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The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation's Arts and Culture Program contributes to the health and vibrancy of cities and towns throughout the Pacific Northwest by nurturing artistic expression and promoting critical thinking through the creation and presentation of compelling artistic programs. We also help cultural organizations improve their financial performance through a range of capacity building efforts.
The Foundation's grantmaking in the Arts and Culture Program is focused in two funding priority areas:
- Artistic Programming: The Foundation supports individual events and full seasons of artistic programming that feature professional artists, including contemporary works that address current social, political, and cultural issues.
- Improving Financial Performance: The Foundation supports efforts that help arts organizations strengthen their financial performance so that they can sustain themselves currently and into the future. The Foundation invests in capacity building projects, collaborative projects that enable organizations to share systems and resources, testing of new business models, and other adaptive strategies.
Artistic Programming
The arts help us experience and interpret the rapidly changing world, give voice to diverse and under-represented communities, promote cross-cultural understanding, and encourage participation in civic life. During times of crisis the arts provide us with meaning and a sense of community.
To help arts organizations provide high-quality, compelling programs throughout our region, the Foundation supports the creation and presentation of work by professional artists. We have a particular interest in contemporary works that address current social, political, and cultural issues and that include related public programs that engage audiences in discussion about the content of the work. Projects that provide rural communities with greater access to arts programming are also considered.
The Foundation makes grants to nonprofit arts organizations to support the presentation of dance performances, literary events, multimedia installations, music concerts, theater productions, visual arts exhibitions, and other arts projects. These projects provide opportunities for professional artists to create, refine, and share their work with the public. Many artists also work in extended residencies to create new work, provide education and outreach activities such as workshops and master classes, and interact with their host communities.
Grant applications for this priority area are by invitation. Unsolicited proposals are not accepted. For inquiries, contact Arts and Culture.
Improving Financial Performance
The arts nonprofit sector is undergoing significant transformation as cultural organizations address changes in demographics, declining availability of arts education, emerging technologies, and unpredictable ticket sales. These factors, coupled with the current economic downturn, have forced organizations to reexamine how they do business. Organizations that are proactive, nimble, and open to new ways of working are best positioned to weather the storm.
The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is committed to helping arts organizations find ways to navigate volatile conditions and seize new opportunities that enable them to improve their financial performance. We support a range of projects that will strengthen an organization's infrastructure and governance, test new models and adaptive strategies, develop new lines of revenue, improve programs, and/or allow it to reach new constituents. The Foundation will consider consortium projects that will help multiple arts organizations increase their operational efficiency through shared resources. We will also consider a limited number of capital projects, for which applicants should be able to demonstrate 85% completion of fundraising goal at the time of application.
The most competitive applications result from thorough planning, describe specific strategies that address organizational challenges, and demonstrate that the organization has the capacity to implement and sustain the proposed project. Successful projects should result in measurable increases in income, efficiencies, and/or audience numbers that improve the bottom line.
Projects under this priority area may include the following:
- Audience development and marketing initiatives to expand reach and earned income
- Resource development to increase and diversify contributed income
- Technology enhancements to improve customer experience and increase operational efficiencies
- New models testing different operating frameworks and adaptive strategies
- Collaborative projects, such as joint marketing, centralizing ticket functions, or consolidating back-offices of several organizations
- Major facility projects (leasehold improvements, facility renovations and expansions, and new construction) as a means to expand program capacity and impact. Applicants must demonstrate project viability, a minimum of 85% of total campaign funds secured, and positive operational impacts of capital projects.
Invited applicants will be asked to provide the following information:
- How the project will result in improved financial performance and sustainability
- Measurable benchmarks for demonstrating the project's success
- Strategies for assessing and reporting on progress in reaching benchmarks
- Plans for sharing what is learned with colleagues
The letter of inquiry process in this priority area is closed for 2010.
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