Funding and Resources

Beth Kanter, the social-media writer and consultant, wants to dispel the myth that an organization has to be big to win online giving contests such as the Case Foundation's America's Giving Challenge or Pepsi's Refresh Challenge.

The Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) is pleased to announce that the Guidelines and Application Form for Round VI of the Investing in Artists grants program for Performing Arts and Media Arts are now available for download at www.cciarts.org/funding.

The Investing in Artists program was established to enhance the working lives and strengthen the creative support system for California artists working in all disciplines. The program provides grants in two categories, for:  1) Artistic Equipment and Tools; and 2) Artistic Innovation. The grants program contains significant guideline changes, including a new Artistic Innovation grants category, the rotation of application deadlines according to discipline-specific groupings, and the requirement of online application submissions only. Round VI is designated for Performing Arts and Media Arts applicants only, and the deadline for submission of online applications is July 9, 2010.

Please help us to spread the word about this unique funding opportunity by forwarding this email to artists and arts organizations in your networks. In addition, CCI will be hosting a series of informational webinars and in-person sessions on the Investing in Artists program, free of charge.  Webinars will be offered at the following dates and times:

Monday, May 24th from 12:00pm - 1:00pm

By Stephanie Strom, New York Time, April 4, 2010 - curtesey the ArtJournal

As part of an effort to increase the impact of its giving, the Ford Foundation is to announce a plan on Monday to dedicate $100 million to the development of arts spaces nationwide over the next decade. The plan is by far the largest commitment the foundation has ever made to the construction, maintenance and enhancement of arts facilities.

The plan, called the Supporting Diverse Art Spaces Initiative, is one of several large financing projects that have resulted from a strategic overhaul of the foundation’s operations since its president, Luis A. Ubiñas, took over in 2008. He has moved the foundation in the direction of bundling its hundreds of millions of dollars in grants — which have traditionally varied widely in their focus — into large programs oriented toward specific issues. Other recent commitments include $80 million to bolster public programs for the unemployed and underpaid, $100 million for secondary education in seven cities and $50 million to help cities buy foreclosed properties.

 

US Air, the #1 airline to Fresno, is doing a special profile on Fresno in the May issue. This is an opportunity to promote your business/organization and showcase the valley’s largest city.

The reservation deadline for advertising is Friday, 3/19 and artwork is due 3/22.

About US Airways:

• Number one airline into Fresno
• Affluent, frequent business and leisure traveler audience
• Approximately 5 daily arrivals into Fresno

What we offer:

Dallas-based Big Thought has announced a $4.3 million grant from the Wallace Foundation for the continued funding of Thriving Minds, a creative-learning partnership that includes the city of Dallas, Dallas Independent School District, and more than a hundred arts, cultural, and community organizations.

The San Francisco-based James Irvine Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $1 million to seven nonprofits to help them adapt to the economic downturn and build their long-term financial health.

Awarded through the foundation's $2 million Fund for Financial Restructuring, which was announced in August, the grants of up to $150,000 each went to organizations that are pursuing strategic alliances or mergers, re-examining their revenue streams to diversify funding sources, and/or changing operational structures to adapt to economic pressures.

With Congress unable to agree on a year-end deal to extend the federal estate tax, which is set to expire on January 1, congressional Democrats have vowed to return from their holiday recess to pass an extension of the tax early in the new year, the Associated Press reports.

Because of changes passed by Congress in 2001, the tax — currently 45 percent on estates valued at more than $3.5 million ($7 million for married couples) — is scheduled to disappear in 2010 before returning in 2011 at a 55 percent rate on estates of $1 million or more. Earlier this month, the House passed an indefinite extension of the tax at the current rate. But while House Democrats have proposed a variety of shorter extensions since then, the Senate has been unable to come up with enough votes to support any of the proposals.

The Central Valley Literary Listserv is intended to facilitate communication between members of the literary community (writers, bookstores, presses, arts organizations, libraries, etc.) in California's Great Central Valley. Members may use the listserv to post announcements about literary events, ask questions, and share resources related to literature.

Poets & Writers Magazine graciously set up the YahooGroups literary listserv for Valley writers, publishers, booksellers, librarians, publicists, literary event coordinators and others. They already run thriving listservs for northern and southern California, so we're thrilled to have one of our own. At present, we have about 123 members from Bakersfield to Sacramento.

A Valley literary listserv is a great place for Central California writers or other event coordinators to post Valley-wide literary events, freelance opportunities or other writing discussions.

If you think that you or others would be interested in participating, please help us to spread the word. It's a great chance for us to pull together and support each others' efforts. Join in the discussion!

For those who are interested, simply go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/valleylitlist/

PND 10/19/09

The Smithsonian Institution has announced a $10 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is expected to open in 2015 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

From PND 10/19/09

The Fresno Arts Council, as a regranting agency for the A to Z tax initiative funds, is pleased to announce the 2009-2010 Community Enrichment Program (CEP) awards to non-profit arts and cultural organizations in the City of Fresno. The primary purpose of the recipient organizations is to provide for the general enlightenment and entertainment of the public through the production, presentation, exhibition, advancement or preservation of art, music, theater, dance, history, literature, physical sciences, natural sciences, or natural history. A total of $200,000 will be distributed to 29 non-profit arts and cultural organizations, as follows:

Jazz Fresno, Inc. - $4,800
Fresno Filmworks - $7,500
Fresno Reel Pride - $8,100
KFSR Radio, CSUF - $2,000
Radio Bilingue, Inc. - $4,690
Fresno Art Museum - $7,600
Fresno Grand Opera - $7,100
El Teatro de la Tierra - $8,575
Spectrum Art Gallery - $4,500
Fresno Choral Artists - $4,975
Pop Laval Foundation - $6,100
Sierra Chamber Opera - $9,100
Lively Arts Foundation - $9,100
Arte Americas Museum - $5,600
Fashion Design Incubator - $7,100
Valley Public Radio, KVPR - $8,600
California Opera Association - $9,100
Fresno Metropolitan Museum - $5,600
Valley Public Television, KVPT - $6,160
Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra - $6,100

Pecha Kucha is a movement that is sweeping the world from Amsterdam to Washington, designers and community leaders are holding Pecha Kucha nights. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each - giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show. 

Pecha Kucha Night in Fresno 
Wikipedia on Pecha Kucha

Topics to be presented Pecha Kucha style at the 10/2 Cultural Arts Conference:

With an extensive background in management, research and strategic planning, Jim serves as our Director of Strategic Marketing.   Jim has oversight of the agency's research design, analysis and the development of client marketing plans. The methods include, but are not limited to primary studies such as surveys, focus groups, ethnological methods, or secondary sources of market/industry information, and also with analytics by mining or appending to client databases.

JSA provides strategic marketing, advertising, and public information services for a long list of partnership clients.

Reviewer: Stephen C. Nill, CEO, CharityChannel Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Central Valley Literary Listserv is intended to facilitate communication between members of the literary community (writers, bookstores, presses, arts organizations, libraries, etc.) in California's Great Central Valley. Members may use the listserv to post announcements about literary events, ask questions, and share resources related to literature.