Monday, November 3, 2014
Arts Funders Create Fund in The New York Community Trust to Advance Cultural Policy and Equity in New York City
Five foundations are pooling close to a million dollars to create the New York City Cultural Agenda Fund to strengthen the City’s arts advocacy network, develop a cohesive agenda for cultural policy, and promote equity within the sector. Under the combined leadership of the Booth Ferris, Lambent, and Robert Rauschenberg foundations, The New York Community Trust, and the David Rockefeller Fund, the NYC Cultural Agenda Fund is expected to make grants of more than $700,000 over the next 18 months. Additional funders are encouraged to join.
The Fund was established to ensure cultural groups, large and small, in neighborhoods across the five boroughs, are acknowledged for their contributions and equally supported. “New York City’s arts landscape runs the gamut from youth muralists in East New York to traditional Indian dancers in Forest Hills to major tourist attractions in Manhattan,” says Kerry McCarthy, The Trust’s program officer for arts and historic preservation. “The goal is to bring these groups closer together and inspire arts groups, foundations, and government to work together to make sure small and large arts organizations continue to thrive in every corner of the City....”