CONTACT:
Maggie Morth
Communications Manager
The Foundation Center
(212) 807-2415
e-mail: communications@foundationcenter.org
Web: www.foundationcenter.org
Foundation Center Hosts Third Annual
Funding for Arts Month
Free Programs, Online Services, and
Resources for Artists, Nonprofit Organizations
May 26, 2004, New York, NY—Growing in popularity since the Foundation Center introduced the event in 2002, Funding for Arts Month returns for the third consecutive year. Throughout June the Center will offer a wide range of arts-related programs, publications, and Web resources aimed at helping artists and arts organizations increase their funding.
"We realize that the past several years have been difficult for members of the nonprofit arts community. The feedback we've received each time we've offered Funding for Arts Month tells us that this special event is highly valued by both arts organizations and artists. This year we'll be offering an even greater variety of educational programs and Web content to assist arts grantseekers in their search for funding," said Judith Margolin, vice president for public services at the Foundation Center.
Funding for Arts Month on the Web
The Center's "Focus on Arts Funding" Web page at www.foundationcenter.org/focus/arts/ is designed to quickly guide visitors to the wide array of events, rich Web content, and publications relating to Funding for Arts Month.
Special Web site features during June include Philanthropy News Digest's "Funding for the Arts," a guide to arts-related resources on the Web; "PubHub," a brand-new online repository of grantmaker-issued reports relating to the arts; Foundation Funding for the Humanities, a research report issued by the Center in cooperation with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and spotlights on local arts organizations, interviews with artists, and profiles of arts grantmakers.
Also at the Web site, visitors can join a virtual discussion with other arts enthusiasts on a variety of topics of the day on Arts Talk, an online message board, and register to receive weekly issues of Arts Funding Watch, an e-newsletter launched last year. New at the site's "Youth in Philanthropy" area is "Focus on the Arts," with scholarship information, arts-related links, an interview with a youth volunteer, and arts-related activities.
Special Programs and Training Opportunities
In 2003 the Foundation Center assisted 1,600 arts grantseekers in June. This year the Center expects to see even more fundraisers take advantage of its growing array of special programming. Each of its five library/learning centers in New York, Atlanta, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, will convene Meet the Grantmakers, Dialogue with Donors, and other panel programs offering the opportunity for arts funders, nonprofit representatives, and artists to share their experiences and ideas and explore funding opportunities.
- In New York the Center will present two Meet the Grantmakers programs: "Funding for Arts and Culture in Long Island" on June 15, co-sponsored by Levittown Public Library, LITAC Nonprofit Solutions, and the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers; and "Meet the New Jersey Grantmakers" on June 22, co-sponsored with Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and New Jersey State Library.
- "Local Government Funding for the Arts," co-sponsored with Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund in Atlanta on June 24, will bring together Atlanta-area officials to talk about funding for the arts in their jurisdictions.
- On June 30, Foundation Center-Cleveland director Cynthia Bailie presents findings from the Center's new report, Spotlight on Arts Grantmaking in Ohio, followed by a discussion with community leaders.
- The San Francisco library/learning center will convene numerous events, including "Opportunities for Individual Artists" on June 17 and "The Art of Fundraising: Big Ideas for Small Arts Organizations" on June 24.
- In Washington, DC, on June 24, speakers will address issues and trends in "Funding for Arts in the DC Metro Area," co-sponsored with Washington Grantmakers.
In addition, the library/learning centers will offer a number of public information sessions and networking events, such as: Afternoon for Artists, including workshops on fiscal sponsorship; panel programs focusing on corporate support of the arts; dialogues on the artist in relation to the community; and briefings on trends in funding for the humanities. Also on the roster for June are several of its regular educational classes tailored to grantseekers in the arts, including "Grantseeking Basics for Individual Artists" and "Guide to Arts Resources on the Foundation Center's Web Site."
Foundation Center Locations
Details on local programming and Web content are accessible from individual library Web sites listed below:
New York: 79 Fifth Avenue, Second floor, www.foundationcenter.org/newyork
Atlanta: 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 150, www.foundationcenter.org/atlanta
Cleveland: 1422 Euclid Avenue, Suite 1600, www.foundationcenter.org/cleveland
San Francisco: 312 Sutter Street, Suite 606, www.foundationcenter.org/sanfrancisco
Washington, DC: 1627 K Street, NW, Third floor, www.foundationcenter.org/washington
About the Foundation Center
The Foundation Center's mission is to strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy. To achieve its mission, it collects, organizes, and communicates information on U.S. philanthropy; conducts and facilitates research on trends in the field; provides education and training on the grantseeking process; and ensures public access to information and services through its Web site, print and electronic publications, five library/learning centers, and a national network of Cooperating Collections. Founded in 1956, the Center is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy and is dedicated to serving grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public.
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