The best local arts strategies are informed by knowledge of the larger arts funding landscape. That’s the premise of a project initiated by and for the nine community foundations engaged in Irvine’s Communities Advancing the Arts initiative.
These community foundations are developing new sources of funding while investing in programs supporting local arts. As these catalysts build plans for the new year, they have a keen interest in understanding the broader picture of current arts funding in California. In particular, group members are hungry to know what major funders of California arts are doing, so they can in turn examine opportunities to complement existing efforts or address unmet needs.
In fall 2010, Helicon Collaborative was commissioned to undertake a rapid research scan to support the interests of these community foundations and summarize the findings. The study, titled “Arts Funding in California: Where Do We Stand?,” helped define the size and nature of arts funding in California, using the most recent data available.
