Northern California Grantmakers

Embracing the Velocity of Change, October 9 – 12, 2011

The 2011 Grantmakers in the Arts conference, Embracing the Velocity of Change, will meet at the intersection of art, technology and social change. As funders face a landscape of unprecedented changes and technology accelerates both the pace and reach of these changes, our philanthropic community is responding to critical questions of equity in funding programs and practices.

NCG members, in particular the Arts Loan Fund, are deeply involved in the planning and development of this year’s conference. The conference co-chairs include NCG & ALF Members John McGuirk, Director of Performing Arts Program, The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation; Frances Phillips, Program Director, Arts & Creative Work Fund, Walter & Elise Haas Fund; Diane Sanchez, Director of Grantmaking & Donor Services, East Bay Community Foundation; and Ted Russell, Senior Program Officer, The James Irvine Foundation.

The conference kicks off with two very special preconferences on Sunday, October 9th:

• Arts & Technology Preconference – To be held at San Jose’s award winning City Hall, this preconference takes you to the capital of the tech revolution for an up-close look at the intersection of technology and the arts from the grantmaker’s perspective. Mozilla Foundation‘s Mark Surman will set the tone for the day before participants break off to explore some of the latest innovations, strategies and tools driving technology engagement in the arts community.

• Individual Artist & Social Justice Preconference – Taking place at San Francisco’s SOMArts and facilitated by keynote presenter performing artist Rhodessa Jones, this preconference will engage participants in a dialogue rooted at the intersection of individual artistic practice and a diverse array of social justice issues that may include environmental justice, immigrant justice, racial/indigenous justice, and food justice.

As a special offer to NCG members, GIA has extended the invitation for new members who join Grantmakers in the Arts before August 31, 2011 to receive both 2011 and 2012 membership for the cost of a single year.

Learn more information on accessing this discount >>

And visit the GIA conference website for session descriptions and registration information >>

In a recent GIA Reader article, member Marc Vogl of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation reflects on the 2009 Grantmakers in the Arts conference session he facilitated.

“My goal for putting together a session…Changing the Game: New Models, New Leaders, New Ideas for the Arts, was to cast new light on old problems by enriching our collective conversation with new voices,” Marc explains.

Panelists included:

• Adam Huttler, the founder director of Fractured Atlas, the nation’s largest fiscal sponsor for individual artists and arts organizations.
• Heather Cohn, a founder of the Flux Theatre Ensemble, fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas.
• Ebony McKinney, who recently left a position as a grantmaker at the San Francisco Art Commission to start a network for emerging arts leaders in the Bay Area.
• Nicole Derse, currently director of training for Organizing for America, but previously a community organizer and campaign manager.

Marc continues, “What I really hoped for, of course, was that instead of presenting four mini-monologues, the panelists  would converse with one another and with whomever showed up. To my delight, this actually happened.”

Read Marc’s full article “Changing the Game: Next-Generation Strategies for the Arts”  online.

Published in the Spring 2010 issue of Grantmakes in the Arts reader, “Supporting Individual Artists: 10 Years, 10 Lessons” by NCG member Claire Peeps reflects on Durfee Foundation‘s ARC program (Artists’ Resource for Completion).

Founded in 2000 to serve Los Angeles based artists, the ARC program is about to wrap up its first decade. As it reaches its first major benchmark, the Durfee Foundation decided to take the opportunity to evaluate the program.

“[T]he ten-year mark seemed like a good moment to pause and reflect on the journey thus far. With the aid of an outside evaluator, we undertook a retrospective look at ARC, with e-surveys of both declined applicants and awardees, focus groups, and a written report, which is posted on Durfee’s website,” reports Claire in her article.

From the responses acquired in the evaluation and survey process, Claire has gleaned 10 lessons:

1. Artists would rather receive a grant by application than by nomination.
2. Artists don’t want to be categorized by discipline or career level.
3. Small grants are like stepping stones.
4. Ease of application and quick turnaround are highly valued.
5. Funding is needed at all levels of artistic development.
6. Artists support artists.
7. Grants encourage artistic risk-taking
8. Local giving builds community and keeps it current.
9. Artists make great panelists.
10. Optimism Matters.

Read “Supporting Individuals Artists: 10 Years, 10 Lessons” online.

Learn more about Durfee’s Artists’ Resource for Completion program.