Philanthropy Front and Center - Washington, DC

What Historic Houses and Others Can Learn about Sustainability from the Rockettes!

Recently while reading a Washington Post article on the financial struggles of historic houses in Virginia, I thought about the Rockettes performance that I saw in New York over the holidays. I was amazed at the show which, of course, featured the incredible precision movements of the dancers and their dazzling costumes. Additionally, we had 3D glasses allowing us to join Santa on his ride through the theater, saw pyrotechnic displays, and enjoyed an act where the Rockettes were pieces in a computer game. Having not been to a show for decades, I clearly saw how the Rockettes had adapted the show to engage a younger, wired audience while at the same time continuing to kick! There were many multi-generational familes in the hall.

Historic houses and many other types of organizations are struggling to straddle the on-site vs virtual divide -- trying to implement their mission with both new technologies and traditional methods in order to capture more than one generation of user and/or donor. It is clear that there is not one path for all nonprofits but providing blended services seems to be one method that is working. Adequate funding (which the Rockettes clearly had) also is vital.

To learn more about nonprofit sustainability, check out our free class Nonprofit Sustainability: Building Blocks to Organizational Success, which is available as a live class and webinar, a recorded webinar and in Spanish.

You can also enter the term sustainability in the search box on Grantspace.org and it will lead you to additional print and online resources.

 If your organization has come up with successful ways to engage your audiences on multiple platforms, please let us know!

Watch This! Picking Up Steam with STEM

Watch This! Picking Up Steam with STEM

In an effort to prepare the workforce for the next generation for a creative economy and jobs that will require talent adept at designing the technological innovations of tomorrow, corporate and foundation grantmakers are increasingly focusing their educational funding on STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math.

Watch the full program now >>

And today there is a growing movement to expand the definition to also include arts within these portfolios since there is a growing recognition that creativity and innovation are also important to nurture—hence STEAM. Come to this session to learn more about guidelines, trends, and new potential directions for STEM funding in our region.

Panelists include:

• Teri Douglas, Account Executive, Radio Disney
• Susan Harvey, Program Director, S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation | Stephen Bechtel Fund
• Wendy Fukamaki, Community Relations Manager, Signature Programs, Pacific, Gas & Electric Company
• Anne Wintroub, Director of Citizenship and Sustainability, AT&T

Head over the GrantSpace to watch the full program. View other great videos, podcasts and online events at the GrantSpace multimedia archive.

Originally posted by Katie Artzner on the Philanthropy Front and Center- Cleveland blog. Thanks Katie!

Secrets, Lies and Truths about Marketing Oneself as an Artist

What do Lady Gaga and Deion Sanders have in common besides the paparazzi?  Savvy marketing skills, says E. Ethelbert Miller.  In case you missed it, Miller was a guest presenter here in October at the Foundation Center during Arts Month which featured programs and resources geared toward individual artists and arts organizations. Miller is a prolific writer and literary activist.  He is also the Director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University and the board chair of the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank located in Washington, DC.

Miller went on to say that marketing oneself as an artist is very important and managing your image even more so.  He talked about how he manages images of himself and has branded even his name.  He noted that what people put out there about you molds and shapes your image whether it's intentional or not.  So how do you market yourself and manage your image?  Miller discussed three major tips:

• Do it consistently,
• Control the time, place and format, and
• Avoid overexposure.

How much is too much?  Miller said that he does something about once a month to promote his work and doesn’t stay in one place too long.  He emphasized that above all else it’s important to focus on how you will be remembered at the end of the day.  When asked how he wants to be remembered at the end of the day, Miller said, “I want to be seen as a person who took care of his heart and did not forget to love.”

In addition to his keen insight and brilliant spirit, he left us with two book titles that he has found inspirational in his own career:  The Art of the Turnaround: Creating and Maintaining Healthy Arts Organizations by Michael Kaiser and The End of Intelligent Writing: Literary Politics in America by Richard Kostelanetz.  I also invite you to take a look at his E-Channel with the words and wisdom of the writer Charles Johnson.  When asked, “Do you have any other words of advice for aspiring artists?” He said, “I would encourage young and aspiring artists to network "down" and not just up. Take time to help other young artists.  Celebrate the joys and achievements of others; this is the way a community is built."

Blog written by Kim Patton, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center- Washington, DC

PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Awards: Deadlines in November & December 2011

PhotoPhilanthropy promotes and rewards photographers working with non-profit organizations around the world to tell stories that drive action for social change.

Have you photographed the story of a non-profit organization or helped a charity get their story told through images? Then you are a photophilanthropist, and PhotoPhilanthropy wants to recognize and reward you through their Activist Awards!

The PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Awards identify outstanding work done by photographers in collaboration with non-profit organizations worldwide. In previous years, PhotoPhilanthropy has received work from photographers in 85 different countries, showcasing the work of 405 non-profit organizations.

PhotoPhilanthropy will give awards to photographers in four cateogories: professional, amateur, student, and community-based organization. The 2011 submissions are now open and we encourage you to submit!

Judges for the 2011 Activist Award include:

• Keith Jenkins, senior multimedia producer, NPR
• Ami Vitale, World Press Photo award-winning photographer
• Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier, photographer and President of the International League of Conservation Photographers

The deadline for professional, amateur, and CBO submissions is November 1, 2011. The deadline for student submissions is December 1, 2011. For submission guidelines and more information, please visit www.photophilanthropy.org.

Originally posted by Natasha Isajlovic-Terry, Foundation Center-San Francisco, on October 24, 2011.

PhotoPhilanthropy promotes and rewards photographers working with non-profit organizations around the world to tell stories that drive action for social change.

Have you photographed the story of a non-profit organization or helped a charity get their story told through images? Then you are a photophilanthropist, and PhotoPhilanthropy wants to recognize and reward you through their Activist Awards!

The PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Awards identify outstanding work done by photographers in collaboration with non-profit organizations worldwide. In previous years, PhotoPhilanthropy has received work from photographers in 85 different countries, showcasing the work of 405 non-profit organizations.

PhotoPhilanthropy will give awards to photographers in four cateogories: professional, amateur, student, and community-based organization. The 2011 submissions are now open and we encourage you to submit!

Judges for the 2011 Activist Award include:

• Keith Jenkins, senior multimedia producer, NPR
• Ami Vitale, World Press Photo award-winning photographer
• Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier, photographer and President of the International League of Conservation Photographers

The deadline for professional, amateur, and CBO submissions is November 1, 2011. The deadline for student submissions is December 1, 2011. For submission guidelines and more information, please visit www.photophilanthropy.org.

Originally posted by Natasha Isajlovic-Terry, Foundation Center-San Francisco, on October 24, 2011.

Guest post: Gigi Rosenberg, author of The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing, #FCArts

This post is from Gigi Rosenberg, writer, workshop leader, and presentation coach for artists and entrepreneurs. We are delighted to offer a special webinar on Thursday, October 27th (2-3pm PT/ 4-5pm CT/ 5-6pm ET), featuring Gigi Rosenberg, who will discuss the key takeaways and insights from her book: The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing. This event is free, and is part of Funding for Arts Month at the Foundation Center. Register>>

“Where do I start my research?” is the first question my grant-writing students usually ask. They want to know the websites to click, the books to peruse, the directories to pour through. 

The truth is that the best place to start your research isn’t on the web or at the library. It’s in your art studio or at your writing desk. Before you start searching in the world, you need to first look inside your self and your work and ask:

What’s my big vision? Where do I want to be as an artist in 10 years? If that’s my goal, what’s my next baby step? What will it take me to travel from right now to that distant goal? Make your plans. They may include a residency, an upgrade to your website, a big project, a research trip and so on.

This first step of your research helps you discover what you’re looking for. And until you know what you’re searching for, you won’t know when you’ve found it.

Armed with your list of ideas for projects and career moves, then you can launch your research. You’ll know if you’re looking for a fellowship so that you can finish that novel, or a residency so that you can have access to studio space, or a project grant to stage your next theatrical production.

The beauty of grant writing is that it forces you to sit down and put into words what you want and why you want it. This process is incredibly useful for any writer or artist because through it, you clarify your ideas and refine your game plan. Then, even if you don’t win the funding or even submit the application, you have your plan of action and your refined vision.

I recommend artists work in teams to write their grant proposals. That may sound counter-intuitive—to help the competition—but the truth is that your application will be much improved if you have help brainstorming, editing, and fine-tuning along the way. You can even use a co-researcher – both of you spend 2 hours researching grants and then meet and share what you found. The deadline pressure will help you complete the job and you don’t know what great opportunity is out there waiting for you to find it!

Gigi Rosenberg won her first unofficial grant as a 14-year old when she convinced her parents to fork over the cash to buy 5 rolls of Super 8 Kodachrome film to shoot her first film. She wrote The Artist’s Guide to Grant Writing (Watson-Guptill, 2010) to teach artists and writers how to win grants, fundraise creatively, and ensure that every second they spend writing a proposal pushes their art further into the world. She’s been published by Seal Press, The Oregonian, Jewish Review, and Parenting, and broadcast on Oregon Public Radio. For the latest, visit gigirosenberg.com.

Originally posted by Sarah Jo Neubauer on October 17, 2011.

Funders and the Growing Hispanic Population

In conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) conducted a webinar entitled, The 2010 Census: What the Numbers Mean and How Funders Can Respond. HIP’s mission is to strengthen Latino communities by increasing resources for the Latino and Latin American civil sector; by increasing Latino participation and leadership throughout the field of philanthropy; and to foster policy change to enhance equity and inclusiveness.  

The webinar panelists included: Tara Sandercock, a board member of Hispanics in Philanthropy and Vice President of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro; Catherine Marsh, Executive Director of Westchester Community Foundation; Dr. Leo Estrada, Associate Professor of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles; Dolores E. Roybal, Executive Director of Con Alma Health Foundation; and Cristóbal J. Alex, Program Officer for Democratic Participation, of the Ford Foundation.

The discussion centered around the 2010 Census, which indicates that the Latino population now makes up more than 10% of the total population in 17 states, with South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee showing the most significant growth. In the discussion  one of the most notable trends that surfaced was suburbanization of the Latino populations. In fact, Westchester County, one of the most affluent counties in New York, showed a 41% growth in the Hispanic populations since 2000. Inspite of these gains, the percentage of grant dollars benefiting Latinos has remained flat for ten years, at about 1.3 percent of total U.S. grantmaking, while the Latino share of the U.S. population has risen from 13 percent to 16 percent during that same time period according to a report conducted by HIP and the Foundation Center. So, there's still a lot of work to be done.

Some of the challenges facing the Hispanic and Latino populations are immigration issues, political disparity, illiteracy (in both native and English languages) and teen pregnancy. To help address some of these issues the panelists discussed legislative advocacy focusing on immigration issues, increasing the voter registration rate in these communities to help increase political empowerment, and addressing socio-economic issues from a more holistic perspective. Overall, everyone agreed that there needs to be increased awareness of the issues and challenges facing the Hispanic populations along with greater cultural competencies, collaborations and partnerships toward finding and funding solutions.

In response to the growing Hispanic population, the Foundation Center has a number of resources in Spanish. What has your organization done in response to the changing demographics of the DC metropolitan region?

Next Week at the Foundation Center (October 17-21)

Special Program for Funding for Arts Month:
Best Practices in Arts and Culture Fundraising
Tuesday, October 18, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Presented by Wealth Engine

Special Event: Meet the Author
Amy Eisenstein: 50 Asks in 50 Weeks--A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop
Friday, October 21, 10:00-11:30 am

Classes:
Proposal Writing Basics
Monday, October 17, 10:00-11:30 am

Proposal Budgeting Basics
Monday, October 17, 11:45 am-1:00 pm

Grantseeking Basics
Wednesday, October 19, 7:00-9:00 pm
Held offsite in Columbia, Maryland

These programs are free to attend, but registration is required. For additional events coming soon, please see our Events Calendar.

Library:
Use Foundation Directory Online Professional, borrow books, and get reference help free of charge with no appointment necessary. See our web site for directions.

Hours:
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Tuesday
10:00 am-8:00 pm

Cultural Data Project: A New Tool for DC Arts Groups to Strengthen Capacity & Chart Impact

Arts and cultural organizations in the District of Columbia now have access to state of the art technology to help them strengthen their management capacity and demonstrate their value and impact in communities.  The Cultural Data Project (CDP), a web-based data collection tool for arts and cultural organizations and their advocates, is operated by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The District of Columbia Cultural Data Project (DC CDP) was launched October 3, 2011. Register now for one of  free orientations sessions on the project scheduled around the city.

“What makes this exciting is that the CDP is nationwide, providing uniform tools to document the expansive impact of arts and culture locally and nationally”, said Jennifer Cover Payne, President of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington.

With support from national arts foundations as well as community-based grantmakers, the Cultural Data Project has emerged as a national resource for collecting and disseminating reliable, standardized data for the cultural sector. Prior to its local launch, more than 11,500 nonprofits in 11 states are already using CDP—with plans to be operational in an additional 11 states by 2014.

Those participating in the District of Columbia Cultural Data Project will receive free assistance from a team of on-call database specialists and financial consultants. Once participants supply the wide range of financial, programmatic and operational data, the CDP serves as a repository and financial management tool. Organizations can instantly generate information for grant applications, or create, on demand, 77 different analytic reports to present to their donors or boards on topics such as program activity, free and paid attendance, balance sheet trends, or marketing expenses. Organizations can also use the CDP to understand how they operate in comparison to similar organizations in their community (or communities) in other CDP states.

“The CDP brings a new level of transparency. Members of the arts community will be empowered to proactively share the impact and outcomes of their programming, and members of the public and private sector will invest with confidence.” said Anne Corbett, Executive Director of the Cultural Development Corporation.  

Interested? To learn more about the project, listen to this podcast.  What do you think of this initiative?



Online Events for Artists in October!

Online Events for Artists in October! #FCArts

October is Funding for Arts Month and the Foundation Center has organized many stellar events, including these webinars and live chat discussions! Click on an event title below to get more details and to register. All times are in Eastern Time (ET) zone. Hope to see you on the interwebs!

Shaking the Money Tree for Film and Video Fundraising. Live Chat: Thursday, October 6, 2011 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Ask questions about how to prepare yourself for fundraising, developing fundraising trailers for your film, the ins and outs of crowdfunding with sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, fundraising house parties, and more, with veteran consultant, facilitator and writer Morrie Warshawski, and his daughter, Leah Warshawski, a filmmaker.

Fiscal Sponsorship for Artists and Arts Organizations: Everything You Need to Know. Webinar: Monday, October 17, 2011, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Dianne Debicella, program director for fiscal sponsorship at Fractured Atlas, will discuss the fiscal sponsorship arrangement under which a charitable project without 501(c)(3) status might benefit from the tax-exempt status and administrative support of a sponsoring organization.

Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts. Webinar: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Learn to create a step-by-step plan to find funding for your needs as an individual grantseeker

Arts Funding in Uncertain Times. Webinar: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Steven Lawrence, the Foundation Center's director of research, will discuss how foundation arts funding fared during the recent economic downturn, current trends in arts grantmaking, and the outlook for arts giving going forward.

The Artist as Entrepreneur. Live Chat: Monday, October 31, 2011 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Get answers to your most pressing questions about the knowledge and skills you need to market, price, and sell your work, so you can build a successful artistic enterprise, with Rebecca Posey, co-founder of Addo Games in Atlanta, GA, and Matthew Charboneau, Arts Network Leader for the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) in Cleveland, OH. 

(Looking for a calendar of our in-person programs? Click here.)

New Scholarship Program Targets Audiovisual Archivists

In honor of UNESCO's World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, the New York-based firm AudioVisual Preservation Solutions (AVPS) has launched a new scholarship program to provide archivists with opportunities for education in fundraising through Foundation Center training seminars. The new program, Your Archive Deserves Advocacy! (YADA!), aims to promote the people and stories behind archives and to provide resources that support advocacy.

AVPS will offer three annual scholarships, awarded through the Association of the Moving Image Archivists Awards Committee, to help moving image and sound archivists attend full-day training seminars with the Foundation Center, which has regional library/learning centers in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Atlanta, and also offers its grantseeker training courses in cities throughout the country. This training focuses on foundation fundraising, proposal writing and budgeting, outcome and evaluation, corporate partnerships, developing fundraising plans, and more.

In targeting the Foundation Center's training seminars in its YADA! initiative, AVPS seeks to give archivists the tools they need to become effective advocates for archival collections and proactive in managing and planning for their preservation and long-term maintenance. This includes the ability to articulate the importance, needs, and goals of their collections to a broad audience, including potential funders.

The Details
Three applicants per year will receive registration to onsite or online Foundation Center classes, plus actual travel cost reimbursements, up to $1,000 total combined per award.

Submission is open to employees of nonprofit institutions who work with audio, video, or motion picture film collections. While the award is managed through the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) Awards Committee, applicants do not need to be an AMIA member. No preference will be given for the applicants' institution, collection type or make up, or experience level. More details…

Download the application and submit it no later than June 15, 2011.

-- Ines Sucre, Reference/Outreach Librarian, Foundation Center-New York