Cultural Sustainability, an initiative of The Wallace Foundation in partnership with the six U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, is designed to provide general operating support and collaborative learning opportunities for arts organizations rooted in communities of color with annual operating expenses under $500,000.
Cultural Sustainability acknowledges the invaluable contributions arts and cultural organizations of color make in our communities and the broader cultural landscape. Funded in part by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, South Arts’ program will strive to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within the arts sector while learning how organizations that have historically been underrepresented advance sustainability. The initiative is guided by the question: “How do arts organizations founded by, with, and/or for communities of color define and develop their well-being and that of their communities?” (Learn more about The Wallace Foundation’s Advancing Well-Being in the Arts Initiative.)
Building upon their existing programs such as Southern Cultural Treasures and ArtsHERE, Cultural Sustainability continues the conversation around historically underrepresented communities within institutional systems of philanthropy. In addition to research by The Wallace Foundation and collaborations with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, South Arts’ criteria for Cultural Sustainability are informed by those existing programs, current research in the field of philanthropy, continuous feedback loops with current and prospective grant recipients, and an advisory group of leaders of color in the South.
South Arts believes that this combination of financial support and collaborative learning will create benefits for the communities the selected organizations serve and will develop new knowledge and insights to catalyze broad impact.
South Arts will award approximately twelve organizations located among the nine-state service area with general operating grants totaling more than $1.14 million.
Learn more here.
