Announcing $750,000 Grant for Dance in Process Residency

 

Read it in The New York Times → View this email in your browser   Read it in The New York Times →   THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION GRANTS $750,000 TO GIBNEY DANCE IN SUPPORT OF DANCE IN PROCESS RESIDENCY PROGRAM RESIDENCIES COMBINE THE RESOURCES OF GIBNEY DANCE’S CHOREOGRAPHIC CENTER AT 890 BROADWAY AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT 280 BROADWAY IN THE SERVICE OF DEVELOPING NEW WORK BY MID-CAREER ARTISTS New York, NY, September 22, 2014—Gibney Dance today announces a $750,000 gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of its Dance in Process (DiP) creative residency program for mid-career artists. As the inaugural funder of the program, Mellon’s support enables significant expansion of the DiP model—which was developed over a two-year pilot period—to fund 30 three-week residencies for 30 artists over three years at the Gibney Dance Choreographic Center at 890 Broadway. Gibney Dance’s DiP program is a comprehensive New York City-based creative residency for mid-career artists who are in the “mid-stage” of developing new work. The program focuses on work that has progressed beyond initial research; developing work that requires technical support in a theater or production laboratory setting; and work that requires uninterrupted space and support in which to test new ideas and directions. DiP provides a concentrated period of residency time with continuous access to studio and rehearsal space, a significant stipend, and technical and administrative resources available at both 890 Broadway and the Gibney Dance Performing Arts Center at 280 Broadway. The DiP program is based in the historic 890 Broadway building where Gibney Dance has, over the last three years, established subsidized rehearsal space and an array of artist services for the dance community. This generous investment by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation enables Gibney Dance to deepen its support to artists and establish 890 as a Choreographic Center—the only one of its kind in New York City. The expansion of DiP is a component of Gibney Dance's $10M Campaign for 280 Broadway: Making Space for Culture, which will fund renovations within 280 Broadway as well as new and expanded artistic and community programs. The newly transformed 280 Broadway will be a multi-purpose center—a preeminent training ground, a tripartite performance complex, an affordable workspace hub, and a springboard for social action. These new resources will allow Gibney Dance to both expand and deepen its existing programs. Artists will benefit from interactions between Gibney Dance’s initiatives for performance, dance training, professional development, rehearsal space, creative residencies, and artistic process—holistically supporting their entire journey from studio to stage. The expanded opportunities and resources at 280 Broadway—including the soon-to-be-opened Learning & Leadership Studio and Community Action Hub—will enable Gibney Dance to further develop synergies between all its endeavors, contributing to the dynamism of the entire organization. “I am so thankful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their visionary support of the DiP program,” says Gina Gibney, CEO and Artistic Director of Gibney Dance. “Support of this level will enable an unprecedented number of mid-career dance artists to create new work at our Choreographic Center at 890 Broadway while also taking advantage of the wealth of community resources available (or about to become available) at 280 Broadway.” Gibney Dance created DiP to strategically deploy the organization’s resources so that they may have the greatest possible impact on the dance field. DiP specifically addresses some of the field’s most pressing needs and connects them with Gibney Dance’s strengths: centrally located facilities, thoughtfully designed programs, a deep understanding of dance-maker’s needs and a built-in community of artists and dance professionals. ABOUT THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation currently makes grants in four core program areas: Higher Education and Scholarship; Scholarly Communications and Information Technology; Art History, Conservation, and Museums; and Performing Arts. Within each of its core programs, the Foundation concentrates most of its grantmaking in a few areas. Institutions and programs receiving support are often leaders in fields of Foundation activity, but they may also be promising newcomers, or in a position to demonstrate new ways of overcoming obstacles to achieve program goals. The Foundation’s grant-making philosophy is to build, strengthen and sustain institutions and their core capacities, rather than be a source for narrowly defined projects. As such, the Foundation develops thoughtful, long-term collaborations with grant recipients and invests sufficient funds for an extended period to accomplish the purpose at hand and achieve meaningful results.   Copyright © 2014 Gibney Dance, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in! Header photo by Samantha Siegel.   Our mailing address is: Gibney Dance 890 Broadway Fifth Floor New York, NY 10003 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

Community Foundation Atlas Now Available

Community Foundation Atlas Now Available Most Comprehensive Dataset About Community Foundations Just Published New York, NY — October 20, 2014. Today at the 2014 Fall Conference for Community Foundations, an international research collaboration unveiled the "Community Foundation Atlas," the most comprehensive directory of the world's community foundation movement that has ever been published. The online platform, available at CommunityFoundationAtlas.org, maps the identities, locations, assets, roles and achievements of place-based philanthropies around the world. Among the key findings: The global community foundation movement is gaining momentum. Embracing an inclusive definition of "community philanthropy" field, the Atlas has identified 1,827 place-based foundations in 67 countries. While the movement began 100 years ago, the last three decades have seen explosive growth. In just the past 14 years, the number of known community foundations and community philanthropies nearly doubled, growing from approximately 1,000 in 2000 to more than 1,800 in 2014. "Place-based philanthropy is on the rise globally in no small part because community foundations have resoundingly demonstrated to the world their ability to bring local people and resources to the table to address local needs," concludes an analysis of the data gathered from the Atlas's unprecedented survey of the global field and secondary research. The international research effort was spearheaded by the Cleveland Foundation — the world's first community foundation — located in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. Research partners were the New York City-based Foundation Center, the Global Fund for Community Foundations (Johannesburg, South Africa), WINGS, the Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (São Paulo, Brazil), and CENTRIS, the Centre for Research and Innovation in Social Policy and Practice (Newcastle, United Kingdom). The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, a private American philanthropy headquartered in Flint, Michigan, and longstanding supporter of community foundations worldwide, funded the project. Other key findings: Defining characteristics: Grantmaking and accountability to local residents were almost universally reported by survey respondents as central to the mission of community foundations. Collective impact: Combined grantmaking from community foundations in the last fiscal year totaled more than $4.9 billion worldwide. Education the most commonly cited program area: Foundations most commonly reported extensive programmatic engagement in education, followed closely by human and social services, arts and culture, and health. Strengthening civil society also a priority: In addition to grantmaking, nearly half of foundations surveyed actively foster collaboration between grantees or provide training and capacity-building services to local organizations. Populations served: Almost 30 percent of respondents work at least to some extent in a neighborhood-based service area. Forty percent report having a "local" orientation, while the service area of nearly one in four includes a regional focus. A very small percentage work at a national or international level. The Community Foundation Atlas offers a variety of entry points to further understand the reach and influence of community foundations, including: Organization directory: This alphabetical listing is the portal to profile pages for 1,827 community foundations and community philanthropies. Visitors to the site can select individual organizations to review or filter by geographic region or country of particular interest. A built-in editing function enables foundations to easily update their profiles. Data snapshots: A series of quick facts, deeper-dive infographics and a comprehensive, downloadable analysis present the Atlas's baseline data in accessible form. The infographics are programmed to change in real time as organizational profiles are updated. First-person accounts: Foundations describe in their own words the "most meaningful change" brought about in recent years as a result of their support or initiative. Considered in their entirety, these unrehearsed accounts show how place-based foundations are helping to advance their communities' aspirations, large and small. Stories of struggle and success: From the prosperous cities of Canada to the culturally rich matriarchal villages of rural India come 50 narratives chosen to convey the wide-ranging influence of the global community foundation movement. "Adding to Knowledge," "Encouraging Innovation" and "Stimulating Policy and Systems Reform" are among the highlighted arenas of endeavor. The Atlas provides a long-needed and detailed baseline of information upon which the field can build to facilitate wider exchange of best practices and high-impact collaborations aimed at addressing tough problems that span geographical boundaries. Post-launch planning for updated content, additional research and data analysis, and enhanced functionality for the Atlas will be spearheaded by the Global Fund for Community Foundations and Foundation Center, the platform's host. For more information about the Community Foundation Atlas, visit:CommunityFoundationAtlas.org. Learn about the project partners. About Foundation Center Established in 1956, Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. Foundation Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit Foundation Center's website each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 470 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230. View Press Releases Foundation Center • 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003 • (212) 620-4230

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Announcing Launch of NYMAC, the New York Merger, Acquisition, and Collaboration Fund

The New York Merger, Acquisition, and Collaboration Fund was launched, which is a new initiative to encourage and enable mergers, acquisitions, and other types of formal, long-term collaborations between nonprofit organizations working in New York City. NYMAC will provide vital support to a diverse set of nonprofit organizations as they navigate a very challenging operating environment, supporting leaders willing to make difficult mission-driven decisions, and encouraging innovation and best practices in the nonprofit sector. The official launch date for NYMAC is March 2012.

NYMAC will support organizations that already have a serious interest either in coming together in some way, or in exploring how they might, and will make grants to help cover a portion of the one-time costs required to explore or complete the transaction. As a neutral, credible, and experienced outside party willing to invest time and money, NYMAC will work constructively and confidentially with the funders, boards, and leaders of the organizations considering a transaction as a catalyst for sensible action. In addition to making grants in support of particular transactions, NYMAC will work with foundations, government agencies, and umbrella groups to encourage New York's nonprofits to more proactively explore the various ways in which they might collaborate with one another.

NYMAC brings together a unique cross section of individuals and institutions, including The Altman Foundation, The Clark Foundation, The Heckscher Foundation for Children, The Lodestar Foundation, The Robert K. Steel Family Foundation, and SeaChange Capital Partners, who have provided the initial resources to support the first few years of activity. Doug Bauer, executive director of The Clark Foundation said, "As one of the major funders of capacity building and management training in New York City, we are proud to be an investor in NYMAC. We look forward to seeing it play a major role in assisting nonprofits in making wise choices about their future and the future of those they serve."

NYMAC is organized by SeaChange Capital Partners, a nonprofit organization with deep experience as a funder of nonprofit collaborations on a national basis.

More information is available at www.nymac.org

Dyson Foundation buys Children's Museum building for $1.4 million

The Poughkeepsie Journal reported that The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum sold its North Water Street property to the Dyson Foundation for $1.4 million and has entered into a long-term lease that enables the family-centered nonprofit to maintain its base of operations at the waterfront location.

Leaders from the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum and the Dyson Foundation described the transaction as an innovative partnership that will benefit the Children’s Museum while helping to secure the stability of the Poughkeepsie waterfront, which is facing increased development pressures following the success of the Walkway Over the Hudson and new projects slated for the area. All proceeds from the sale went to retire the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum’s entire mortgage debt on the property.

“We believe this partnership is in the best interests of the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, our many members, and the nearly 60,000 children and parents that are enlightened by our work each year,” said Tracy Cass MacKenzie, President of the Museum’s Board of Directors. “We anticipate continuing operations at the 75 North Water Street property for a long time.”

The Clark Foundation and Nonprofit Finance Fund Establish $6 Million Working Capital Loan Fund for Nonprofits

The Clark Foundation has allocated $2 million from its endowment to the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) to establish a working capital loan fund for its grantee partners. The Foundation has partnered with NFF, through a program-related investment (PRI), to establish this new working capital loan fund. NFF will make an additional $4 million available to Clark grantees and will administer the loans to qualified grantees.

This program-related investment is notable because it comes from the Foundation's endowment, not funds traditionally reserved for grantmaking. As the nonprofit sector continues to struggle amid economic uncertainty, leveraging foundations' dollars from their endowments could substantively increase the availability and impact of philanthropic dollars.

According to Jane Forbes Clark, President of The Clark Foundation, "The Directors of the Foundation wanted to respond to an issue that is seriously affecting nonprofits during these uncertain economic times." Doug Bauer, Executive Director of the Foundation, explained that there is an increased need for working capital due to the long gaps between when a nonprofit provider delivers services and when it gets reimbursed, mostly from government contracts. "The creation of this working capital loan fund can help alleviate the operational strain that many of our grantees are facing. They are attempting to meet an increased demand for their services while watching cash flow slow to a trickle due to delayed payments. Providing a loan from our endowment makes sense, as it allows us to make an immediate positive impact on our grantees while preserving our core assets for continued philanthropic use," Mr. Bauer said.

The Clark Foundation will realize a modest return on its investment into the loan fund that is similar to other conservative investment strategies, all while providing new access to needed capital for grantees delivering vital services to many communities in New York City.

"Nonprofits operate on razor-thin margins, and even strong organizations struggle to access the working capital necessary to grow and thrive," said Clara Miller, President and CEO of NFF. "Cracking the corpus represents a sea change in terms of how philanthropy functions to support social impact, and holds tremendous promise as we increasingly look to the nonprofit sector to meet critical and ongoing community needs."

NFF will begin making loans to The Clark Foundation's grantees during summer 2010.

About The Clark Foundation
The Clark Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that help people out of poverty and lead independent lives in New York City. The Foundation also supports an array of educational, medical and cultural programs and organizations in and around Cooperstown, NY. Founded in 1931, it now ranks among the largest foundations in terms of assets and grants awarded in New York State and the country.

About Nonprofit Finance Fund
A national leader in social sector finance, Nonprofit Finance Fund connects money to mission success through consulting, innovation, and direct investment. Founded in 1980, NFF (www.nonprofitfinancefund.org) provides services that build the capacity and durability of nonprofits. A leading community development financial institution with over $80 million in assets, NFF has provided over $200 million in loans and access to additional financing via grants, tax credits and capital in support of over $1 billion in projects for nonprofit clients nationwide. NFF has a staff of more than 75 serving nonprofits nationally from offices in New York City, Philadelphia, Newark, Boston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

City’s Adopted Budget Cuts $60 Million from Human Services

The NY Nonprofit Press reported that City’s Adopted Budget Cuts $60 Million from Human Services

It is an indication of how bad things are that there appears to be a sense of relief that New York City’s adopted budget for FY2010-2011 features only $60 million or so in cuts to human services. Depending upon who is doing the counting, human services providers had been on the block for as much as $200 million in potential cuts as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s Executive Budget. That feeling of relief is wearing off quickly, however, as providers and advocates begin to take stock of what this budget means for programs and funding streams which have been cut substantially – or in certain cases eliminated entirely.

“While we faced nearly $150 million in cuts to human services, we appreciate that the City Council and Mayor have come together to make some crucial restorations to core services,” says Susan Stamler, Director of Policy and Advocacy for United Neighborhood Houses (UNH). “Unfortunately we will still see over $50 million cut from child care, after school, senior services, adult literacy and mental health services. New Yorkers will feel pain from this budget. The City as well as the State and Federal governments must do more to meet the needs of our communities.”

“The capacity of the not-for-profit human services sector is being really hard hit with multiple rounds of budget cuts at a time when demand for services from the hundreds of thousands of jobless New Yorkers continues to rise,” said Bich Ha Pham, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA). “Many organizations are forced to lay off staff and close entire programs because of the significant reduction of their government contracts.”

The magnitude of funding loss can be seen in a review of budget priorities based on the advocacy of the Human Services Council (HSC) and UNH. These umbrella organizations had requested funding restoration of budget cuts totaling $164 million across a range of human service sectors. Budget negotiations between the Mayor and City Council ultimately restored $103 million, leaving a gaping hole of $60 million, 37% of the restoration advocates had been seeking.

And, this represents only the sector’s top budget priorities – not an all encompassing catalogue of human service budget cuts which would likely raise the total funding loss substantially.

The severity of budget cuts and the relative extent of funding restorations varied markedly by service sector and from one program to another. Here is a brief overview, along with some reactions from providers and advocates.

Special Event: "A Conversation with NYS Comptroller Thomas P. Di Napoli And Panel Discusscion on Strategic Alliances & Partnerships

Presented by The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region and the New York Council of Nonprofits.

May 10, 2010
8:30am - 11:30am
NYSUT Headquarters
800 Troy Schenectady Rd
Latham, NY

Welcoming remarks from Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
Panelists:
Doug Sauer, CEO: New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc.
Cristine Cioffi, Partner: Cioffi, Slezak, Wildgrube; Chair: Ellis Medicine Board of Trustees
David W. Palmquist, Head: Museum Chartering, NY State Museum
Jason R. Lilien, Bureau Chief: Charities Bureau (invited)

Potential Topics of Discussion:

• Ways in which state agencies can work to assist the not-for-profit sector as it faces today's complex challenges
• Aspects of the current economic environment that may compel not-for-profit organizations to consider strategic affiliations, shared services, and possible mergers
• Trends, models, and best practices for strategic alliances & partnerships
• How funders and regulatory agencies can encourage and support responsible affiliations

Continental Breakfast Sponsored by NYSUT
SPACE IS LIMITED

Please respond to jcuilla@cfgcr.org to reserve your seat.

February 1 Deadline for Nonprofit Learning Program

The South Berkshire County Fund is accepting applications through February 1 for participation in the 2010 Nonprofit Learning Program, which provides intensive training in management and governance to nonprofit organizations.

The South Berkshire County Fund, an endowment of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, will underwrite the cost of participation for one nonprofit group serving the south Berkshire County towns of Alford, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham and West Stockbridge. Since 2005, the Nonprofit Learning Program has trained 140 board and staff leaders of 35 organizations from northwest Litchfield County in Connecticut, and northeast Dutchess County and Columbia County in New York. This is the first year that Berkshire County organizations have been invited to apply.

Organizations participating in the Nonprofit Learning Program create four-person teams of board and staff to work under the guidance of Simone Joyaux, a nationally-known consultant in nonprofit management. They receive four free training sessions and two private, full-day consultations for the organization’s board after the group training is completed, as well as donor communications training with communications expert, Tom Ahern. After successful completion of these components, each organization receives a $2,000 grant to help it move forward based on what the team members have learned.

The participants are chosen through a competitive application process. More information and applications for the Nonprofit Learning Program are available by contacting Berkshire Taconic at http://berkshiretaconic.org/nonprofits/NonprofitLearning.shtml or by calling 413-528-8039.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Thanks to its generous donors, in 2009 Berkshire Taconic distributed nearly $7 million in scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.

Bridgespan Authors Identify Key Ways to Make Philanthropy More Effective

At year-end, many Americans turn their thinking to charitable giving. Our society faces tremendous challenges, yet charitable dollars have contracted dramatically over the past year. Everyone is being forced to do more with less, yet even thoughtful philanthropists struggle with how to get the most bang for their buck. In a brand new Harvard Business Review article: “Galvanizing Philanthropy,” authors Susan Wolf Ditkoff and Susan Colby offer specific strategies to help philanthropists raise their game, at a time when leveraging dollars is more important than ever. Their three pronged approach:

Get Clear: Philanthropists need to define what success looks like by wedding what they care about (values) with evidence (what works).

Get Real: They need to pragmatically assess the resources and time required to bring about change and solicit feedback from the field.

Get Better: They need to commit to systematic improvement and regularly review their entire funding strategy in light of both outside perspectives and nonfinancial assets.

It sounds simple, but it’s not. The authors point out that it takes discipline to create lasting change, and even the most well intentioned philanthropists fall prey to subtle traps along the way. Read more here.

Foundation offers reduced office space

The Chronicle reported that the New York Foundation for the Arts is offering some help to recession-plagued arts groups in the city: a chance to claim some discounted office space, according to Dana Variano on the PhilanthroMedia blog.

Citing a report in the Philanthropy News Digest, Ms. Variano says the foundation is now soliciting proposals from groups and artists that are affiliated with it. Read the article here.

The article suggests that this may be an opportunity for other nonprofits to explore by renting out space they may have to generate additional income.

Foundations Trim Staffs After Assets Slide Lower

The NY Times reported that foundations are decreasing their staffs in large numbers.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was the latest to announce a voluntary severance plan, offered this month to 42 percent of its 250 employees. In May, the Ford Foundation offered a similar plan to 140 of its 550 staff members.

Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center, a research organization, said foundations were resorting to job cuts after having adopted other cost-saving measures, like hiring freezes and reductions in benefits and travel budgets. Read the article here.