families First, and Leadership Atlanta.”

“Arts leadership today requires a radical rethinking of the models our sector has relied on for the last 70 years. More than ever before, arts and entertainment are available anywhere, anytime, on any screen, for very little money. The last Survey of Public Participation in the Arts before the pandemic revealed that only 9 percent of U.S. adults attend non-musical theater, and these 9 percent are older, whiter, richer and hold more degrees than the population at large. In this environment, we must invent new reasons for people to venture out into the dark and the heat and the traffic to come to our programs. We must develop innovative programs that provide new revenue streams and make us less dependent on unpredictable individual ticket sales and contributed income.”

“We have big issues to address, both within our sector and in the wider world, and we need to innovate. Don’t replicate the models of the past. They are not strong enough. Push the boundaries of art, and design new models that are more equitable, more sustainable, that galvanize excitement around live arts events, and capitalize on the presence of your attendees. Create work that helps find solutions to the most pressing problems of our time. Help make the world a better, more connected place through art.”

Read the full piece here.

A majority of Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits operate on less than $500,000 a year, a report released by the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute finds, said Candid.

Supported by the Nielsen Foundation through its Data for Good grant program, the report, Grassroots, Black & Giving: How Philanthropy Can Better Support Black-led and Black-Benefiting Nonprofits (25 pages, PDF), found that Black-led and -benefiting nonprofits are often grassroots, hyper-local, and founder-led, with deep connections to the communities they serve.

About 76.8 percent of such nonprofits are operating on a budget of less than $500,000 a year, and nearly one-third operate with just $30,000 a year. Largely made up of volunteers, 43.5 percent of the organizations operate without any paid, full-time employees, and 45.65 percent have no paid, part-time employees.

According to the report, Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits also face unique fundraising challenges, with 86.5 percent always or often having trouble accessing a large, diverse number of funding sources, and 72.7 percent always or often challenged to identify or cultivate new funders. Moreover, nearly 53 percent of organizations indicated they would shut down if they lost one or two key funders.

The report calls on philanthropic institutions to fuel the work of Black-led organizations by centering their investment on these organizations, providing them with capacity-building support, and trusting their expertise in pursuing authentic social change strategies.

“It is time for philanthropy to center and abundantly resource Black-led and Black-benefiting social change,” said Ebonie Johnson Cooper, founder and executive director of the Young, Black and Giving Back Institute. “Our survey uniquely highlights the needs, experiences, and attitudes of Black-led and -benefiting nonprofits and the critical role they play in Black communities across the country. Philanthropy must address the funding gap for Black-led social change and recognize that a strong, localized, Black-led nonprofit sector is essential to thriving Black communities.”

Explore more here.

From Artist Communities Alliance: ACA welcomes you to our upcoming Field Conversation, There is No Safety Net: Protections, Relief and Advocacy [on Thursday, September 14 at 12pm CT]. Artists and cultural workers who have been historically under-resourced in areas of pay, protections and direct support are more vulnerable than ever. In a world where the language to provide context is contested and in some places criminalized, ACA’s President and CEO, Lisa Funderburke, will host a timely conversation with advocates and program administrators to explore innovative and practical ways to strengthen support for artists and cultural workers.

From CCS Fundraising: For 12 years, CCS Fundraising’s Philanthropic Landscape reports have compiled and analyzed the latest research from Giving USA and other leading sources to provide an in-depth look at current trends in U.S. philanthropy. To help inform your fundraising strategy, our 2023 Philanthropic Landscape reveals key industry insights and answers questions like…

Has giving changed following the pandemic era?
How is the “Great Wealth Transfer” affecting donor demographics and causes?
What are the fastest forms of giving?
Have economic conditions impacted rates of giving?
How do nonprofits incorporate DEI efforts into their fundraising?
In what ways can Artificial Intelligence be used as a fundraising tool?

Explore the full report here.

“Sometimes when we’re living inside a system, it’s hard to imagine what an alternative could look like. In our desire to make progress — to improve the way things work — we focus on a tweak here, a shift in implementation there,” said Althea Erickson, former director of Center for Cultural Innovation’s research and advocacy work. “And to some extent, that can be a good and pragmatic strategy. But it has its downsides.”

“When we seek fixes for the systems we live in, we may unintentionally reinforce and entrench systems that simply don’t work — or worse, undermine our chances of achieving more transformative change. For example, the U.S. social safety net excludes huge swaths of workers — independent artists, domestic workers, farm workers, self-employed workers, sex workers, and undocumented workers, just to name a few. Some of these groups were explicitly excluded, while others were merely overlooked. A lot of effort has gone toward closing these gaps — expanding existing systems to new populations by, for example, including domestic workers in labor laws or excluding workers from unemployment insurance. But what if the 21st-century workforce simply doesn’t fit into 20th-century systems?”

“What if we started fresh and codesigned a set of social and economic protections that meet the needs of today’s workforce, unencumbered by the past? And what if we started that conversation with the workers who have, in the past, been excluded from it — the ones not protected by today’s safety net? What types of protections might we imagine together? And wouldn’t that system be more likely to actually work for everyone?”

“Those questions underpinned ‘Reimagining Social Protections for Independent and Other Traditionally Excluded Workers,‘ an event that the Center for Cultural Innovation co-hosted with the Urban Institute in December 2022, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Performing Arts Program. We brought together worker advocates representing nontraditional workers from across a wide swath of sectors — arts workers, domestic workers, migrant workers, temporary workers, street vendors, migrant workers, sex workers, and more. Together, we set aside the constraints of today’s systems and gave ourselves permission to imagine an alternative vision of economic security for everyone who contributes to a well-functioning society, to dream beyond barriers of all kinds.”

Read the full piece here.

This briefing on [Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 2pm EDT] is co-sponsored by the ABFE, a Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities, and Grantmakers in the Arts. Join Funders for LGBTQ Issues for a powerful conversation with Black TGNC artists about cultural organizing in the midst of hate, misinformation, and anti-LGBTQ backlash. Webinar link shared with approved registrants.

Learn more and register here.

From New England Foundation for the Arts: The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) today released a comprehensive evaluation of the National Theater Project (NTP).

NTP functions as a full system of support for devised theater, which in addition to funding, animates an informed, interactive network of producing theaters, presenters, and ensembles. Since the first round of NTP grants in 2010, NEFA has infused over $11 million into the field through the program. To date, 96 new theater works have been supported through Creation and Touring grants; touring of those works has reached 43 different states across the U.S. NTP projects have toured in-person and virtually to large and small arts presenters, military bases, universities, regional theaters, and festivals. 

“This thorough evaluation includes recommendations that will enable NEFA to deepen the support of NTP grantees and the development of the field,” said Quita Sullivan, NTP program director. “The report demonstrates how the NTP model of artists, presenters, and advisors creates an ecosystem of continual growth and impact. I am grateful for the artists, presenters, and advisors who took time to participate in this evaluation.”  

NEFA commissioned McNeil Creative Enterprises to complete the National Theater Project Evaluation. The evaluation team delved into the program data and activities and surveyed artists, presenters, advisors, and staff to:

Understand what has worked well and the potential areas for improvement.
Identify and track the most applicable NTP performance measures.
Illustrate how NEFA can sustain its equity, diversity, intersectionality, and accessibility (EDIA) commitment and priorities.

NEFA’s National Theater Project is made possible with lead funding from the Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Foundation. Both funders recently renewed their commitment to NTP; the Mellon Foundation awarded $4,412,000 and the Doris Duke Foundation has awarded $1,725,000, each over a three-year period. “In this critical moment where artists are providing us with narratives to help us deeply understand and contend with the social conditions and social imaginations of our current times, it is reassuring to know that NEFA will be in a good position to further the work of the National Theater Project for the next few years,” said NEFA executive Director Harold Steward.

This evaluation examines the impact the program has had on the field and explores how it can continue to evolve to deepen support, including:

How NEFA’s equity, diversity, intersectionality, and accessibility (EDIA) values drive the program design, from the program structure to advisor recruiting, and creating responsive grant criteria.
How diversifying and strengthening the field is reflected in the grantees and project tours.
How NTP gatherings, including regional convenings across the country to learn about the needs in the field and annual cohort meetings to fully support projects, remain an essential piece of program design.
How the program design strengthens connections among artists, advisors, and presenters, supporting the field at large.

Access the full report here.

From The Center for Effective Philanthropy: Nonprofits across the United States played a vital role during a period of crisis that began in March 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and was followed by a nationwide racial justice reckoning that summer. As nonprofits experienced heightened demand coupled with marked uncertainty about revenues, they responded with resiliency and imagination, while many funders also stepped up, increasing philanthropic giving in a time of urgent need. Following this intense period of trial and turmoil, we wanted to take stock of current nonprofit perspectives and understand their evolving experiences with funders.

Access the full report here.

From the National Endowment for the Arts: Welcome to the Careers in the Arts Toolkit— an online resource promoting equity, access, and inclusion for people with disabilities seeking careers in the arts.

Every day, people with disabilities add significant value and talent across the spectrum of arts careers. They are performers, visual artists, teaching artists, cultural workers, administrators, and more. Yet, historically, people with disabilities have not had access to the same career opportunities as people without disabilities. Reasons for this range from inaccessible facilities to disability benefit earning limitations to misconceptions about the skills and talents of people with disabilities. Through a variety of initiatives, the National Endowment for the Arts has worked to bridge this inequity, for the benefit of not only people with disabilities, but also America’s arts institutions and their patrons.

In this spirit, the Careers in the Arts Toolkit empowers individuals with disabilities to explore arts careers and access resources to support their success. It also educates arts employers, educators, and grantmakers about the critical role they play in fostering disability inclusion and the resources available to help them successfully do so. Learn more about the toolkit.

What You’ll Find in This Toolkit:

Resources for Artists, Cultural Workers, and Youth with Disabilities. This section features tips on pursuing careers in the arts, best practices for obtaining the supports people with disabilities need to succeed on the job, and background on types of arts careers.
Resources for Arts Employers. This section explains the benefits of disability inclusion in the arts, ways for arts leaders to ensure their institution is disability inclusive, and how to take proactive steps to hire, present, cast, and advance people with disabilities in arts workplaces.  
Resources for Arts Educators. This section explores how arts educators can prepare students with disabilities for careers in the arts, and best practices for fostering disability inclusion within their educational institutions.
Resources for Arts Grantmakers. This section will help grantmakers understand their role in practicing equitable philanthropy that is inclusive of people with disabilities.

Access the toolkit here.

“The boats kept coming. One by one, cruisers and catamarans eased toward the beach in Kahana, a small and tightknit neighborhood just north of Maui’s hardest-hit areas,” said Reis Thebault for Washington Post. “Each one was laden with supplies: generators, propane tanks, trash bags full of clothing and ready-to-eat meals. And each one was greeted by two dozen people, the first among them wading waist-deep into the ocean to retrieve provisions from the boat and pass them down the chain, which wound its way to shore.”

“A lot of us are born and raised here,” Naki said, looking around as the chain of volunteers hauled in boxes of tinned sausage. “There’s a lot of pride in Lahaina, so it hurts, a lot. But this is all we have here now, each other, and we’re making do.”

As the response has worn on, the greatest needs have shifted. There is now plenty of nonperishable food and bottled water. Generators, fuel and Starlink satellite internet systems would be most useful, volunteers say.

Sheryl Nakanelua knew instinctively where she needed to go when she fled her Lahaina home as flames spread. She made her way to Kahana and set up a tent across from Lumlung’s house, where she’ll stay until her family is let back into her subdivision, one of the few that was spared.

“This is our family place, it’s home,” she said of the Kahana neighborhood. “This is the best part to be at. It’s what’s keeping us positive.”

The Olowalu farm is uniquely well prepared to handle this sort of disaster. Run by the Garcias’ nonprofit, Regenerative Education Centers, it was already operating off the grid, with its own power, plumbing and food. The nonprofit has launched a fundraiser to help pay for the fire effort, which will continue as long as there’s a need.

The property, even after being raked by the fire’s severe winds, is verdant and shaded by tall mango trees. On Friday, volunteers and staff readied the farm to fill any needs. They butchered and smoked a wild pig, set up new solar panels and scoured the internet for portable toilets. Eddy Garcia whirred with adrenaline, his satellite-connected cellphone ringing every few minutes with someone offering help.

Read the full piece here.