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| America for the Arts | |
|---|---|
| Name | America for the Arts |
| Formation | 1984 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | President & CEO |
| Leader name | Brenda L. McDanel |
| Website | America for the Arts |
America for the Arts is a national nonprofit organization that advocates for the arts and arts education across the United States, serving artists, cultural organizations, and civic leaders. Founded in the 1980s, it operates at the intersection of policy, research, and professional development, engaging with federal agencies, state arts councils, municipal governments, major foundations, and national service organizations. Its work connects to a broad network of institutions including museums, orchestras, theaters, galleries, universities, and philanthropic entities.
America for the Arts traces roots to the consolidation of advocacy efforts in the late 20th century, emerging amid activity from entities such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and regional arts organizations. Early collaborations involved partnerships with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the American Council for the Arts (precursor groups). Key historical moments intersect with federal initiatives like the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 debates and cultural policy shifts under administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and subsequent presidencies. The organization engaged with high-profile cultural conferences alongside the Smithsonian Institution, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and interacted with philanthropic leaders from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
The organization's mission aligns with service models found in entities such as the Americans for the Arts National Arts Policy Roundtable, the Kennedy Center Education Department, and the National Guild for Community Arts Education. Programs often mirror collaborations with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, city arts offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston, and networks including the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, the Major League of Cities cultural initiatives, and the Urban Institute cultural policy units. Programmatic areas involve advocacy training connected to Americans for the Arts Public Leadership Initiatives, capacity building reflecting work by the Nonprofit Finance Fund, and community arts strategies comparable to projects by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
America for the Arts conducts national advocacy on par with coalitions such as the National Endowment for the Arts advocacy partners, lobbying engagements akin to efforts by the American Arts Alliance, and coalition campaigns similar to those mounted by Save Our Stages and Artists Rights Society. The organization coordinates policy campaigns addressing appropriations in the United States Congress, testimony before committees like the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and legislative initiatives paralleling the impact of the National Labor Relations Board decisions for cultural labor. It collaborates with civic bodies including the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and municipal cultural affairs offices in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Seattle.
Research outputs align with data-driven reports similar to those by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the Bureau of Economic Analysis analyses, and scholarship published by the Urban Institute and the Institute for Policy Studies. Publications often cite economic studies like reports from the National Endowment for the Arts Research Office and survey work reminiscent of outputs from the Pew Research Center, the Americans for the Arts' Arts & Economic Prosperity studies, and evaluations comparable to the RAND Corporation. The organization disseminates policy briefs used by stakeholders such as the National Governors Association, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, university research centers at Harvard University, Yale University, and University of California, Los Angeles.
Major convenings include national summits modeled after events like the National Arts Marketing Project Conference, the SXSW Conference and Festivals multidisciplinary gatherings, and partner events at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Carnegie Hall forums, and forums held at the Library of Congress. Annual conferences attract delegates from state arts agencies, municipal cultural officers, artists represented by entities like the American Federation of Musicians and the Actors' Equity Association, and funders from organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Membership comprises individual artists, arts organizations, municipal arts agencies, and academic programs paralleling memberships seen in the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Arts Administration Educators, and the College Art Association. Strategic partnerships include collaborations with national funders and service organizations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on arts education intersections, and alliances with advocacy groups like Americans for the Arts Action Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts grantee community.
Governance reflects board models involving cultural leaders from institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and university arts faculties at New York University and Columbia University. Funding streams derive from private philanthropy including grants from the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, corporate sponsorships from companies like Google and Microsoft supporting arts tech initiatives, and public funding associated with the National Endowment for the Arts and state arts agencies. Operational partnerships involve collaborations with nonprofit fiscal sponsors, consulting firms such as Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company on capacity projects, and audit relationships with major accounting firms like Deloitte and KPMG.
Category:Arts organizations based in the United States