San Francisco, CA — The James Irvine Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation are providing more than $700,000 in grants to organizations that are cultivating the next generation of arts leaders in California through professional development, networking and mentorships. Hewlett’s Board of Directors approved $400,000 in grants in support of such efforts in November, and Irvine’s Board of Directors approved $340,000 in grants last month, with additional funding possible.

Research conducted by both foundations found that the arts sector faces critical leadership challenges during the next 10 to 15 years as the “baby boom” generation of arts leaders enters retirement age. Although there is a good supply of midcareer arts managers who are able to fill the roles, most arts organizations lack the resources for training and other kinds of professional development that will better prepare these promising young leaders to become effective nonprofit executives, the research found.

To help address this issue, Irvine and Hewlett are supporting several professional networks of emerging arts leaders that are providing their members with seminars, workshops, networking opportunities and other forms of professional development. Both Hewlett and Irvine provided grants to the San Francisco Bay Area Emerging Arts Professionals (through fiscal sponsor Intersection for the Arts) and GenArts Silicon Valley (through fiscal sponsor 1stACT Silicon Valley), as well as the Center for Cultural Innovation ’s Creative Capacity Fund, which offers arts professionals direct support for professional development. Irvine also provided a grant to the San Diego Foundation for its San Diego Emerging Leaders of Arts and Culture program.

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San Francisco, CA — The James Irvine Foundation has provided grants to seven organizations to help them adapt to the economic downturn and build long-term financial health. The Foundation made the grants as part of the new, $2 million Fund for Financial Restructuring, which assists selected grantee organizations that are actively and creatively responding to the current economy in ways that can build long-term financial health.

“With revenue down and needs increasing for so many nonprofits, we want to support grantees that are ready to develop new business models that better align revenues and expenditures,” said Jim Canales, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Irvine Foundation. “We believe this Fund can both help the grantees directly, as well as uncover best practices that can be shared with other nonprofits.”

Through a competitive application process, the seven organizations were selected to receive grants of up to $150,000. These organizations 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. A complete list of grantees follows:

Organization	Grant Amount
Balboa Park Cultural Partnership	$150,000
Kala Art Institute	$150,000
L.A. Stage Alliance	$150,000
Oakland East Bay Symphony	$150,000
San Francisco Chanticleer	$144,000
Theatre Bay Area	$150,000
Valley Public Television	$150,000

A second round of grants will be announced in the spring of 2010. For more information about the fund, please visit www.irvine.org/ffr. 

Contact: Ray Delgado, 415.356.9917, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

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San Francisco — The Board of Directors of The James Irvine Foundation has approved 23 grants totaling more than $7 million in support of the Foundation's mission of expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. (For a list of approved grants, click here.)

Of the $7 million, $755,000 will fund arts service organizations as part of Irvine’s Arts program. Another $1.2 million California Democracy program grant will fund the Institute for Local Government to develop civic engagement practices among local public officials. Additionally, a grant in the Youth program provides $400,000 to the Green Dot Education Project to help restructure Alain Leroy Locke Senior High School into nine small schools.

Sharing Civic Engagement Practices Among Local Public Officials

Irvine’s California Democracy program seeks to advance effective public policy decision making that is reflective of and responsive to all Californians. Grants approved to advance this goal include a $1.2 million grant to the Institute for Local Government (ILG) to develop and disseminate case studies and self-evaluation tools, host workshops and provide technical assistance to city and county officials. ILG will target leaders in the San Joaquin Valley, Inland Empire and other regions where public engagement in local policymaking has been limited.

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Second Phase of Irvine Foundation’s Arts Regional Initiative Continues Commitment to Leading Regional Arts Institutions

San Francisco — The James Irvine Foundation today announced $4 million in grants to 11 arts institutions in Southern California that are committed to broadening and diversifying their audiences and strengthening their financial sustainability. The organizations selected this year for the Arts Regional Initiative are planning to use the grants to advance financial sustainability within a challenging economic environment and to increase cultural participation from underrepresented communities. While each institution is developing specific plans, initiative participants are updating their strategic plans to recalibrate for the current economy, strengthening and diversifying board leadership, and developing culturally relevant artistic programs to attract diverse audiences.

“In this tough economy, we want to underscore our commitment to these regional arts organizations as they explore new ways of achieving financial sustainability and attracting culturally diverse audiences,” noted James E. Canales, the Irvine Foundation’s President and CEO.

The organizations represent a mix of artistic disciplines, including music, dance, theater, visual arts and multidisciplinary arts. The grants will be awarded over three years and grantees will share resources, best practices and lessons learned. A complete list of grantees follows:

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San Francisco — The Board of Directors of The James Irvine Foundation has approved 26 grants totaling nearly $10.2 million in support of the Foundation's mission of expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. (For a list of approved grants, click here.)

Of the $10.2 million, nearly $4 million will support 11 California arts organizations that are addressing challenges of building organizational capacities and financial stability. Another $905,000 California Democracy program grant will fund KQED’s statewide radio news coverage of significant policy and governance issues focused on California. Additionally, a grant in the Youth program provides $500,000 to strengthen the District Leadership Series of the California Multiple Pathways District Initiative.

Addressing Challenges of Organizational Capacities and Financial Stability

The goal of Irvine’s Arts program is to promote a vibrant and inclusive artistic and cultural environment in California. Grants approved as part of the Arts program include almost $4 million to support 11 California arts organizations through Irvine’s Arts Regional Initiative (ARI). These organizations will receive grants to advance financial sustainability within a challenging economic environment and to increase cultural participation from underrepresented communities.

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Pasadena Museum of California Art officials were thrilled when two employees who work at NASA's nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed curating a show featuring artistic representations of scientific data.

But as the cost of the exhibition, Data + Art: Science and Art in the Age of Information, became clear — there would be huge images projected onto walls and a live computerized display of actual national flight traffic, among other things — museum Executive Director Jenkins Shannon worried that she could not afford to do the show justice.

Then the museum received a hoped-for $30,000 grant from The James Irvine Foundation's new Creative Connections Fund.

"Without the support, we probably would have had to downsize or postpone the exhibition," Shannon said. Instead, the show turned out to be one of the Pasadena museum's most popular ever, drawing an estimated 6,500 people over an 11-week period.

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San Francisco — The Board of Directors of The James Irvine Foundation has approved 21 grants totaling more than $21 million in support of the Foundation's mission of expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. (For a list of approved grants, click here.)

Of the $21 million, $3.3 million will support four California arts organizations that are developing innovative ways to deepen their engagement with audiences. A $750,000 grant through the California Democracy program will fund the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment to promote the systematic inclusion of low-income residents in Tulare, Kern and Kings counties in land-use decision making. Additionally, a grant in the Youth program will provide $11.3 million to implement comprehensive multiple pathways programs at various school districts within California.

Developing New Approaches to Attract Audiences for the Arts

The goal of Irvine’s Arts program is to promote a vibrant and inclusive artistic and cultural environment in California. Grants approved as part of the Arts program include $3.3 million to support four California arts organizations through Irvine’s Arts Innovation Fund (AIF). The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, the Armand Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and the Oakland Museum of California will each receive grants to support creative audience-development approaches and/or innovative programming plans. The grants fund new innovations at ACT and MCASD and help the Hammer and Oakland museums to institutionalize and sustain innovative practices that were funded by Irvine in 2006 as part of AIF.

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For many arts organizations, cultivating a more diverse audience is a desired but sometimes elusive goal.

Through its focus on cultural participation, the Irvine Foundation’s Arts program seeks to help a range of California arts organizations – from large, mainstream groups to small, community-based organizations – engage more diverse audiences. This includes lower income people, ethnic minorities, youth and others that the arts don’t always reach.

“We look at cultural participation as a way to reach more broadly and more equitably than arts have done historically,” said John McGuirk, Director of Irvine’s Arts program. “We want to make certain that arts are accessible to everyone, not just those most able and motivated to buy a ticket and donate.”

“During this recession, we are focusing less on artistic creation, and more on stimulating demand through cultural participation and engagement.” - John McGuirk, Director of Irvine’s Arts program

As the recent experience of two Irvine grantees demonstrates, the benefits can go well beyond increasing ticket sales. It can mean discovering a new wellspring of passion about art. It can unleash the creation of new works with greater relevance to underserved populations. And it can strengthen communities by bringing them together.

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