Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) serves grantmakers by creating a forum for discourse about topics relevant to the arts. Programs and activities of GIA include: an annual conference which includes an Arts & Social Justice pre-conference; GIA Reader, which features articles on topics of interest to arts grantmakers; Phone Forums which are one-hour presentations on topics of interest to arts and culture funders; and research and publications.
Services to the Field
Find information on a vast array of organizations that are supporting the work of arts for community, social, and civic change through services to the field—information, tools and resources, networking, advisory support, membership opportunities and more!
The Green Arts Web is an online resource for those who want to be more informed about the theories and practices of environmental art. The Reference section is a survey of resources covering the history of environmental art to the present. Sections for Artists & Projects, Community, Education, and Media resources point to current eco-activist and sustainable creative efforts.
greenmuseum.org is a web based organization that helps people create, present and appreciate art that heals our relationship with the natural world. The greenmuseum.org web site features a registry of more than 100 environmental artists that is searchable by name, country, and category. Each artist's listing includes images, artist statement, bio information, project descriptions, and related article(s) and web site(s). greenmuseum.org also features online exhibitions of environmental art developed in partnership with other museums, organizations, and curators.
HeadCount is a nonpartisan organization that works with musicians to promote participation in democracy by registering voters at concerts and making civic participation part of the live music experience. HeadCount also presents advocacy campaigns on its web site providing voters with information about issues while presenting opportunities to take action. Issues range from food and farm policy and climate change to personal liberty and human rights. This profile courtesy of Air Traffic Control.
As a consortium of more than 80 member colleges and universities, Imagining America’s mission is to strengthen the public and civic purposes of humanities, arts and design through mutually beneficial campus-community partnerships. Imagining America supports public scholarship through the Tenure Team Initiative, Assessing the Practices of Public Scholarship, and other programs.
The International Centre of Art for Social Change (ICASC)
Judith Marcuse Projects (JMP) and Simon Fraser University have partnered to establish the International Centre of Art for Social Change (ICASC), the first of its kind in North America. ICASC is a global centre for networking, training, professional development, research and community outreach in the burgeoning field of art for social change.
Justice Through Music (JTM) works with musicians and bands to organize, educate, and activate young people about the importance of civil rights, human rights, and voting. The goal is help eliminate political and social apathy. The JTM web site includes information about social issues and a link to an online voter registration form. This profile courtesy of Air Traffic Control
LIFEbeat is dedicated to reaching America's youth with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention. LIFEbeat mobilizes the talents and resources of the music industry to raise awareness and to provide support to the AIDS community. Outreach programs include providing club and concert goers with safe sex materials and HIV/AIDS prevention information. The Hearts & Voices program organizes live music concerts for thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS at numerous facilities throughout New York City. This profile courtesy of Air Traffic Control.
The Look to the Stars web site publicizes the work that celebrities are doing to make a positive difference in the world. The site features a searchable database of more than 2,000 celebrities and has a listing of more than 1,500 charities with descriptions and their celebrity supporters. Also on the site is a listing of top charities and top celebrity supporters for each of a range of causes.
The mission of Meaningful Media (MM) is to increase the quality, visibility, and impact of social issue media. MM maintains a network of creators, distributors, and advocates of socially relevant media through membership programs, professional networks, and student chapters. The Meaningful Mediapedia (under development) will be a dynamic web resource that aggregates, curates, and celebrates pro-social media across issue types and media forms.
mnartists.org is an online database of Minnesota artists and arts organizations in all disciplines that seeks to improve the lives of Minnesota artists and provide access to and engagement with Minnesota's arts culture. It offers Minnesota-based artists a central gathering place on the Web as a marketplace and community hub, and offers the public a new way to explore art and get to know Minnesota artists. Although the database is not specifically oriented to arts for change, artists' self-defined categories include social/political performance art, environmental art, and engagement.
Music for Democracy (MFD) is a grassroots organization of musicians, industry professionals, politicians, and music fans united by the conviction that America needs a new kind of politics to move forward toward a more peaceful, economically robust, and environmentally sustainable future. MFD actively supports political candidates who are committed to an agenda of progressive social change. MFD connects both well-known politicians, musicians and young upstart bands with a nationwide network of peers and fans who are passionately engaged in the electoral process.
Founded in 2000 by Noel “Paul” Stookey (of the 1960’s folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary) and his daughter, Elizabeth Stookey Sunde, Music to Life builds on the strong historical legacy of social movements’ intentional use of music to educate, recruit, and mobilize. We revitalize music to meet the challenges of the modern world and revolutionize the role activist artists can play in accelerating social change.
Musical Missions of Peace seeks to promote peace worldwide through the power of music and focuses on connecting western and middle eastern cultures. This mission is accomplished through concerts and workshops. The workshops topics include spirituality, dance, microtonal Arabic music, and middle eastern history and current affairs. This profile courtesy of Air Traffic Control.
The Recording Academy established MusiCares to provide a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies including organizing nationwide educational workshops and programs to address the unique needs of music professionals. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. This profile courtesy of Air Traffic Control.
The National Alliance for Media + Culture (NAMAC) works to raise the profile and influence of the media arts through support services to institutional members and advocates. Members are supported by research initiatives, leadership training, and advocacy on behalf of media arts. NAMAC members include community-based media production centers and facilities, university-based programs, museums, media presenters and exhibitors, film festivals, distributors, film archives, youth media programs, community access television, digital arts and online groups, and policy-related centers.
The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights works to defend and expand the rights of all immigrants and refugees, regardless of immigration status. As part of a global movement for social and economic justice, NNIRR is committed to human rights as essential to securing healthy, safe, and peaceful lives for all.
Native Public Media is dedicated to building and advancing Native access to, ownership of, and participation in media. Native media is used as a tool to advance economic development, preserve language and culture, promote health and education, and facilitate Native American engagement in issues that affect Native nations and communities. Native radio is supported through the New Horizons project, which is an effort to measure radio's impact on building healthier communities and develop best practices for community service.
The Opportunity Agenda was founded to expand opportunity in America for people of color, poor people, immigrants, and women who face multiple barriers to opportunity that cannot be overcome through individual effort alone. The Opportunity Agenda builds support through communications and media, research, training social justice leaders, and policy advocacy.
Opportunity NOW is a coordinated initiative launched by Mayor Megan Barry to provide young people inDavidson County access to employment. In Nashville, we have seen fewer and fewer teenagers and young adultsworking during the summers and after-school. At the same time, Nashville employers across various industriesare concerned about the lack of “soft” skills among their youngest employees—skills most readily learned throughactual work experience.