– Sandy Houston, former CEO and President and current Chair of the Metcalf Foundation
Foundations operate, evaluate and collaborate with projects differently around the globe. Insights into their approaches and ways of working offer invaluable advice for those trying to secure grants and receive support for their arts projects. The Global Leaders Institute hosts the Foundation Roundtable conference series, in partnership with the Philanthropy Roundtable, to create a vibrant learning environment where creative leaders, artists, practitioners, and arts organizations can gain insights from today’s foundation representatives. To explore what foundations seek in the art projects they fund and to better understand their operational frameworks, the fifth iteration of the series gathered four experienced individuals who each work at reputable foundations across North America, South America and Europe, for a global perspective on arts philanthropy for social impact:
- Michael Trent | Metcalf Foundation, Canada
- Fernando Cortés McAllister | Fundación Bolívar Davivienda, Latin America
- Christine Rhomberg | Hilti Foundation, Europe
- Fisher Derderian | Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation, United States Of America
Arts for social impact is no easy or forgiving field, and with notorious funding challenges, the lack of financial base to concentrate on the content and what needs to be achieved adds an extra layer of difficulty to the work. In a world teeming with needs and philanthropic initiatives, we understand that the arts occupy a unique position, put beautifully by David Maggs, as the “making sense of life through lines, shapes, patterns, forms, colours, textures, rhythms, harmonies, imagery and much more,” but how can art projects capture the attention and support of funding foundations? The following offers key insights from the speakers and main takeaways from the conversation.
It’s a Match
Arts projects intersect in ideal and seamless ways with other critical fields like education, healthcare, climate change, and social justice, but oftentimes are used as an instrument of those sectors in propelling their social impact. No two foundations are alike and understanding the wider context in which they operate is essential to knowing if they are the right organisation to support your project and to help you achieve your goals. Considerations should not only include their scope, reach, key areas of work, main goals and objectives, but also ensure that their values align to yours and what they offer matches your needs.
– Christine Rhomberg, Hilti Foundation
With more proposals arriving at their desks than they can support, foundations have clear criteria for those looking to receive a grant. Despite the many differences in how each foundation works, particularly in regards to geographic influence, strategic focus, and the kind of projects they support, the panelists found consensus with regards to evidencing the following criteria in applications:
- Consideration for the region and the support available
- A clear value proposition
- A focus on outcomes for the community, not just reach
- Incorporated a strong theory of change
- Ensured you have a capable & innovative team
- Laid out a realistic plan for the upcoming years
- Passion
Underlying all the criteria is the crucial need to showcase the strength of the team, acknowledging questions such as: Are they capable? Do they have a leadership program? Are they innovative enough? Are they going to last together for the next 5 to 10 years? Foundations need to know that the teams behind the projects are ready for the many challenges that undoubtedly lie ahead and fully committed to the project and the cause – what Fernando Cortes refers to as their ‘life mission’.
Adaptability, longevity and proximity
Foundations seek the opportunity to not just support projects financially, but to also provide additional support in the form of outreach, guidance, consultation, capacity building, partnerships, amplification and impact measurement. As early-stage supporters, the foundations can act like business partners, helping guide the development of the project, connect local partners and activate communities to ensure its success. This shows up in numerous ways: The Metcalf Foundation, for example, wants to “meet the ambitions as articulated by the institutions themselves;” the Roger Scruton Foundation “find[s] the local partners to support as much as they can to have a solid and sustainable ecosystem to work within;” the Hilti Foundation “invest[s] in an early stage and help[s] the program to grow and to really considerably develop;” while the Fundación Bolívar Davivienda, in its pivotal position, offers “an understanding of how to provide and support not only the organizations, but also the government.”
A key element to the work of foundations, however, lies in not creating too much dependency on their contributions. Like many arts projects that look to empower those they work with, the foundations do the same with the projects and initiatives they support. This is also why an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative methodology and approach is vital to the sustained success of a project. Highlighted by Christine Rhomberg of the Hilti Foundation, a success story “is when a program is able to change and not simply follow a pathway.” Flexibility in thinking and in developing forward is also a crucial element for foundations to offer projects ongoing support, confirming that the project can and will survive beyond the timeframe of support they can offer – especially when considering the long-term nature of social impact work.
In it for the longhaul
Social impact takes time. A series of short-term and long-term victories, the work requires patience, persistence and perseverance. It also requires having the right team in place, with the right leadership and the right goals to get the work done. Impact doesn’t happen from today to tomorrow. Foundations seek those who think of their work as life projects, with founders looking and thinking ahead and recognising that the starting point can often lead to the unexpected and accepting that the finish line doesn’t exist, but is rather an ever-moving goalpost.
Continuous Learning
With the Foundation Roundtable, the Global Leaders Institute aims to create a vibrant learning environment where creative leaders, artists, practitioners, and arts organizations can gain insights from today’s foundation representatives. Thank you to all of our global speakers, for sharing your experiences and insights into how different kinds of organizations operate. Thank you to the global audience, for your questions and your continued quest to keep learning.
Stay tuned for upcoming information regarding the 2025 open enrollment conference series.
