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The Arts Fund is dedicated to building a permanent source of support for metro Altanta’s small and midsized arts organizations. If you are looking for a way to help ensure that Atlanta’s arts community remains strong and vital, consider a gift to the Arts Fund.
Since 2001, the Arts Fund Stabilization Toolbox Award has helped create over 30 strategic plans for arts organizations, many of them the first plan the organization has had.
The Arts Fund has not set final dates for grant or Toolbox deadlines or orientation sessions but anticipates doing so soon. Please stay tuned. The Arts Loan Fund continues to review applications as they are submitted.
Header (left to right): Peter Pan at Atlanta Lyric Theatre (2008 grant, 2008 Toolbox) The Michael O'Neal Singers (2008 grant) Hammonds House Museum (2008 grant, 2008 Toolbox) 7 Stages' production of Come On In My Kitchen by Robert Earl Price. Photo: Alex Porras (2008 grant) In articles (top to bottom): The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum's exhibit Absence of Humanity: The Holocaust Years. (2008 grant) Stuart Horodner, artistic director of the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center speaks to a class. (2008 Toolbox, 2004 grant) Dancers at the Northeast Atlanta Ballet Ensemble perform The Little Mermaid. (2007 grant)
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The end of the year approaches and, like you, we've yet to fully understand how the economic climate this year and next will affect nonprofit arts organizations. At the Arts Fund we are watching, listening and meeting with groups and leaders to anticipate the changing needs in the region so that we may better address them. We encourage you to do the same: arts organizations, nourish relationships with your supporters; patrons, stay involved with the organizations you care about - they need you now. With the Metro Atlanta Arts & Culture Coalition, Fulton County Arts Council, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs and Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts, we will be surveying organizations to learn about last minute trends and better understand the affect on the arts sector. For resources and tips for nonprofits on weathering the economic crises, the Foundation Center is collecting information on its blog and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits has put together a series of tools for managing and governing through tough times. The Arts Fund, as part of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, has been undergoing an intense Foundation-wide process to evaluate and revamp how we fund the arts. By studying other models, meeting extensively with nonprofits and leaders and working many hours, The Community Foundation is developing and will be deploying new grantmaking programs. The Arts Fund's programs will continue the Fund's mission of strengthening small and midsized arts organizations throughout the 23-county metro Atlanta region and will reflect some of the changes. Please stay tuned -- we will be giving a full update soon. The Arts Fund's new annual report, which celebrates arts organizations and explores how the Arts Fund supports the arts in Atlanta beyond grants is now available in print and online. Best wishes, Lisa Cremin, director 2008 Grant Recipients Recognized at Arts Fund Luncheon 
In May over 700 arts, business, community and civic leaders gathered at the annual Arts Fund Luncheon to celebrate the artistic work being done throughout metro Atlanta and recognize the six 2008 Arts Fund grant recipients. The luncheon raised awareness of high-performing arts organizations and netted over $110,000 for the Arts Fund's programs and operations. $500,000 in grants to six organizations were announced. 7 Stages, a theatre in Little Five Points that emphasizes international work, received a grant for $150,000 to fund a full-time director of grants and strategies staff position for three years. Atlanta Lyric Theatre received a grant of $50,000 for debt reduction after going through a transitional period. Hammonds House Museum, a historic venue for artists of color to present their work, received a grant of $90,000 to create a part-time membership and volunteer manager staff position for two years. IMAGE Film and Video received a grant of $145,000 to help off-set the expected earned revenue loss over the next three years as they undertake a program and strategic business reorganization. The Michael O’Neal Singers, recognized as one of the premier symphonic choruses in the Southeast, received a grant of $30,000 to create a working capital reserve. William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum received a grant of $35,000 to fund a part-time specialist while the organization prepares for American Association of Museums accreditation, thus allowing the Breman to receive more national funding, loans of objects and a credibility boost. Seven Organizations Receive Toolbox Awards 
The Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award provides packages of management consulting to arts organizations. Recipients are matched with a consultant and work with the Georgia Center for Nonprofits to complete their project. In June, seven organizations were selected to receive Toolbox awards: Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Dad’s Garage Theatre, Synchronicity Performance Group and Theatre du Reve will each create strategic plans; Atlanta Contemporary Art Center will complete a facility renovation plan; and Monroe Art Guild will receive an organizational assessment. A full list of Toolbox recipients is available on the Arts Fund website. In The Field: Milestones For Our Grant Recipients 
Youth Ensemble of Atlanta has been selected by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities as one of 50 national semi-finalists for the Coming Up Taller Award. The award honors arts and humanities educational programs for youth. (2007 Toolbox, 2004 grant) Gabriel Wardell, executive director of the Atlanta Film Festival has been invited to serve on the advisory committee of the International Film Festival Summit. (2008 Toolbox, 2008 grant) Tom Key, executive artistic director of Theatrical Outfit (2007 grant) was honored at the 2008 GAELA Awards produced by Atlanta Coalition for Performing Arts. Stephanie Hughley of the National Black Arts Festival and Sarah duBignon of the Fox Theatre were also honored. The Northeast Atlanta Ballet Ensemble appointed Roxanne Brown as development director. (2007 grant) Lain Shakespeare, executive director of the Wren's Nest, received the Jenny D. Thurston Memorial Award for an Outstanding Preservation Professional from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission. (2006 Toolbox) Zak Topor has been hired as the director of marketing and PR of Horizon Theatre. (2007 Toolbox, 2006 grant) Scott Clodfelter is the new interim managing director of Actor's Express. (2006 grant, 2005 Toolbox) This space is for announcements of our recent grant or Toolbox recipients. Please submit items to jphillipson@atlcf.org. Artadia: support for individual visual artists in Atlanta Artadia: the Fund for Art and Dialogue will be offering its first Artadia Awards in Atlanta this fall. Visual artists in metro Atlanta working in all media and at any stage in their careers are encouraged to apply. Ten Atlanta-area artists will be selected in the winter to receive three $15,000 and seven $1,500 awards. Visit www.Artadia.org to access the online application, view information session dates and learn more about Artadia’s programs for artists around the U.S. The deadline for this application is December 1, 2008. Artadia will also be holding an information session on Monday, November 17, 8pm at Eyedrum. MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series For the fifth year, Atlanta was one of 10 cities nationwide to host the MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series. Each year this forum series engages communities across the country in a common conversation about the intersections of arts and business. This year cultural analyst Patricia Martin discussed how businesses and arts organizations can work together to reach the “RenGen” community, a term coined by Martin to refer to the set of consumers who trust what they experience rather than what experts tell them. The goal of this forum was to discuss and address ways that organizations can reach this set of consumers. In a follow-up forum, arts groups competed to present marketing initiatives that would effectively use the RenGen theory to reach this unique audience. Synchronicity Performance Group won the competition and a $500 implementation grant with a plan to create trailers for upcoming productions. The finalists were the Southern Arts Federation, Theatre in the Square and Theatrical Outfit. The Arts Fund presented the 2008 forums with the Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition. Our Impact: The Arts Fund in the Community Atlanta and many of our local arts grantmakers played host to the annual Grantmakers in the Arts conference in October. Lisa Cremin, director of the Arts Fund, chaired the conference, which brought 350 individuals to the city and region. Attendees represented large international foundations, small family foundations, public art funders, trustees, community foundations and others arts grantmakers. In September, Lisa Cremin spoke at the Visual and Performing Arts Seminar in Jonesboro, GA. This event featured volunteers and personnel from arts organizations all over the Southeast, as well as key executives and state organizations. Lisa shared valuable information about the Arts Fund and its impact in the 23-county service area. In the Best of Atlanta '08 edition of Creative Loafing, Lisa Cremin was named the "Critic's Pick for Best Advocate for the Arts." Lisa Cremin was named a 2008 Woman of Excellence by Business to Business Magazine. Her interview with the magazine, in which she discusses what businesses can learn from arts organizations and the impact of women on the arts, is available online. Arts Fund (and Arts Organizations) on Facebook Join the Arts Fund page on Facebook. Or join one of the many Atlanta arts organizations now reaching their audiences, donors or colleagues through Facebook. Each organization uses it differently, but it's a great way to get updates and interact with the staff, artists and other supporters. The best way to find a group is to open Facebook and search for its name in the search field in the upper right. To get you started, here are the Facebook pages for a few recent Arts Fund grant recipients: 7 Stages / Atlanta Celebrates Photography / Atlanta Film Festival / Atlanta Lyric Theatre / Dad's Garage / Georgia Shakespeare / Out of Hand Theater Not on Facebook yet? You can still view pages for organizations ... but you can't join them until you join Facebook. Which you can do here. It's not hard. |
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By preserving the legacy of Joel Chandler Harris and the heritage of African-American folklore through storytelling, tours and special events, the Wren’s Nest serves as an educational resource and entertainment venue for the community, the greater Atlanta area and visitors from around the globe. Grants: Photo: Contact: 1050 Ralph David Connect with the Wren's Nest on Facebook |
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Lain Shakespeare, executive director of the Wren’s Nest, has an especially close tie to the historic museum home as the great-great-great grandson of Joel Chandler Harris. When Lain joined the Wren’s Nest as executive director in July 2006, the organization needed some desperate help to do more than just “stay afloat.” The Wren’s Nest originally applied for a plan to create a volunteer management program from the Toolbox. However, after working with consultant John Eaton on the organizational assessment, it became obvious that there was a much more pressing need for the Wren’s Nest. It needed to address board development and strategic planning to strengthen the foundation of the organization before moving forward. Lain says, “by participating in a self-assessment, our board became better prepared to govern as a unified nonprofit entity. Our board learned the fundamentals of what it means to be a board, and I think that starting at square one was the most valuable thing they could have done.” The results of this Toolbox Grant have been to stabilize the organization and give it a truly sustainable future. “Now the board is all on the same level- and everyone knows what to expect,” Lain adds, “It really helped me realize the steps we need to take to get to where we need to go.” While the Wren’s Nest didn’t receive the exact help that it originally wanted, the organization received exactly what it needed instead. Now it is able to implement new programs and look toward the future as a viable organization for the community. Lain summarizes the impact of the Toolbox Grant with, “It was excellent because it affected our organization at the root of the problem, instead of merely applying a band-aid to just one facet of our organization.” |
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