Episodes

The Racial Equity Coding Project: The Necessity of Nuance

Grantmakers in the Arts is participating in the Racial Equity Coding Project, which was kicked off with a culmination of research led by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) with Callahan Consulting for the Arts (CCA). The project has given funders an opportunity to examine and refine their own coding practices and to consider new data collection measures for the future.

In the second episode of this three-part series, we are glad to be joined by Eleanor Savage, program director, Jerome Foundation and Tiffany Wilhelm, program officer/operations, Opportunity Fund. They discuss their experience with the Racial Equity Coding Project’s “By, For, and About” Framework, and the importance of including nuance in the process. Stay tuned for an opportunity to get involved!

Read the transcript here.

The Racial Equity Coding Project: Unpacking The “Why”

There are large disparities between the grant funding received by African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA) and White organizations. And, while funders are increasingly more aware of this gap, a challenge remains to gather accurate data around racial equity funding practices that illustrate a more detailed and accurate accounting of grantmaking efforts to advance racial equity. To address this, Grantmakers in the Arts is participating in the Racial Equity Coding Project, which was kicked off with a culmination of research led by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with Callahan Consulting for the Arts. The project has given funders an opportunity to examine and refine their own coding practices and to consider new data collection measures for the future.

In this three-part podcast series, learn about the project and listen to insightful reflections from those involved.

Unpacking The “Why”: In this first episode, we are glad to be joined by Susan Feder, program officer, Arts and Culture, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Adam Fong, program officer, Performing Arts, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and Maurine Knighton, program director, Arts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. They discuss why the project started, their experience with the earliest iterations of the coding measures, and how their reflections will inform steps forward. Stay tuned for an opportunity to get involved!

Read the transcript here.

The American Rescue Plan Act: All policy is cultural policy

On our May 2021 podcast, we discussed the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act or ARP, and its purpose of helping districts gain equitable access to the arts and strengthen enriching arts education experiences for students. Then in June, AmeriCorps announced how it will use the $1B allocated by the ARP funds, which includes both expanding the number of fellowship opportunities and increasing the amounts of stipends. The pandemic made clear that artists and culture-bearers are vulnerable workers and community-members with a particular perspective on what their communities need. In this podcast we would like to elevate the voices of funders who’ve been leading in this area and those who’ve been pushing for more progressive creative worker policies. We are glad to have Gonzalo Casals, commissioner, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Deborah Cullinan, CEO, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA); Randy Engstrom, collaborative arts leader and board member of Grantmakers in the Arts; and Emil Kang, program director for Arts and Culture, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Read the transcript here.