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 bringing to one of the nation’s most vibrant arts sectors.

It’s an impressive picture, beautifully presented.

Between 2005 and 2010, this community foundation has given more than $72.4 million to artists, art projects, art institutions and art education. Annual grantmaking has doubled over this period, and the number of arts-related funds has increased from nine to 21.

Putting it all in the donor’s hands

“L.A. MAKES ART” is the community foundation’s first telling of the full scope of its art reach. This mini-brochure was created for initial use in studio tours hosted for donors. Through this piece, givers can see the power of L.A. arts, and learn how California Community Foundation helps them fuel the local arts ecosystem through support for organizations, artists and arts education. Content describes how the community foundation helps make L.A. arts:

• Innovative through investment in small and midsize community-based arts organizations
• Memorable through support for the major cultural institutions in the area
• Bold through the CCF Fellowship for Visual Artists providing funds and business skills to individuals
• Transformative through scholarships for arts students

The brochure is sized to be easily held, and designed as a physically and visually engaging piece. Its pages fold out to reveal moving images of artwork created with community foundation support, and a punchy notebook and pencil pouch let donors jot down their own points of inspiration.

This tool illustrates how the combination of donors and community foundation programs helps make L.A. arts soar. It encourages potential new donors to sponsor an artist or a project, and motivates current sponsors to think about starting a fund or leaving a legacy.

The cumulative effect is striking. And the success of this Los Angeles arts leader is breeding more success: This year, the community foundation has already raised more than 70 percent of its $100,000 goal for the 2011 CCF Fellowship for Visual Artists program.

California Community Foundation is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

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 story in Placer County.

The artist at the center of the story is Susan Cooley-Gilliom, who was well known for her award-winning pastels and watercolors, as well as her work as an environmental activist. The art she created blended her love of the local natural environment and her concern for its protection. “Susan had essentially learned her art here, in this community,” said husband Bob Gilliom.

Susan passed away in 2003, and last year her mother, Sue D. Cooley, turned to the Placer Community Foundation to honor the memory of her daughter through the arts.

A permanent contribution to local arts

Mrs. Cooley’s endowed gift of $1 million is believed to be the largest donation ever in support of the arts in Placer County. It will fund the Susan Cooley-Gilliom Artist Residence and Teaching (ART) Program, which is designed to provide bi-annual residencies to renowned artists working throughout the West Coast. These visiting artists will conduct public workshops and lectures through events hosted by two community foundation partners: PlacerArts and Roseville Arts!.

“The ART Program is a unique and special way that we can honor and remember Susan, while providing permanent support of art education for the region and fellow artists that she cherished,” said Sue D. Cooley in announcing this program.

Growing through the arts

Mrs. Cooley’s gift will make a lasting difference for Placer County, and for its community foundation. This single gift increased the Placer Community Foundation’s assets by nearly 20 percent.

Although relatively small, and six-years young, the Placer Community Foundation is making its mark in the community in many ways, including arts. With support from individual donors and The James Irvine Foundation, the community foundation has granted over $285,000 to advance arts and culture locally; these dollars are particularly significant in light of the severe decline in California state support for the arts.

Despite poor economic conditions, the Placer Community Foundation board, volunteers and staff have chosen to showcase the value of a vibrant local arts sector. “Arts experiences are community experiences—they add richness and understanding to our lives,” said Veronica Blake, CEO at the community foundation. “We have named art as one of our areas of focus, along with priorities such as youth development and health. Art is an area where we know we can engage donors and nonprofits and make a real difference for our community.”

Standing tall

The community foundation stands for art in some very public ways, beginning with a website homepage message that blares “Support The Local Arts.” Its commitment to the sector takes tangible form through multiple program and development efforts, which come together as the Arts Initiative for Placer County. This initiative includes:

• Providing audience development grants focused on engaging residents (with particular emphasis on newcomers) and increasing public involvement in ways that support the sustainability of arts organizations.
• Supplying “Helping arts thrive” grants and workshops to improve current operations and build sustainable economic models in nonprofits.
• Supporting collaborative arts marketing—including funding a community-wide arts calendar and a registry of artists.
• Launching an endowment to build a permanent source of capital to “engage, inspire and enlighten through the arts.”
• Publishing Arts Build Community—a compilation of community foundation arts grants from 2006 through 2009, packaged for easy consumption by local arts donors.

All of the above set context and provided credibility for the next big step: launching a major arts fund development campaign.

Aiming high

The community foundation set its sights high for the arts campaign, with a goal of $1 million in giving. “We thought this community’s artists and arts organizations deserved big thinking on our part,” Veronica Blake recalled. This thinking paid off, with the gift from Mrs. Cooley providing an amazing boost to the campaign. “This gift honors Susan Cooley-Gilliom by merging her love of art and the inspiration she derived through our region’s landscapes. We are so pleased to have been chosen to carry out her legacy in such a meaningful, lasting way.”

As longtime supporters of the arts, Susan’s family saw the community foundation’s growing contribution and importance in the local arts sector. When a community foundation board member presented the opportunity to participate in the campaign and make a lasting difference for the arts, the community foundation became the natural place for Susan’s family to create her legacy.

This family’s action is proof that when a community foundation believes in the arts enough to dream big, and then pursues those dreams with visible commitment, the results can be transformative—for the community, and the community foundation.

The Placer Community Foundation receives technical assistance through Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of  The James Irvine Foundation.

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 arts institutions.  This big success, not yet two years old, is already being replicated in Chicago, and is drawing interest from community arts leaders around the world.

It’s happening in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where for two-and-a-half weeks each fall hotels are filled to capacity, hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets, restaurants are sapped of food and drink, and the chatter is contagious.

And it’s all about art

Rick DeVos said he started ArtPrize because he wanted to see what would happen when a city became a gallery, when artists engaged directly with the public, and when the public gained an empowered voice in response to art.

Billed as a “radically open art competition,” the aptly-named ArtPrize carries the largest grand prize ever for a non-invitational art contest—$250,000. The top ten artists each year divvy up total prize money of $449,000.

If ArtPrize was a rock band, it would be the Beatles: A smash from the first note, a big-time crowd pleaser and an enduring cultural phenomenon.  There is music, plus sculpture, painting, video and performance art—all created by more than 1,700 artists whose entries are spread across 192 venues in Michigan’s second-largest city.

These artists come from 44 states and 21 countries, including Croatia, Israel, Peru and Iran.

Here’s what brings the crowds to life

ArtPrize is judged not by established art critics, but by anyone who cares to express an opinion. Voting is done via the web or text, so it is open to people of all ages and interests—from those with a passing fancy to those with a lifelong devotion to the arts.

The event builds, and permeates, the community. Homeless men and business men stand together and debate the value of a two-story quilt of flowers that spruces up a building exterior. Strangers strike up café discussions and swap opinions on entries not to be missed.

At ArtPrize 2010, more than 38,500 people voted; together they cast more than 465,000 votes.

Walk the streets during ArtPrize and you’ll see throngs of people, including busloads of visitors, every day and every night. Researchers at nearby Grand Valley State University cite a $6 million economic boon for the local economy as a result of the event.

A boon for artists too

The 2010 winner is “Cavalry”, a 300-square-foot pencil drawing of a 1921 Army regiment. It is the work of Grand Rapids resident Chris LaPorte. It joins the inaugural prize winner, a massive photo-realistic oil-on-canvas painting of the sea by Brooklynite Ran Ortner.

Ortner is candid about the benefits of public appreciation and a monetary windfall. Before the big win, he was an artist concerned with paying the phone bill. With the grand prize in hand, he sold the winning entry (for an undisclosed amount of money), and now faces a glut of requests for his time and talent. His career is sailing.

So too is the optimism of community leaders who want Grand Rapids to be as much about dance and sculpture and painting as it is about manufacturing and health care and tourism.

A growing phenomenon

“We had no idea what to expect last year,” DeVos told the Detroit Free Press when discussing the first year of the experiment. “We were stunned at the extent to which people were willing to take a leap with us.”

Much of the funding for the prize, and for the management of the competition, comes from the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, but the list of partners and sponsors is deep and includes local governments, foundations, businesses and individuals.

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation is a long-time leader in local arts, and an active participant in ArtPrize.  The community foundation was a venue in the event’s inaugural year, and one side of its building now houses a stunning mural created for ArtPrize by Daan Hoekstra of Sonora, Mexico. His work presents “Humanity at the Crossroads” via a 100-foot long, 40-foot high expression.

“The community has become more energized because of ArtPrize,” according to Diana Sieger, President of the Community Foundation. “This excitement has translated into more business for our entertainment venues and world-class restaurants. However, the big plus has been increasing a keen interest in art of various forms. It’s an introduction if you will for people who may not have been exposed to the myriad projects and ideas that literally explode when ArtPrize opens up to the community.

“To take advantage of this energy, the area foundations are pumping in enthusiasm, dollars and influence to assure that all forms of art grow and prosper,” Sieger said. “We are all looking to long-term sustainable support for the arts.”

Barely eighteen months after the birth of ArtPrize, this daring competition serves as a leading example of what arts can do for a community. Dates for ArtPrize 2011 have been announced—and who knows how far this event may go. Visit the ArtPrize website to see more.

Bay area research shines a light on donor motivations

Here is an interesting question: What causes people to support artists and artist-driven projects? Behind it is an essential question for communities that seek to nurture vibrant arts sectors: How can artists, as well as the small arts organizations they lead, engage new donors?

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.

An innovative—and successful—program

This research emanated from the Fund For Artists matching commissions, a collaborative program of these two California community foundations. This program supports the development of new works by Bay Area artists and helps small- to mid-size arts organizations attract funding through the use of relatively small matching challenge grants (up to $5,000 at The San Francisco Foundation, up to $10,000 at East Bay Community Foundation). The whole idea is to expand the pool of individual donors engaged with artists and their work.

Between 2004 and early 2010, this program has funded 116 new arts projects involving 181 artists. It has generated $729,254 in contributions by more than 3,120 individual donors, many of whom are first-time givers to artists and arts projects.

A groundbreaking study

In 2009, researchers at Helicon Collaborative and WolfBrown were contracted to study the values and motivations of donors to these matching commissions projects. They surveyed individual donors involved with the matching commissions program as well as donors to 17 mid- and large-size cultural organizations in the Bay Area. They collected data from more than 3,000 arts givers, and they interviewed more than 70 of these donors. Their report provides the first in-depth study of the psychographics of donors to artists and artist-driven projects.

Fundraisers take note: It is about them, not about you.

Connecting to the values and interests of potential donors is essential to success in any fundraising effort, and this research certainly reinforces the point when it comes to raising money for artists’ projects. The process must begin with understanding what motivates the people you seek to engage, which is where the research findings bring new depth and insight.

A set of primary values characterizes arts donors in the Bay Area

Five factors emerged from a study of 23 variables examined by researchers.

• Humanism: A concern for social justice and equal opportunity, appreciation for diverse viewpoints and perspectives, an interest in learning about different cultures, a gratitude for one’s good fortune and a desire to “give back” to others, a commitment to alleviating others’ suffering. 82% of the sample indicated strong affinity with this value.
• Distinction: An interest in “great works that have stood the test of time” and artists with national or international reputations, a concern for sustaining the long-term future of key arts institutions, a desire to see “world class artistic programming” in the Bay Area. 61% of the sample indicated strong affinity with this value.
• Localism: A concern for one’s community and for artists living in the community, an interest in awakening people’s creativity and ensuring community members’ access to cultural experiences, an interest in programs that serve children. 59% of the sample indicated strong affinity with this value.
• Bonding: An interest in civic affairs and community improvement, involvement in expanding social networks and making new friends, strong family relationships and an active spiritual life; interest in arts programs that reflect one’s heritage. 50% of the sample indicated strong affinity with this value.
• Progressivism: An interest in being “on the leading edge of art and ideas,” being an individualist with iconoclastic leanings, valuing independent thought. 29% of the sample indicated strong affinity with this value.

The level of affinity noted in each value makes it clear that some values are more prevalent than others. In addition, some values appear to correlate more closely with each other. For example, people with strong humanism values also show strong preferences for localism and bonding.

Donors to artists and small arts organizations differ from donors to larger arts institutions.

In comparison to donors to mid-size and large cultural institutions, donors to artists and artists’ projects are more likely to be:

• Artists themselves (professional or amateur)
• Young adults or mid-life (18-54), without children, and of diverse cultural backgrounds
• Interested in social justice and environmentalism
• Interested in diversity of cultures and points of view
• Giving less than $5,000 annually to all charitable causes
• Interested in supporting small projects rather than sustaining institutions

Donors to artists’ projects are moved to give by four connection points.

The things that matter to donors supporting artists and projects are:

• A personal relationship with the artist
• A passion for the art form being applied
• An emotional or intellectual interest in the subject matter of the artwork
• An involvement with the culture or community touched by the project

Connecting on any of these points can lead to a gift; connecting on more than one of these points increases the likelihood of giving.

Research with high utility

The research report suggests ways that artists and artist-driven organizations can connect more meaningfully with individual donors by appealing to their values and tapping into their interests. The report offers practical tools and tips to individual artists and small arts groups for raising funds for new artistic work. It tells the stories of six artists and small to mid-size arts groups that leveraged matching funds to generate resources for their projects. It includes information on donor demographics and values, a summary of fundraising techniques used by commissioned artists and groups, and a comparison of matching commission donors to a broader pool of Bay Area donors who contribute to larger arts organizations.

To learn more about the Fund For Artists and download the research report, visit The San Francisco Foundation website and the East Bay Community Foundation website.

East Bay Community Foundation and The San Francisco Community Foundation are part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

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 reception in Sacramento. The idea was formed by Communities Advancing the Arts participants, and gained ready support from Senator Curren Price of Los Angeles, chair of the California Joint Legislative Committee on the Arts. Senator Price served as honorary host of the reception, along with two co-sponsors—Senate President pro Tem Darryl Steinberg of Sacramento, and Senator Loni Hancock of Oakland.

Standing for arts

In total, more than 40 legislators, staff members and guests joined the cohort of 30 community foundation leaders to fill a majestic room inside the Capitol. As Ruth Blank, Sacramento Region Community Foundation CEO, stated in her remarks as local community foundation host for this event, “We stand here united by our belief that the arts build community—that people and places grow stronger through the creativity and connections and commerce that the arts inspire.”

Her comment rang true throughout the reception, which served a dual purpose: fostering relationships between community foundations and their respective state elected officials, and informing these state officials of the gains being made by community foundations and their partners to generate new giving to sustain arts in locales across California.

Group and individual community foundation achievements were celebrated at this event. It began with remarks from senators Price and Hancock, each of whom spoke from the heart about the importance of arts to California people and communities.

Anne Vally, The James Irvine Foundation’s leader for the Communities Advancing the Arts initiative, reported that collectively, initiative participants have raised $23 million in new funds for the arts; the even better news is that a high percent of these funds are endowed. Plus, participants have increased annual grantmaking to the arts by $5 million. (Note that dollars reported here were through completion of 2008; with 2009 numbers showing continued growth.)

This aggregate reporting in turn led to several individual community foundations sharing recent fund development successes—beginning with a $250,000 endowment gift in Orange County, and including other examples such as 2,600 new donors to a matching commissions program in the Bay Area.

The event concluded with a remarkable performance by two youth artists, Maya Haines and Marsalis Cannady, participating in Poetry Out Loud, introduced by Sacramento Poet Laureate Bob Stanley.

Two productive days, and a promising future

The legislative reception was part of a two-day gathering of Communities Advancing the Arts participants in Sacramento. The gathering began with a question: What does a community foundation committed to arts have to do with policy?

The events, strategies, and examples shared in response point to a simple answer: As much as it wants.

More specifically, community foundations have demonstrated proven ability in this arena. The critical variables that affect how far they go with policy are internal philosophy and capacity, and external credibility and opportunity.

Throughout this time in Sacramento, community foundations illuminated a core principle that permeates their range of work on arts policy: It’s all about leverage. It’s about applying the assets of a community foundation—influence, relationships, partnerships, ability to engage all local voices, access to leaders, support from donors, and more—to generate greater public good.

In other words, it is about community leadership in the arts.

This is the third and final posting in a Communities Advancing the Arts series on community foundations and policy. Access the earlier posts here.

Communities Advancing the Arts is a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

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 the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Mayor Johnson has boldly asserted the importance of arts as one of the primary planks in his platform for elevating Sacramento to the status of a world-class city.

Personal passion, public vision

Mayor Johnson addressed a group of arts-focused community foundations gathered in Sacramento this spring. His passion and vision for community arts are palpable—he explains that Sacramento is the capital of a state that on its own is one of the ten largest economies globally, that it merits a place among great destination cities worldwide, and that achieving this status requires commitment to arts and culture.

Early in his tenure as mayor, he launched For Art’s Sake, an initiative grounded in a three-point strategy for making arts a competitive advantage for the Sacramento region: 1) strengthen the cultural infrastructure—with a focus on funding and facilities, 2) increase access to arts and arts education, and 3) invest in creative people and talent—including making sure local artists feel esteemed.

The mayor’s leadership is heightening awareness of the critical importance of arts in the future of Sacramento, and bringing added momentum to the positive programs and strong leaders supporting arts locally. Sacramento Region Community Foundation is an active partner of the mayor in the work of building community through arts; the community foundation helped fund the launch of For Art’s Sake, and senior staff participate on key committees charged with further developing and implementing this initiative. Mayor Johnson stated that the city and the community foundation “came together in a very powerful way” around arts as a “connector of people, conveyor of culture, and expression of ideas.”

Part three in the series will be posted next week: Learn how community foundations in California connected with state elected officials at a legislative reception.

Communities Advancing the Arts is a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

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.

Lessons in success

Here are five lessons in success, based on wins in 2009, that point the way to more giving in the new year.

1.  Donors value leadership—and collaboration—in the arts.

Community Foundation Sonoma County connected five arts nonprofits with new and prospective donors through An Evening of Song & Poetry. This approach featured unprecedented local cooperation: each arts organization in effect introduced its largest donors to other nonprofits celebrated at an intimate evening event. The community foundation provided plenty of incentive for everyone—offering $50,000 as a match for any event attendees who chose to contribute funds to one or more of the arts organizations feted. Donors responded enthusiastically. Nearly 60 people contributed $90,000 through this appeal, representing nearly two dollars for every one pledged by the community foundation, and generating $140,000 in immediate support for these five organizations. Read more about this remarkable fundraising event.

2.  Artists have networks of new donors at the grassroots level.

An innovative matching commissions program, started by East Bay Community Foundation and picked up by The San Francisco Foundation as well as the Marin Arts Council, continues to gain steam. The program, more fully described here, provides matching grants—typically $5,000 or $10,000—to artists. To date, the artists who received matching grants have, in turn, generated contributions from 2,588 donors. This donor giving has provided $615,000 in new support for 182 artist-run organizations and artist-driven projects in the five-county Bay Area.

3.  Many donors know that now is the time to stand for arts, and to stand with their community foundation.

The East Bay Fund for Artists, which supplies the matching grants for the commissions program above, received a total of $75,000 from four donor advised funds in 2009. Diane Sanchez, Director of Grantmaking and Donor Services, is thrilled: “I feel very good about this because in a difficult year these donor advisors could have let this community foundation program slip off their list.” Only one of the donors sustains a dedicated focus on giving in the arts; the others had many appeals to consider for use of their funds. Plus, all these donors were working with lower fund balances than normal due to the loss of investment assets. “Their commitment in these tough times is a validation of our work,” adds Diane.

4.  Giving circles invite a welcome degree of donor engagement.

Sacramento Region Community Foundation knows that many arts donors appreciate connections. This notion has special meaning in a down economy, as pooling funds helps donors do more with their individual gifts. Plus, donor circles bring a social aspect to giving, helping individual givers learn from each other and share pride in the stories created through their collective support. There’s additional appeal when these groups of donors receive special access to arts experiences and face time with artists. All this adds up to success with the recent launch of donor circles in Sacramento. One circle is forming now with a lead giver at the $25,000 level, and other donors entering with a minimum contribution of $5,000.

5.  Long-term thinking still matters—so don’t give up on endowment building!

Orange County Community Foundation received a $250,000 contribution to its Arts Endowment Fund in late 2009. It’s the largest gift to the fund to date. Listen to Keith Swayne speaking about this decision by he and his wife: “Judy and I are delighted to make this gift, not only as a reflection of our belief in the importance of the arts to a thriving community, but as a challenge to other local philanthropists to do their part in strengthening the arts and cultural sector in Orange County.”
The Swayne’s action is creating buzz. Says Todd Hanson, Vice President of Donor Relations and Programs, “This gift gives confidence to other potential donors. It helps them see how they can help the fund grow quickly and become a cornerstone of stability in our arts sector.” Read more about this community foundation’s commitment to the arts.

Toward the new year

These five success stories remind us that the case for arts remains strong in spite of (perhaps even because of!) a poor economy. As always, the task is to connect to donor motivations, offer the giving options people want, and be confident in making the ask.

A year-end bonus: One of our most popular posts of 2009 is a feature on deepening relationships and understanding motivations by conducting personal interviews with arts donors. Materials and questions created by Alan Brown, an innovator in this field, are available here.

All activities reported here were conducted as part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

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 of donors. Their aim was clear: to shape more effective donor engagement strategies and accelerate local arts giving.

Alan crafted a powerful donor interview exercise that was put to remarkably good use by these community foundations—all of whom are part of Irvine’s Communities Advancing the Arts initiative. The process and its benefits are shared here, along with key documents, for use by others seeking to connect more closely with arts donors.

A meaningful experience

“I was a little apprehensive to dig as deep as the interview asked us to and was concerned we might be intruding too much into topics people considered personal, but donors had no problems with our questions, and what we learned was very helpful,” said Todd Hansen of Orange County Community Foundation. According to Melissa Kester of Community Foundation Sonoma County, “We had one long-time donor start the interview by telling us that we already knew everything about her giving and motivations… she then proceeded to tell us so many new things that we felt like we hadn’t known her at all!”

Alan, who is a consultant and principal with WolfBrown, created questions, placed them in an interview protocol and constructed a thorough briefing used to train a group of nine community foundations in all aspects of requesting, confirming and conducting the interview.

Once prepped, community foundations sent out staffers in pairs to conduct each interview.  Development, donor services, communications and program people, as well as CEOs, took part. “Everyone has interviewing skills,” suggested Alan.

Each community foundation assembled one or two interview teams. And each team conducted two or three interviews. All together, these teams conducted about 30 interviews with arts donors around the state (including some who give through their community foundation and some who do not). Team members then came together to compare results.

This process was designed to surface new insights about why donors give to the arts, and to help community foundations strengthen their relationships with specific arts donors. It did plenty of both. Hugh Ralston at Ventura County Community Foundation reported, “We had a very positive experience and rich conversation. The interview protocol worked very well. People were pleased to participate… and many valued thinking about the questions that we put forward.”

A ready-made process

Alan and Irvine have made this process and related tools available for use by any interested community foundation. Here’s how it works, in three primary steps.

Step 1. Set the stage and ask probing questions

Because multiple community foundations were involved in these interviews, they were able to introduce this exercise as a statewide study of arts donors. This framing was important—it helped donors know that this activity extended beyond their community and their community foundation. And it was made clear that this activity was about gaining information, not about asking for a new gift.

Interviews were scheduled for a maximum of 60 minutes. They were conducted using a sequence of questions organized in six core areas—each of which is stated below (along with a sample question or two), and presented in full in the attached donor interview protocol.

1. Leisure time. How are you most likely to spend your leisure time? How do you express yourself creatively?
2. Core values. When you think about all your various affiliations and causes, are there any convictions, beliefs or principles that explain why you do what you do?
3. Donor motivations. Generally, how do you decide which arts programs or projects to support? What influences your decision the most?
4. Personal involvement. How much personal involvement do you like to have with the organizations you support? How do you like to be involved?
5. Accountability. How are you assured that your contributions are well used? Do you trust arts groups to use the funds wisely, or do you like to have some proof or evidence that your contributions are well used?
6. Community foundations. Some people prefer to support arts organizations directly, while other people support arts programs through a community foundation. What are the pluses and minuses of each way of giving?

Step 2. Test the values framework

Interviewers then “tested” a values framework, constructed by Alan with content drawn from the comprehensive RAND Corporation 2005 research report Gifts of the Muse, to help donors better identify their motivations for giving to the arts. This diagram provides a visual picture of the many ways that arts programs create benefits for individuals, families and communities. These benefits are organized in five primary categories (each of which is further described in the framework document):

• Personal development
• Economic & social benefits
• Human interaction
• Imprint of the arts experience
• Communal meaning

Interview subjects were presented with the framework, and asked to describe, “Which of its benefits are most important to you? Which of the five areas or ‘spheres of benefits’ resonate with you the most?”

Step 3. Pursue qualitative learning

This interview exercise was designed as a participative learning process—yielding qualitative data and deeper insights into individual donor interests. When the community foundation interviewers gathered to debrief their experience, Alan facilitated the group toward identification of relevant themes and implications. Highlights:

• There is an explosion of creative expression in society today; it is taking multiple forms (cooking, gardening, dressing, designing attractive living spaces, etc.).
• There is a narrative to learn about most donors—understanding how they are put together provides insight into understanding their giving. (One donor attended the interview debrief session, and through an informal exchange expressed a set of core personal values readily identified by the interviewer group. This donor cared deeply about community, investment in community, access to quality education for all people, and respecting and honoring the work of previous generations of family philanthropists.)
• Format innovation is the next frontier in audience development; the range of innovation is broad, and includes experiments such as providing longer intermissions to facilitate Twitter exchanges, to providing interpretive text on personal data devices (e.g., iPhones, Blackberrys) that can accompany musical performances in real time.
• Some donors are really interested in evidence of impact, which arts organizations don’t typically capture. Related, we are seeing emphasis on accountability because of donor interests and the economy.
• Performing arts organizations often lack quality photos and visuals that help people stay connected to their experience and thereby retain evidence of impact. Symbols of the experience are important. This helps explain why rock concerts sell t-shirts and sports teams sell hats at games. Consultant Jerry Yoshitomi was referenced for his emphasis on these “memory elicitation devices.” Alan said that, “printed programs are what people hang on to because they are not yet ready to let go of their emotional connection to the arts experience.”
• People have different attitudes toward engagement and different levels of involvement; part of our diagnostic process is to find out what level of involvement people want, and find interesting ways for them to be involved at that level. On a related note, Alan commented that, “It takes people about three years to learn the cultural assets of a community once they move to it.” And that, “people often get to know their community by going to museums.”
• The ability to identify cross-cutting needs that are not owned by any single institution, and that relate to donor interests, should be a strength of community foundations. An example Alan cited here is keeping older adults involved in creative pursuits. These types of opportunities are often bigger than any individual arts organization, and play to the strengths of community foundations to identify relevant needs, help people champion these needs, and advance a community vitality agenda.
• Local dynamics between the community foundation and arts community have implications for much of this work. Arts nonprofits have their own agendas and interests, and don’t always see community foundations as their advocates. Community foundations need to sit down with arts organizations early in the work of supporting community arts; once relationships develop, the networking and collaborations that follow are phenomenal.

Big take aways

What are the major lessons for all who are dedicated to growing community arts? Recognize donors for their expertise. Gain their opinions. Invite them to describe themselves. Learn and share their stories.
In other words, keep asking questions. And listening.

This learning experience was sponsored through Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

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.

If you’re looking for ways to make the case for arts in a community suffering hard times, you won’t want to miss the appeal of Dana Gioia. Dana is an internationally acclaimed poet and the recent Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. His 13-minute talk is powerful, moving and funny.

Dana’s remarks were a big part of an even bigger event that generated $130,000 in crucial arts funding.

Sonoma’s recipe for success

• Select five local arts nonprofits to feature, drawing from both proven and promising organizations. Make sure all are in tune with a spirit of cooperation—this event was about celebrating community arts, not competing for arts dollars!
• Recruit three world-class artists to perform in an intimate setting, accompanied by wonderful food, great local wine and beautiful scenery. The venue was an area winery with an impressive art collection and sweeping views of the Sonoma valley.
• Make it easy for each nonprofit, as well as the community foundation, to engage a set of its donors and prospective donors. The community foundation underwrote the event, so there was no cost to the participating nonprofits. These arts organizations were encouraged to position the event with their invitees in the manner they deemed best. Most asked attendees to make a donation as part of the invitation process—and received amounts ranging from $250 to $1,000. Others positioned this as a no-admission-fee event honoring invitees for their support.
• Announce that the community foundation is providing $50,000 as an incentive match for any attendees interested in contributing funds to the arts organizations feted at the event. This message was delivered as part of the invitation process, and reiterated at the event.
• Treat the audience to a profound artistic experience, featuring musical inspiration from baritone Rod Gilfry and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, plus Dana’s poetry.
• Deliver (via Dana) a passionate address connecting vibrant arts to community vitality, and issue a call for local philanthropists to step forward at this time of economic challenge.
• Combine this strong call with a soft ask. Attendees knew they were welcome to contribute and take advantage of community foundation matching funds (which applied to gifts made before, during or after the event), but no specific amounts were requested, and no “hard sell” was conducted. The tone for the evening was that of a thank you more so than a fundraiser. Donors responded positively, writing checks and making pledges for nearly $80,000 in new funds.

This video below documenting the development and presentation of the event performance provides a wonderfully produced example for community foundations interested in implementing similar programs locally.

Both videos referenced in this post have an ongoing life—each is being used in the context of small group donor parties.

Breaking new ground

The strategy for An Evening of Song & Poetry involved some first steps with lasting benefits. It brought about productive collaboration among five arts organizations—including the first-ever sharing of donor lists. It helped a key group of local arts donors gain a broader perspective on the arts community. And it placed the community foundation squarely in a leadership role, together with its partner, the Arts Council of Sonoma County.

Community Foundation Sonoma County is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

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.

Why the arts matter
James E. Canales
Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The arts are in trouble. Many of the institutions that make the Bay Area’s cultural scene so compelling are facing financial difficulties. Some are severely cutting programs; others are on the verge of closing. The arts are particularly vulnerable because they rely upon ticket sales and memberships, which are often among the first to be cut from consumer spending during an economic crisis. At the same time, the philanthropic revenues that arts organizations rely on – from government sources, foundations, corporations and individual contributions – all stand at risk today, given shrinking endowments and discretionary income.

Thankfully, arts leaders are applying their creative powers to these economic challenges, thus finding new ways to cut costs or raise revenues. For example, the Magic Theatre recently announced that it will be able to complete its season, thanks to an emergency fundraising campaign that brought in $455,000 from 1,100 donors. And the San Francisco Opera, in announcing its 2009-2010 season, was able to reduce its costs without compromising on artistic quality.

These organizations and their leaders deserve credit for doing whatever it takes to stay afloat. But all the creative ideas to keep the doors open won’t be enough if we don’t fundamentally change our collective understanding of why the arts matter.

When times get tough and choices must be made, it is often the arts that lose. Why is this so? When compared to health or human service needs, the arts are often viewed as less important and therefore more discretionary in nature. But this line of thinking misses the point about why the arts are so important. Until we fully recognize how essential the arts are to the vitality of our communities and our quality of life, our cultural infrastructure will continue to be given short shrift. There are countless reasons why we should renew our commitment to the arts. Consider the following:

• In the Bay Area, the arts create more than 31,000 jobs and generate $1.2 billion in economic activity every year.
• The arts produce $105 million in local and state tax revenue for the Bay Area (far more than the government spends on the arts).
• Surveys report that 93 percent of parents believe that the arts are essential to a well-rounded education.
• Ten million new jobs in the next decade will be in the “creative class,” according to economist Richard Florida. These are jobs that involve imagination and ingenuity which are best developed by experiencing the arts.

But the importance of the arts extends well beyond economics and education. The arts expand our horizons, unleash creativity and build social bonds. During this period of unsettling change, the arts can provide us with pleasure and comfort, while also challenging us to see the world in new ways.

Two recent examples come to mind of the arts’ power to build community and create a sense of common experience. First was the inauguration ceremony of President Obama. Where did we turn to put this historic moment in perspective, to build a common sense of pride and hope for the nation’s future? We turned to the arts, of course, in the form of poetry, classical music and song, including performances by San Francisco’s own Boys Chorus and Girls Chorus.

Locally, the power and appeal of the arts was in evidence on a recent Sunday when dozens of museums and other cultural institutions opened their doors for free. Thousands of kids explored Asian culture at the Asian Art Museum, walked through a rainforest at the California Academy of Sciences, and explored world class art collections at the de Young Museum and SFMOMA. On this one day, people could experience the rich diversity of San Francisco’s arts organizations, regardless of economic circumstance. But, for the rest of the year, maintaining our rich cultural landscape is anything but free.

So, as your resources permit, attend a performance, buy a membership, and consider a contribution of any size. But also talk to your friends and neighbors about the transformative power of the arts and encourage them to support and advocate for the arts. The arts institutions that have created our cultural riches have done so much to help the Bay Area thrive. It’s time for us to return the favor.

James E. Canales is president and chief executive officer of the James Irvine Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. The Irvine Foundation is one of the largest private funders of the arts in California, with annual arts grant-making of approximately $20 million.

This article appeared on page A – 13 of the San Francisco Chronicle

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/03/EDQP15LUJN.DTL

Arts funders and nonprofits agree: We are in an unprecedented time of financial distress, and no one knows when we will reach bottom. This new reality is causing reactions that range from caution to crisis in arts organizations.

“We’re seeing lots of white knuckle behavior at the moment,” reports one community foundation CEO. “Arts leaders are hanging on with everything they have and trying to prepare for what may be an even scarier ride to come.”

Much is being written to help provide perspective and practical suggestions to foundations whose concern for arts nonprofits is rising at the very moment when grantmaking assets are plummeting. This post provides summaries and links to some of these resources.

Don’t assume giving will go backward

Starting with a positive, a recent report indicates that, while charitable giving is affected by a roiling economy, the impact is not nearly as much as might be expected. In fact, tracking the numbers since 1969 shows that total giving in the U.S. has risen (in current dollars) every year but 1987—including many years that represented slow or negative economic growth. Of course, the rate of increase in giving is often less in lean years. The report Giving During Recessions and Economic Slowdowns (Giving USA 2008, Giving USA Foundation™) is available for purchase at www.givingusa.org

Keep investing, and making personal asks

In hard times, arts groups should continue to invest in and publicize their art, according to Michael M. Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And Ronald Levy, president of Lincoln Center counsels that this is a good time to remember that “shoe leather trumps mail” when it comes to development efforts. “It is harder to turn down a request to meet face to face for 50 minutes than a written proposal for $50,000,” says Mr. Levy. And don’t let a “no” discourage you. “For great fund-raisers,” he writes, “’no’ is just the beginning of a conversation.” These excerpts are from The Nonprofit’s Guide to Surviving a Downturn, The New York Times, November 11, 2008.

www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/giving/11ARTS.html?_r=1&ref=giving&p

Stay in the know

The Foundation Center’s new online feature, Focus on the Economic Crisis, provides an array of resources to help nonprofits and foundations alike as they face the challenges of an unstable economy. Updated regularly, it contains news, interviews, research, blog posts, and podcasts about the crisis and its impact on philanthropy—as well as information on training and scholarships that will help grantseekers become better fundraisers in an increasingly competitive environment.

http://foundationcenter.org/focus/economy/

Check out additional resources

Crisis or Bad News: A Solid Crisis Plan is Your Lifeline
Crisis communications guidance; from the Communications Network

20 Emergency Funding Sources for Nonprofits
Ideas for revenue sources that can be accessed quickly; from the consulting staff at Fieldstone Alliance

Managing in Tough Times: 7 Steps
Insights and advice from experts in the field to help organizations weather the current economic storm; from the Bridgespan Group

Emergency Hardship Scholarships/Grants to Individuals
Keys for foundations to satisfy charitable purpose requirements in providing relief to persons impoverished as a result of low income or lack of financial resources; from the Council of Michigan Foundations

Changing Times Call For Foundations To Try New, Innovative Approaches To Sustain Nonprofits
Opportunities for foundations to more effectively serve nonprofits; from the Council of Michigan Foundations

Strategies for Foundations to Save Resources
Advice for coping with dwindling resources; from the Financial Times

A to Z Survival Guide for Uncertain Times
Tips for addressing financial challenges; from PhilanTopic

Making Informed Decisions in Uncertain Times [PDF]
A report on the impact of the economic downturn on community foundations, including information on grantmaking, spending policies, budget implications and communicating with stakeholders; from Community Foundation Insights

Weathering an Uncertain Economy [PDF]
Research on the impact of economic slowdowns on charitable giving; from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University

A Survival Kit for Fundraising in a Bad Economy
Tools for fundraisers, including articles, advice, books, and web and audio conferences; from the Association of Fundraising Professionals

8 Ideas for Finding New Donors in Today’s Economy
Advice for acquiring donors; from The NonProfit Times

Today’s challenges, Tomorrow’s Strength Nonprofits can Avoid Pitfalls – and Even Grow – in Tough Times [PDF]
Guidance for leading nonprofits through economic uncertainty; from Achieve

Bracing for Lean Times Ahead
Article on the impact of the economic crisis on philanthropy; from The New York Times

Hold a key thought

And keep in mind these words from George C. Ruotolo Jr. (chair of Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits)…

“Charities with a clear and compelling case and an established, loyal donor constituency will continue to succeed, even in difficult times.”

www.givingusa.org/press_releases/gusa/Giving during recessions 2008.pdf

This post is assembled in support of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

A middle-schooler streams YouTube videos. A family shares its heritage through a holiday skit. A baby boomer starts a garage band. Today, many forms of cultural engagement take place off the radar of traditional nonprofit arts organizations.

How can community foundations help arts organizations better support the broad range of cultural engagement in diverse and changing communities? In particular, how can this support be provided more effectively and equitably? These questions are at the center of Cultural Engagement in California’s Inland Regions, research that explores patterns of cultural engagement in two rapidly growing, ethnically diverse areas: the San Joaquin Valley and the Inland Empire.

Study highlights

The study, conducted by WolfBrown, prompts new discussion of ways community foundations, donors, and nonprofits can support arts and culture. Key findings are:

• A broad, inclusive definition is important to understanding total cultural engagement—old definitions leave too much out
• Personal participation levels are high—many people are engaged in activities such as photography, painting or drawing, singing or playing an instrument, and social dancing
• Much cultural engagement occurs in non-arts spaces—for example, the home, places of worship and parks are among the prominent places in the cultural life of communities
• Heritage-based and social forms of cultural engagement attract racially diverse participants—many cultural activities are deeply embedded in religious, political and social contexts that vary by community
• The emergence of “curatorial” arts activities is changing the landscape of cultural engagement—many youth and a growing number of adults are selecting, organizing and editing the art in their lives
• Significant interest in arts learning activities goes unmet—for example, a significant number of respondents indicate they would like to take dance or music lessons, or learn more about photography
• Role models are key players in the cultural ecosystem—respondents who could identify a person who inspired or supported their creative expressions were much more likely to engage in participatory cultural activities and attend arts programs
• Certain types of programming may increase broad-based cultural vitality in communities and across cultural groups—examples include helping adults and children chronicle their lives and tell their stories; and helping identify and stimulate use of community venues, such as public schools, parks and outdoor settings, retail establishments and churches as programmable arts spaces

This executive briefing suggests additional program approaches for increasing cultural vitality, and contains questions for consideration by service providers and funders who are looking to broaden the intersection of arts and community.

This research was commissioned by The James Irvine Foundation.

It’s a communications conundrum. Community arts leaders have plenty to say about why donors should invest in this arena, but it can be challenging to find the best ways to express these messages.

There’s the question of what to state first. Some professionals say lead with instrumental benefits—the role arts play in boosting economic development or helping kids learn, for example—and establish these bottom-line societal advantages right up front. Others say it’s better to promote intrinsic benefits—the ways arts evoke an emotive response—and get started by making a more intimate human connection.

Then there’s the need to establish urgency for private donor support of arts. In California, state funding declined precipitously in recent years, reaching a low of 3 cents per person in 2005.

In 2006, a set of California community foundations and their local arts partners took this dilemma to heart, and mind. Sharing and assessing arts messages, they joined to create and test an approach that is now being used in several communities—and communications.

What makes for effective messaging?

These participants in the Irvine initiative, Communities Advancing the Arts, set out to develop messaging that was clear, consumable, and comprehensive. Specifically, they wanted to reach out to new donors in a manner that:

• Uses simple language and concepts
• Is easily remembered and presented by staff and volunteers
• Features a flexible structure—so main messages can be mixed and matched to specific communication opportunities
• Translates into a variety of looks and media

A modular messaging structure

They devised a solution that is straightforward and sophisticated. It uses three main messages to answer one core question:

Why support the arts?

• It feels good.
• It does good.
• It’s time now.

Each of these primary messages sits atop a set of secondary messages that present a complete case for the arts. And this approach is inherently modular—some community foundations prefer to lead with intrinsic benefits (it feels good), others with instrumental benefits (it does good). The third major message (it’s time now) helps establish the urgent need for individual donors to invest in arts.

Multiple media

This messaging is being applied in a number of media.

• Orange County Community Foundation, together with Arts Orange County (the area’s arts council) co-branded these messages, as shown on this print ad.
• Community Foundation Silicon Valley (since merged with the Peninsula Foundation to create Silicon Valley Community Foundation) built a comprehensive set of materials to advance the arts using these messages.
• California Community Foundation incorporates these messages to help open its brochure promoting its Arts & Culture Fund.
• Community Foundation Sonoma County features these messages in banners and a brochure supporting its Emerging Artists Endowment Fund.
• Community Foundation for Monterey County organized a public service announcement based on these messages.

These messages and communications were created through Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

Take a moment to imagine what Los Angeles would be like without theatre, dance, music or paintings. That line, penned by Antonia Hernández, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation, opens a new brochure making the case for arts and culture as the lifeblood of a vibrant community. Everyone knows L.A.’s reputation as a hotbed of artistic innovation and diversity. Less known is the extent to which arts and culture are underfunded in this locale.

For example, the City of Los Angeles spent $.78 per person in arts grants compared with San Diego at $5.48 and San Francisco at $20.67.

Overlooked: smaller organizations and individuals

Especially vulnerable are small to midsize organizations and individual artists in the county. One study showed that more than 80% of arts funding went to groups with budgets of $2 million or more; these larger players make up less than 6% of the total nonprofit arts sector. Another study showed that only 2% of all arts funding in L.A. between 1998-2002 went to individual artists.

Funders in Los Angeles put their money in specific projects and events (78%), with far less (22%) going to general operating costs, endowment building, and capital campaigns.

Launching a community campaign

Through its Arts & Culture Fund, the California Community Foundation seeks to change this situation for the better. The foundation is calling on community to grow its endowment to $27 million by 2015. The goal is to help 150 emerging and mid-career artists rise to the next level, and 100 small and midsize organizations reach new audiences. In particular, the foundation aims to increase participation of diverse, ethnic and low-income individuals and communities in the arts.

This brochure includes more research data on the L.A. arts and culture landscape, as well as stories of the big impact that relatively small investments can make in this arena.

It was created with support from Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

Who knew? A surprising 64 percent of residents say that they or their family members create or participate in arts. It’s a fact that shows the value of research, and it came from the Orange County Cultural Indicators Report, this community’s first-ever study of arts giving and donor perceptions. The study was conducted by the Orange County Community Foundation and Arts Orange County. The attached report describes resident values and behavioral drivers related to the arts. It includes the case for investing in a creative community, a review of the research findings summarized below, and a set of recommendations for advancing the arts and culture sector.

Key findings

1. Orange County residents agree on the importance of a vibrant cultural sector in Orange County and recognize the social and personal benefits of the arts: 64 percent revealed that they or their immediate family members actively create or participate in the arts.
2. A deepening relationship with the arts leads to attendance and financial investment. Research reinforced that early or informal family involvement in the arts are the strongest drivers for future attendance.
3. The county’s nonprofit arts sector is young and undercapitalized. Seventy-five percent of local arts organizations were founded in the last 35 years.
4. Orange County residents place a high priority on the importance of the arts in the development and education of children. A remarkable 98 percent of residents agree that arts are critical for the education and development of children.
5. Orange County has a unique set of cultural assets that tells the story of the county’s cultural history and creates the cultural face it presents to the world. The County of Orange and its 34 cities have the capability to leverage these cultural assets to help create a unique sense of place for Orange County residents and visitors.
6. Leadership at all levels will be required to make Orange County a more creative community. These leaders can be bolstered by evidence of community support: 92 percent of residents agree on the importance of a vibrant cultural sector in Orange County.

This activity was conducted as part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

While lots of communities want to build a creative economy, too few are able to pull everyone together around a plan. Not so in Monterey County, where collaboration, research and dialogue led to a countywide blueprint for collective action. The process was led by the Community Foundation for Monterey County in tandem with the Arts Council for Monterey County. And it produced the first comprehensive approach to advancing local arts and culture.

Seeing the big picture

The attached report states the case for investing in a creative economy. It then presents goals, recommended strategies, and a timeline for implementing an action plan to advance this creative economy over a five-year period. It addresses the role of arts and culture in community life, makes a case for increased donor support to sustain arts and culture as part of a vibrant region, and describes an approach for increasing cultural patronage. It includes a review of local demographic trends pertinent to the arts.

Purpose and goals

The purpose of this planning was three-fold:

1. To guide actions of and collaborations among artists, arts agencies and arts educators regarding research, program development and public awareness
2. To guide public and private investment, including an array of short-term and long-term loans, grants and earned revenues
3. To guide the Arts Council for Monterey County in leading countywide research, planning, advocacy and support

Four goals resulted from this process:

• Develop greater participation in Monterey County’s culture and creative activities by residents and visitors
• Build and strengthen the creative industries as a major economic cluster in the region
• Make effective use of arts, culture and creative opportunities to promote vibrant and healthy communities, including education and workforce development
• Develop visible support mechanisms to nurture and promote arts, culture and creativity

This planning activity was conducted as part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

A new study helps answer the old question: What do arts bring to communities? It documents the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry, and covers 156 communities and regions representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The study was conducted by Americans for the Arts. It includes diverse communities, both rural and urban, ranging from four thousand to three million people.

The attached study focuses solely on nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences and excludes spending by individual artists and the for-profit arts and entertainment sector. The two largest U.S. cities, New York and Los Angeles, each with more than $1 billion in organizational expenditures, were excluded from this study to avoid inflating the national estimates.

Arts are big business…with big benefits

America’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by audiences. The national impact of this activity is significant, supporting 5.7 million jobs and generating $29.6 billion in government revenue.

The impact of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations is far reaching; they pay their employees, purchase supplies, and acquire assets within the local community. Additionally, unlike most industries, nonprofit arts and culture leverage significant event-related spending by their audience. Whether serving the local community or out-of-town visitors, a vibrant arts and culture industry helps local businesses thrive.

Less public support for arts is the trend in many communities. Monterey County has reversed the pattern. Here is a happy story of increased commitment to arts by a local government, and of collaboration between a community foundation and arts council to make it happen. It begins in the context of public sector budgets.

Monterey County, like virtually all local governments in California, has faced severe financial pressures in recent years. In response to these challenges, county funding of the Arts Council declined from a 2003/04 high of more than $500,000 to less than $95,000 in 2006/07.

Based on continued budget concerns, county staff’s recommendation for 2007/08 funding was $120,000.

A winning combination

Working in tandem, the Arts Council of Monterey County and the Community Foundation for Monterey County engaged the County Board of Supervisors to revisit this recommendation. By emphasizing the vital role of arts and culture in economic development (Monterey continues to be a hot spot for national festivals as well as a welcome home for emerging and established artists) and in quality of life (for current residents plus those considering locating to the region), these community leaders helped the Board of Supervisors rethink the emphasis given arts in the county budget.

The result: an increase in funding to more than $300,000 for 2007/08.

Even better, the Supervisors committed to restore and revitalize the historic formula (abandoned in recent years) for ensuring that arts have significant support from the county’s coffers.

According to Paulette Lynch, Executive Director of the Arts Council for Monterey County, the visible involvement of the community foundation was essential to helping county leaders understand the broad-reaching impact of the arts, as well as the value of investing in a creative economy. Following the Board of Supervisors’ action, her note to community foundation colleagues concluded, “Thanks to you all, the arts are back on track in Monterey County and poised to take a leadership role in the creative economy.”

The Community Foundation for Monterey County is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

San Diego has lots of arts and culture. But no one really knew how much the community cared about this arena… until the community foundation took a look. This research project studied who in the community is involved (or not) in the arts. It measured commitment to arts. And it examined the state of the nonprofit arts sector. The study was commissioned by The San Diego Community Foundation.

The attached report captures results of the study. It describes the role of arts and culture in community life, makes a case for increased donor support to sustain arts and culture as part of a vibrant region, and presents a plan for increasing cultural patronage. It includes an overview of the research methodology used.

Key findings

Five items headlined the results of this study.

1. Cultural participation needs to be deepened and expanded.
2. San Diego’s arts and culture community is under-funded.
3. People care about the arts: two-thirds of San Diegans would be willing to pay more taxes to support arts and culture.
4. The region places high priority on increasing arts education.
5. The San Diego Foundation should be a catalyst to help strengthen the arts and culture community.

Today, the foundation has advanced beyond this initial research to create a set of strategies for deepening the connection of arts to community throughout the San Diego area.

This research activity was conducted as part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.