Adding up the elements of arts leadership in Los Angeles…

Growing visibility for the California Community Foundation For more than 20 years, California Community Foundation has been an agent for the arts in multiple dimensions across Los Angeles County. This spring, staff realized the time had come to pull the strands of activity together and allow a holistic look at the leadership this organization is [...]

Small community foundation. Big arts gift.

Placer Community Foundation receives $1 million for arts Two things might be essential for younger or smaller community foundations that seek to attract the attention—and the resources—of major arts donors. One is a visible commitment to arts and culture. The other is the courage to dream big. These are the takeaways from a homegrown arts [...]

An Arts philanthropist’s bold action has community-wide impact

ArtPrize supports culture, education and economics in Grand Rapids One “little art experiment” has turned into a prime example of how philanthropy and arts can have seemingly limitless positive effects on a community – drawing praise from school children and senior citizens, from business and government leaders, and from individual artists as well as major [...]

Going deeper: New study of thousands of arts donors uncovers values and reasons to give

A study by the East Bay Community Foundation and The San Francisco Foundation chronicles how artists and small- to mid-size arts groups, typically led by artists, found creative ways to involve new donors to support new work. It also uncovers these donors’ motivations to give. Its lessons can help community foundations everywhere advance strategies supporting the success of artists and artist-driven organizations.

Last in a series on public policy, arts and community foundations…

A Capitol event: connecting with elected officials California’s nonprofit arts organizations add $5.4 billion to the state’s economy annually, creating more than 160,000 jobs and generating nearly $300 million in state and local taxes. This message that arts are part of the solution—and part of the creative economy— set the stage for a spring legislative [...]

Second in a series on public policy, arts and community foundations…

A mayor can make a world of difference San Francisco Mayor Christopher’s action to enact a hotel tax to support the arts nearly 50 years ago is mirrored in Sacramento today via Mayor Kevin Johnson. Motivated by his life-long respect for the arts, and inspired by a community foundation event featuring Michael Kaiser, president of [...]

If you can raise money for the arts in hard times, you can do it any time…

Five ways CAA-funded community foundations grew arts funds in the worst year since the Depression Most nonprofit fundraisers are glad to see the calendar turn to 2010—personal donations in 2009 declined while social needs skyrocketed. During this tumultuous time, the arts giving landscape might have been bleak, but it was far from barren.

Just ask! Here’s how community foundations can grow arts donor relationships through effective interviewing…

Probing questions, proven techniques, and a simple process What makes arts donors tick? How can we connect with these givers? These questions are top of mind for all who aim to increase donor support for community arts. Recently, a group of California community foundations turned to research guru Alan Brown to help deepen their understanding [...]

Powerful message + Memorable event = New momentum

An Evening of Song & Poetry Community Foundation Sonoma County What can a community do when economic recession threatens local arts organizations and makes donors cautious about their giving? In Sonoma County, these scary circumstances led to a strategy for showcasing local arts—while helping donors reconnect to their passion for creativity in community.

Standing for art…

A private foundation states its case The economy is at a 40-year low. Safety net issues are on the rise at an alarming rate. So why sustain a commitment to the arts? Jim Canales, president and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation, answers this question in the following op-ed appearing in the San Francisco Chronicle.