From Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: “How might philanthropy better support efforts to build and preserve democracy given the deep-seated and persistent problems of racial injustice and inequity, especially in light of recent elections and societal trends? Democracy-Focused Philanthropy: Choosing Operating Models for Deeper Impact, a new publication released today by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), seeks to address this question, and to highlight the central role of equity and racial justice in democracy-focused philanthropy. Based on research commissioned by the  Democracy Fund  for its own strategic planning process, the report is the result of extensive research on more than a dozen democracy funders as well as interviews with leaders of ten additional foundations deeply engaged in democracy-related issues, and six experts on racial justice and DEI.”

“In 2021, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) completed research on philanthropy that was focused on protecting democracy in the United States that was commissioned by Democracy Fund for its own strategic planning process. In this research, RPA gave special attention to equity and racial justice dimensions of democracy philanthropy. Through interviews with funders and practitioners, and review of selected secondary sources1, RPA collected a wide range of information on the various ways in which philanthropy can and should support efforts to build and preserve democracy by addressing deep-seated and persistent problems of racial injustice and inequity in both the field, and in our own institutions. This report presents RPA’s insights on this important and timely topic, with the objective of helping funders understand the menu of options at their disposal for democracy philanthropy.”

“Research for this report was conducted between 2020 and 2021, during which time racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) came to the forefront of philanthropic interests and conversations. Arguably, and regrettably, some of the momentum to spur real action in addressing racial injustice has been lost in recent months. We believe that the findings presented in this report, in particular the compelling insights of our interviewees, can reinvigorate discussions and commitments to racial justice, DEI, and the broader agenda of advancing democracy in the United States and around the world.”

Read the full report here.

From Ruth Foundation for the Arts: “The formation of Ruth Arts’ multi-year Thought Leaders program is inspired by the breadth of Ruth DeYoung Koher II’s life and giving—non-hierarchical and committed to structural change with an unwavering generosity and a dedication to the unexpected. Through a substantial, sustained level of support, our multi-year program uplifts organizations undertaking ambitious, transformative initiatives with long-term impact. Organizations that are dedicated to the complex work of forming new possibilities through experimentation, capacity building, and deeper understandings and investigations of our histories, environments, or the full arc of an artist’s life.”

“Each organization enters the program with their own expressed goals and receives $300,000 over three years. Their proposed projects ask the most urgent questions of our time: How do you transfer leadership with generosity and care? How do you evolve while resisting mission drift? How do you remain rooted in your community in meaningful ways while being connected to critical conversations at large? How do you make work in a time of fundamental social, economic, and ecological uncertainty? How do we form generative rather than extractive relationships to the land? How do you express abundance and joy in your operations? How do you imagine growth while confronting colonial legacies? What is inheritance in relation to collective care? How do you honor those that came before while creating space for new formations? How do we retell and reconceive history?”

“An integral aspect of the multi-year program is its emphasis on generosity and thought leadership—that the participating organizations commit to public knowledge sharing throughout their term. Whether through convenings and conversations, the creation of guides and resources, or a unique programmatic execution that could be modeled for their peers, the field will have the opportunity to work alongside and learn from their processes, to restructure and re-envision the future of art together.”

Read the full announcement here.

From Native Americans in Philanthropy: “There is a growing recognition that many public policy issues are more complex than one sector can address alone. One path towards lasting, systemic change? Public-private partnerships. Public-private partnerships are not new – the government and the private sector often work together on a shared mission. However, there’s a long way to go in leveraging these types of collaborations to support Tribal Nations and Native-led work. This week, Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) joined the White House and the Department of the Interior to announce a new, historic Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP).”

“Through OSP, there will be long-term opportunities to develop public-private partnerships to support Tribally-led projects with a focus on the critical areas of conservation, education, and economic development initiatives in Native communities. Native Americans in Philanthropy will continue to work to support philanthropic investment and philanthropic support in the U.S. for Tribal governments, their conservation work, and support co-management efforts through its conservation pledge and funding collaborative.”

“Many global philanthropic investments in Indigenous movements and Native-led initiatives neglect U.S. based Tribes. Despite underfunding, Tribes consistently demonstrate that they are the best stewards of their lands, waterways, and cultural ways of life using Indigenous ecological knowledge and their unique legal and political relationship with the U.S. government.”

“Native Americans in Philanthropy would like to share our gratitude for the community of partners who have been in solidarity with our work to increase the visibility of Native people and communities, educate funders, establish meaningful relationships and increase funding to Indigenous-led organizations, movements, and Tribal Nations.”

Read the full announcement here.

“Recovering from the worst days of the pandemic has been daunting for America’s 1,800 regional theaters. But some, thanks to philanthropic help, are using this moment as an opportunity for reinvention,” said Neda Ulaby for NPR. “Take, for example, Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, Minn., which is grounded in a historically African-American neighborhood with aesthetic roots in the Black Arts Movement. Since Penumbra started staging plays in the early 1970s, it’s developed a national reputation for growing Black talent that’s changed theater worldwide.”

“Surviving as a theater isn’t just about money. One of the things that helped keep Penumbra alive during its lean years was the Twin Cities’ vibrant and diverse arts ecosystem, Sarah Bellamy said. ‘There’s a lot of sense of scarcity in regional theater,’ she said. ‘And that competitive mentality will kill everything.'”

“But theaters in the Twin Cities share talent and resources, which allows everyone to grow, Bellamy said. She credits the famous Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis for nourishing a robust audience that benefits the entire community.”

“When Penumbra first started, it offered free childcare — a still-radical idea that more theaters are beginning to experiment with today. Now it’s using new resources to develop programming for kids that will complement what their grownups see on stage. Back in the day, Penumbra also allowed anyone in the community to walk into rehearsals. Theater artist Daniel Alexander Jones loved that aspect when he developed new plays with Penumbra in the 1990s.”

Read the full article here.

From Common Field: “The Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LACA) and Common Field are glad to invite you to join us on the arrival of the Common Field archival collection at LACA. Common Field has worked to support a nation-wide network of independent artists and arts organizations. Following an organizational audit and an internal financial survey process in 2021, Common Field announced its decision to intentionally sunset, or close, as an organization in 2022.”

“Common Field believes that their struggles are not novel ones and have generously agreed to share their vulnerabilities and learning with us through their archival collection. The evening’s aim is to engage the collection with questions so that we may all better know ourselves.”

“We will be having a group discussion led by writer, curator, and educator Anuradha Vikram, with gloria galvez, artist, organizer and co-director in the art program at the California Institute of the Arts and Sheetal Prajapati, Executive Director of Common Field. Together we will reflect on larger institutional concerns within the arts nonprofit sector, including the challenges of sustainable fundraising and the exclusionary structures of whiteness in leadership.”

“LACA Executive Director Hailey Loman and Common Field Archives Transition Coordinator and LACA Archivist Zach Whitworth will share an overview of the collection with insights from their engagement with these materials.”

The event will take place at the Los Angeles Contemporary Archive on December 8 at 7pm PT. Learn more here.

From CNN: “In the United States, we are now treated to regular announcements about benevolent billionaires pledging to share their wealth. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, for instance, recently told CNN that he would be giving away the majority of his $124 billion fortune in his lifetime. Further back in 2015, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced he would give away what he makes from 99% of his Facebook shares.”

“At this point, we should assume a skeptical posture. The truth is, pledges like these may take years, decades or even generations to reach their nonprofit destinations – if ever. That’s why we need more public scrutiny of billionaire philanthropy – and much clearer rules to make sure donations actually support real, working charities.”

“…billionaire charity is our tax dollars at work. For every dollar a billionaire gives to charity, we the taxpayers chip in up to 74 cents of that dollar in lost federal tax revenue as donors claim deductions in their income, estate and capital gains taxes, among others. That makes it even more outrageous that much of this money may never reach a real, on-the-ground charity.”

“Because our tax dollars subsidize this system, charity needs to be more transparent, with clear disclosures of when donations reach their recipients. Payout requirements should be increased, with more oversight to ensure that philanthropic money reaches real working charities. Components of these reforms are included in the Accelerate Charitable Effectiveness (ACE) Act, which has bipartisan backing in the Senate, although a vote has yet to be been called since it was introduced in 2021.”

Read the full article here.

From Common Field: “As a national network, Common Field served as a catalyst for work happening on the ground by increasing access and sharing of resources across regions. As we come to the end of our time as an organization, we are reflecting not only on the life of Common Field, but also on the future that lies ahead for our work and communities. When Common Field decided to close, we wanted to commit to a process that would leave the field with tools to shape the possibilities ahead. And with that in mind, we are so pleased to share our final two sunset initiatives with you!”

“We are excited to share our final organizational project, Common Work: Learnings for the Future from Common Field, a podcast and writing series exploring the history of our field, Common Field’s organizational journey and the work that is shaping the future today.”

“This four-part series pairs podcast episodes, produced in partnership with Jack Straw Cultural Center, with commissioned essays around four themes: Foundations, Common Field in Practice, Community Building is Culture, and Sustainability for the Future. Contributors include artists and leaders across the sector including Roberto Bedoya, Vashti DuBois, Mary Bordeaux, Lorie Mertes, and Anaïs Duplan as well as former and current Common Field staff and board members. Alongside this thematic series, the project will also offer a selection of related resources and a timeline of Common Field’s life and work.”

“In December, we’ll be launching the writings, resources, and timeline with Episodes 1 and 2 of the podcast on CommonField.org. In early 2023, episodes 3 and 4 of the series will be released on our site, which will remain online through April 2023. All podcast episodes and additional materials will also be released on JackStraw.org, and will remain online after our site closes in May 2023.”

Learn more about their offerings here.

From Upstart Co-Lab: “Impact investors have been missing the 5% of the U.S. economy comprised of creative industries including film & TV, video games and fashion. Museums and cultural institutions are lagging foundations and universities in aligning their endowments with values and mission. This session will highlight strategies to invest in the creative economy that drive financial inclusion and quality jobs, and demonstrate how cultural institutions can align their endowments with their role as community anchor institutions.”

The panel features Laura Callanan (Upstart Co-Lab), Chris Crothers (Jessie Ball DuPont Fund), Caroline Jacobs (UTA Ventures), Michelle Rhodes-Brown (The Walters Art Museum), and Patrick Robinson (Paskho). Learn more about how Upstart Co-Lab tracks the impact of investments in the creative economy in their 2021 Impact Report: Investing for an Inclusive Creative Economy.

Learn more about the event and register here.