Philanthropy and Funding

Content in this section engages with ideas around philanthropy and arts funding around the world. For a look at the United States, start with Grantmakers in the Arts conference or, for a global perspective, check out essays from Romania, Mexico, and Canada.

The Latest

Building an Audience for Malawian Political Theatre

Podcast

Building an Audience for Malawian Political Theatre

by Fumbani Innot Phiri, Bright Phumayo Chayachaya

22 November 2022

Theatre Academics

Podcast

Theatre Academics

A Conversation with Roselyn Madalo Dzanja

by Fumbani Innot Phiri, Roselyn Madalo Dzanja

2 November 2022

Moving at the Speed of Trust: Two Theatres, One Playwright-in-Residence

Essay

Moving at the Speed of Trust: Two Theatres, One Playwright-in-Residence

by Star Finch, Sean San José, Mina Morita

24 October 2022

Building an Audience for Malawian Political Theatre

Podcast

Building an Audience for Malawian Political Theatre

22 November 2022

Bright Phumayo Chayachaya’s Umunthu Theatre pulls together political theatre, poor theatre, theatre for development, and educational theatre to create productions that centralize Malawian narratives. In this interview, he discusses the company’s genesis and the need to bring audiences back to theatre.

Critical Stages in Malawian Contemporary Theatre teaser image with the title at the top and a picture of the guest in the middle.

Theatre Academics

Podcast

Theatre Academics

A Conversation with Roselyn Madalo Dzanja

2 November 2022

As a scholar, educator, and practitioner of theatre, Roselyn Madalo Dzanja knows Malawi’s theatrical landscape well. In this interview, she discusses challenges Malawian women face when pursuing an acting career, the need for artistic independence from international donors, possibilities for Chichewa-language drama, and more.

Three people posing for a picture together in front of a window overlooking the city.

Moving at the Speed of Trust: Two Theatres, One Playwright-in-Residence

Essay

Moving at the Speed of Trust: Two Theatres, One Playwright-in-Residence

24 October 2022

Star Finch sits down with artistic director of Crowded Fire Theater Mina Morita and co-founder of Campo Santo Sean San Jose to discuss their innovative idea to collaborate for the National Playwright Residency Program.

From the Ground Up Podcast image featuring Colleen Hughes.

Fiscal Sponsorship and the Path to Non-Profit Status

Podcast

Fiscal Sponsorship and the Path to Non-Profit Status

19 January 2022

What does fiscal sponsorship do for you and your organization? Colleen Hughes, associate director of programming at Fractured Atlas, walks us through the broad array of opportunities they provide. She’ll also shed light on fundraising trends she’s seen with nonprofit organizations throughout the pandemic.

From the Ground Up Podcast image featuring Rachel Dickstein.

Process Performances and the Completion Commission

Podcast

Process Performances and the Completion Commission

15 December 2021

Rachel Dickstein, Artistic Director of Ripe Time, takes us through her experience with Center Theatre Group’s completion commission for their adaptation of SLEEP. She also spotlights some necessary and helpful relationships with tour presenting partners, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, as well as champion and friend Diane Rodriguez.

When Nice Isn’t Enough: How Arts Fundraising Can Evolve

Jackson

Cooper

Essay

When Nice Isn’t Enough: How Arts Fundraising Can Evolve

2 December 2021

Jackson Cooper calls on fundraising professionals to reinterrogate their institutions’ relationships with wealth and value to forge more equitable development practices.

Imagining a New Federal Theatre Project with Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne

Michael

Lueger

Podcast

Imagining a New Federal Theatre Project with Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne

24 November 2021

As a part of the New Deal, the Federal Theatre Project of the 1930s funded theatre in the United States at an unprecedented level, providing paid work for trained theatremakers and low-cost performances to audiences all around the country. Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne discuss the history of the Federal Theatre Project and its potential to act as a model for a New Federal Theatre Project formed in conjunction with racial justice, climate justice, and Land Back movements.

Glenn Davis, left, and Ken-Matt Martin, right.

Our Versions of Better

Essay

Our Versions of Better

Glenn Davis and Ken-Matt Martin in Conversation

22 November 2021

Glenn Davis, co-artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, sits down with Ken-Matt Martin, artistic director of Victory Gardens Theater, to talk about shifting relationships with donors, the concept of term limits for leadership, the joys of returning to rehearsal rooms, and their shared experiences as Black men at the helm of Chicago theatres.

The Future Is Now: Conversations with Ambrose Idemudia Joshua and Rusanda Curcă

Simon

Dove

Podcast

The Future Is Now: Conversations with Ambrose Idemudia Joshua and Rusanda Curcă

12 November 2021

The Future Is Now: Conversations with Selma Banich and Fatin Farhat

Simon

Dove

Podcast

The Future Is Now: Conversations with Selma Banich and Fatin Farhat

10 November 2021

In these episodes of The Future Is Now, CEC Artslink invites two of their Future Fellows, artist and activist Selma Banich and freelance cultural manager Fatin Farhat, to discuss how they envision the future of arts practice.

Arts Philanthropy: What is the Funder’s Role?

The Playwrights Realm

Video

Arts Philanthropy: What is the Funder’s Role?

Join a national panel of arts philanthropy practitioners to hear them discuss their varied roles in support of the arts

Monday 1 November 2021

United States

The Playwrights Realm presented the panel Arts Philanthropy: What is the Funder’s Role? livestreaming on the commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Monday 1 November 2021 at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 21:00 BST (London, UTC +1).

Cascade of Change: Transitioning in Crisis

Essay

Cascade of Change: Transitioning in Crisis

Regina Victor and Kaiser Ahmed in Conversation

26 October 2021

Regina Victor, artistic director of Slideshow Theatre Company, and Kaiser Ahmed, artistic director of Jackalope Theatre Company, discuss the joys and challenges of stepping into their Chicago-based positions as theatres across the United States recalibrate their programming.

Funding Accountability

Yura

Sapi

Podcast

Funding Accountability

With Iyvon E. of The Parsnip Ship

1 September 2021

Yura Sapi sits down with Iyvon E., artistic director of The Parsnip Ship, a podcast play company that amplifies bold artists for audiences who crave accessible stories and storytellers.

A grey-colored person looking off to the left with colorful flowers bursting from their head.

The Realm of the Senses: Theatrical World-Building for Social Activation

Aly

Perry

Essay

The Realm of the Senses: Theatrical World-Building for Social Activation

26 August 2021

In this entry of Devising Our Future, Aly Perry asks, “How might we position and design theatre as an essential space for healing, pleasure, and connection through an intertwining and interdependent realm of the senses?

event poster for the information session on the american rescue plan 2021.

The American Rescue Plan with the National Endowment for the Arts

CAATA

National Endowment for the Arts

Video

The American Rescue Plan with the National Endowment for the Arts

Speaking on the American Rescue Plan’s Grants to Organizations program

Monday 19 July 2021

United States

The Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) presented an information session with representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts speaking on the American Rescue Plan's Grants to Organizations program livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 19 July 2021 at 9:30 a.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10), 11:30 a.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC -8), 12:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7), 1:30 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6), 2:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5), 3:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Nine actresses in soccer uniforms with most of them doing goofy gestures. Some have orange peels in their mouths.

Maybe There’s More Than Enough: Escaping the Scarcity Mindset in Nonprofit Theatre

Alix

Rosenfeld

Essay

Maybe There’s More Than Enough: Escaping the Scarcity Mindset in Nonprofit Theatre

10 June 2021

Alix Rosenfeld offers suggestions for nonprofits seeking to move out of a scarcity mindset, embrace a spirit of abundance, and build pathways to a more ethical and equitable ecosystem.

photo of Ouafa Belgacem, text of the event title and details, with purple and yellow flower decorations.

Theatre-making in the Arab World and North Africa

Tebere Arts Foundation

Nairobi Musical Theatre Initiative

Video

Theatre-making in the Arab World and North Africa

The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent

Monday 26 April 2021

Kenya

Tebere Arts Foundation presented the conversation Theatre-making in the Arab World and North Africa with The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 26 April 2021 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 8 p.m. EAT (Nairobi, UTC +3).

purple border around black text economic transperency in commercial theater.

Economic Transparency in the Commercial Theatre

Producer Hub

Video

Economic Transparency in the Commercial Theatre

Let’s talk about how we talk about money

Thursday 15 April 2021

United States

Producer Hub presented the conversation Economic Transparency in the Commercial Theatre with their series Producing Ethically in 2021 livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 15 April 2021 at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

a large group sitting in a circle watching a staged reading

How Sustained Support for Playwrights Impacts Artistry

Essay

How Sustained Support for Playwrights Impacts Artistry

National Playwright Residency Program Evaluation 2020

1 March 2021

Alexis Frasz and Holly Sidford of Helicon Collaborative share their findings from the most recent assessment of the National Playwright Residency Program.

Catalyzing Climate Justice by Divesting from Fossil Fuels

Essay

Catalyzing Climate Justice by Divesting from Fossil Fuels

19 February 2021

Annalisa Dias and Ronee Penoi, on behalf of Groundwater Arts, argue that there cannot be a just arts sector within an unjust world, and that contrary to what people think, arts workers do have the means and the agency to make change. What is needed is a new narrative.

Investing In Cultural Equity

Ralph B.

Peña

Essay

Investing In Cultural Equity

28 January 2021

Ralph Peña argues that private foundations play a vital role in sustaining nonprofit theatres in the United States and these funders must better recognize the value of, and make significant investments in, smaller, community-focused BIPOC organizations.

Seven Performers Living in Bogotá / Siete artistas viviendo en Bogotá

Michelle

Yemayá

Essay

Seven Performers Living in Bogotá / Siete artistas viviendo en Bogotá

Actions and Reflections to Cope with the “New Normal” / Acciones y Reflexiones para Afrontar la "Nueva Normalidad"

1 December 2020

Michelle Yemayá notes that while Colombian theatre artists have found ways to face the unexpected changes this year, artists are still struggling to stay afloat. She talks about how she has adapted her practice under the circumstances and shares the stories of three other artists living and working as artists in Colombia right now. / Michelle Yemayá ha notado que, si bien los artistas del teatro colombiano han encontrado formas de enfrentar los cambios inesperados de este año, la lucha por mantenerse a flote es constante. Habla sobre cómo ha adaptado su práctica a las circunstancias y comparte las historias de otras tres personas que en este momento viven y trabajan como artistas en Colombia.

blue background with yellow culturecapital:online text

culturecapital:online LUKE REECE vs DANI FECKO

culturecapital

Video

culturecapital:online LUKE REECE vs DANI FECKO

Two players compete online for sweet art money in culturecapital, the arts economy trading card game

Tuesday 27 October 2020

Canada

The fourth round of culturecapital:online LUKE REECE vs DANI FECKO livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 27 October 2020 at 6 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC-7) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 9 p.m. EDT (Toronto, UTC-4) / Thursday 21 May 10:00 KST (Seoul, UTC+9) / 13:00 NZST (Auckland, UTC+12).

culturecapital:online JENNA RODGERS vs MADDIE BAUTISTA

culturecapital

Video

culturecapital:online JENNA RODGERS vs MADDIE BAUTISTA

Two players compete online for sweet art money in culturecapital, the arts economy trading card game

Wednesday 30 September 2020

Canada

The third round of culturecapital:online JENNA RODGERS vs MADDIE BAUTISTA livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 30 September 2020 at 6 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC-7) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 9 p.m. EDT (Toronto, UTC-4) / Thursday 21 May 10:00 KST (Seoul, UTC+9) / 13:00 NZST (Auckland, UTC+12).

culturecapital:online MARK HOPKINS vs RALPH ESCAMILLAN

culturecapital

Video

culturecapital:online MARK HOPKINS vs RALPH ESCAMILLAN

Two players compete online for sweet art money in culturecapital, the arts economy trading card game

Wednesday 2 September 2020

Canada

The second round of culturecapital:online MARK HOPKINS vs RALPH ESCAMILLAN livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 2 September 2020 at 6 p.m. PDT (Vancouver, UTC-7) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 9 p.m. EDT (Toronto, UTC-4) / Thursday 21 May 10:00 KST (Seoul, UTC+9) / 13:00 NZST (Auckland, UTC+12).