In honor of Black August, Grantmakers in the Arts asks that cultural creatives look inward and listen outward, to amplify Black artists and communities, commit to listen, learn, and implement anti-racist practices, more widely amplify voices for change, and connect our work with the racial justice organizing. Throughout the month of August, GIA will share questions and proposals from our members on how cultural grantmaking and creative narratives can interrupt institutional and structural racism while building a more just funding ecosystem that prioritizes Black communities, organizations, and artists.  

For our 2026 series, we invite you to offer a reflection and a call to action, responding to the one or more of these expanded questions: How can cultural philanthropy move beyond performative equity and embrace long-term accountability to Black communities, artists, and organizations? What does it look like to create dangerously as a Black artist/creative in this political climate? What models of funding, partnership, or practice have shown promise in sustaining Black creativity and leadership, and what must shift to ensure they endure? How are you navigating, resisting, or reshaping today’s funding realities in your work?

"we are the ones we have been waiting for," June Jordan, Poem for South African Women