Purpose
The foundation seeks to strengthen and stabilize mid-sized presenters so they are better equipped to serve performing artists over the long term.
Developed under the Arts Program's prior grant-making strategy, this program is concluding and will not be renewed.
Background
Mid-sized presenters are often artist-led or culturally-specific organizations, and play a vital role in the performing arts industry. Leaders in this sector cultivate new artistic voices through commissions and/or residencies; present and/or produce new works, re-envisioned works and international artists; and build diverse audiences.
In 2003, the Arts Program engaged a consortium of consultants to help refine its strategy for supporting mid-sized presenters. The consortium's research identified numerous challenges for the sector, including increased competition for audiences and philanthropic funding, an increasingly aggressive and competitive commercial entertainment industry, and the changing demands for presenters to function in expanded roles. In addition, mid-sized presenters are often under-capitalized and have neither the flexibility of smaller arts organizations nor the structural stability of larger performing arts institutions.
To help mid-sized presenters address this daunting array of challenges, the consortium worked closely with Arts Program staff to design the Mid-Sized Presenting Organizations Initiative, which offers a set of long-term funding strategies that combine asset-building and capacity-building approaches.
Mid-Sized Presenting Organizations Initiative
In 2005, the foundation awarded $9.45 million to the Nonprofit Finance Fund to launch and implement the Mid-Sized Presenting Organizations Initiative, which provides grants and customized technical assistance to 17 mid-sized presenters (including 4 jazz presenters) over four years.
The overall goal of the initiative is to sustain or increase opportunities for artists to create and perform their work and to help mid-sized presenters meet their long-term goals and maintain financial health. Organizations chosen to participate in the initiative were selected through a national peer-reviewed competition in 2005. The initiative began in January 2006 and will conclude after an evaluation is completed in June 2010.
Grant Details
Mid-sized presenters selected to participate in the initiative receive two types of support from the Nonprofit Finance Fund:
- Diversified Financial Support – Flexible, four-year grants of $360,000 to $500,000 for artistic programs and asset-building activities that address one or more of the following: market challenges in the community, growth opportunities, or operational sustainability. At least 25% of each grant must be used for direct artistic programming expenses. Asset-building activities may include the creation of working capital or cash reserves, facilities development and human resource development.
- Technical Assistance – Customized technical assistance throughout the grant period for strategic planning, staff training, board development and other organizational needs. In addition, the Nonprofit Finance Fund organizes annual meetings for participants that facilitate peer learning and networking.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility was limited to organizations whose primary mission is presenting performing arts. Applicants were required to meet the following criteria:
- Be either a free-standing presenting organization or presenting program embedded within a larger nonprofit institution (such as a university, religious institution, or multi-disciplinary arts organization);
- Have 501(c)3 designation;
- Have an annual budget for performing arts presenting of between $500,000 and $3 million (organizations with annual presenting budgets above or below these amounts were considered on a case-by-case basis);
- Have not received a grant directly from DDCF (i.e., organizations that have never received a grant directly from DDCF or have only received a DDCF re-grant from an intermediary service organization were eligible).
Application and Selection Process
- Phase I - Intent to Apply forms were due to the Nonprofit Finance Fund on April 4, 2005.
- Phase II - In June, a panel of nationally recognized performing arts professionals reviewed the applicant pool and invited 25 finalist organizations to submit full proposals. The 25 finalists received small grants of $2,000 each to offset the cost of proposal development.
- Phase III - Consultants knowledgeable about the operations of performing arts presenters conducted half-day site visits to the finalists to assess their organizational and financial health.
- Phase IV - The national peer-review panel re-convened in November 2005 to review the full proposals and the consultants’ reports, ultimately selecting 17 organizations to participate in the initiative – four of which are jazz presenters.