The Transformative Arts Process - Experiments in Philanthropic Participation by Justin Laing at the Cultural Equity Precon, Amercians for the Arts Annual Convention 2015

1. The Transformative Arts Process
Experiments in Philanthropic
Participation

2. The Heinz Endowments
• Asset size: $1.6 Billion
• $60-$70 Million in grants annually in Pittsburgh
• Five Program Areas
– Arts & Culture
– Children, Youth & Families
– Community & Economic Development
– Education
– Environment
• I work in Arts & Culture

3. More Typical Philanthropic Processes
• Reflect on prior work successes & mistakes;
• Staff develop strategy based upon prior
experience and build it on top of other models
with which we are familiar;
• Develop an RFP and ask for community input;
• Share RFP with community;
• Solicit responses;
• Panel or staff makes decisions;
• Power not explicitly addressed

4. Innovators I’ve Learned From

5. Making Our Thinking More Visible
The first paper we wrote communicating where we were going

6. Focusing on Relationship Building

7. Engaged Race & Racism

8. Enlisted Colleagues

9. New York

10. Boston

11. The Bay Area

12. When Grantees Wanted Data

13. We Tried To Respond

14. “Transform Your Work As A Start”

15. Presented Three Ideas to the Board
janera solomon of Kelly
Strayhorn Theater: Incubate
spaces for African American
artists interested in social
justice on Penn Ave
James Brown of the
Lighthouse House
Project: Take the
Lighthouse Program to
a free standing building
serving more and more
accessible.
Charlie Humphrey
of the Pgh Center
for the Arts:
Media Literacy
Programs in AA &
Distressed
Neighborhoods

16. Presented next steps
Presented this
document to
community
stakeholders in
October of 2013

17. Wasn’t exactly a hit

18. So took another shot

19. Got Closer
Presented a more
flexible definition
of field building in
February of 2014

20. Presented to Board and Progress!
• $800,000 appropriation
– Grants for cohort and
movement building
– Consultant team to
manage process
– Stipends for advisory
board members
– Evaluation

21. Development of TAP Advisory
Board
Increasing Participation Further

22. Reviewed Purpose and Way of
Working

23. TAP Field
Building
Strategies
Separate
ineffective
programs
from effective
ones.
Attract people
to attend the
programs
already
operating in
their
neighborhoods.
Support
effective
programs in
AA/DN over
generations.
Recruit, train,
support and
develop
individuals
for the field.
Build
community
among those
doing the
work.
Developed Its Own Definition of Field
Building

24. Built an Online Community

25. Next Step: Develop Strategy
• Will all five areas receive equal investment? If
not, which areas are more in need of $?
• Will all five areas use the same method of
impacting the field? For example, might we
use RFPs in all of the areas?

26. Challenges & Questions
• Engage consultants/partners who care about
relationships & get them;
• Invest in time, but understand the downsides
in terms of “Money out the door.”
• Bring value to grantees outside of $;
• Include race & justice analysis in the work.
• If possible, structure relationships into the
work and define the relationship together;

27. More Challenges & Questions
• Be prepared to make real changes based upon
what you hear from partners and provide real
check-in opportunities;
• Do not overestimate “relationships”. No $ to a
grantee may mean the relationship is over.
• Employ relationship tools, such as social media,
project management software that allow
grantees to impact work;
• Communications internally as important
externally.