General

In a new report, The Urban Institute reviews the results of its 2013 national survey of nonprofits about their experiences working with and receiving money from government agencies. Nonprofit-Government Contracts and Grants concludes that government agencies can improve their contracting and grant-making processes. The report makes a number of recommendations to this end. For example, government agencies can standardize and simplify their applications and reporting requirements. Nonprofits can help by providing feedback that encourages efficacious partnerships.

Fundamental to any democracy is ongoing dialogue about the role of government and the ways the public sector should best support the well-being of citizens and communities.

Tracking state policies for arts education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In response to earlier research, the James Irvine Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation established the Next Generation Arts Leadership Initiative in 2010 to promote the leadership development of younger arts professionals. “Faces of the Future” documents what has occurred, including early indicators of success, and lessons learned in the first few years of the Next Gen Initiative.

The report also makes recommendations relevant to arts funders, leaders of arts organizations, and emerging arts leaders. The assessment, commissioned by the Irvine and Hewlett foundations, was conducted and written by Harder+Company Community Research and independent consultant Diane Espaldon.