Can The Arts-Funding Pie Get Bigger?
By Nancy Fowler
St. Louis Beacon
February 21, 2012
More pie for the "have-nots" not slimmer slivers for the "haves" is the answer to the problem of underfunded minority-focused arts organizations.
That's the opinion of Holly Sidford, author of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy's (NCRP) "Fusing Arts, Culture and Social Change, High Impact Strategies for Philanthropy." Sidford's report criticizes arts funders on the national level for allocating only 10 percent of their money to institutions that focus on minority audiences.
"I don't presume it's a zero-sum game; I think the pie can grow," Sidford told the Beacon. "And it will grow if the cultural organizations are more relevant, if they are speaking to diverse populations in the communities in which they are operating. Then, they may have a better shot at attracting resources from those communities."
