Arts Partnerships:
A Resource List

Do arts partnerships and collaborations really work? What types of challenges do artists, businesses, foundations, and government agencies face when they cooperate with one another in order to build participation and to reach new audiences? This resource list, which contains citations to selected works from the Foundation Center's bibliographic database Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, will help you explore these issues and uncover lessons learned from in-depth examinations of artistic collaborations. For complete bibliographies on these topics, search Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, by combining "Arts" in the Keywords field with the relevant headings in the Subject field: Artist colonies, Corporate philanthropy-collaboration, Corporate sponsorship, Nonprofit organizations--collaboration, or Public/private partnerships (click here).

• General Resources
• Arts Education Partnerships
• Corporate Sponsorships
• International Collaboration
• Artist Colonies

General Resources

Backer, Thomas E. Partnership as an Art Form: What Works and What Doesn't in Nonprofit Arts Partnerships. Encino, CA: Human Interaction Research Institute, 2002. 72 p. Call Number: 609 BAC.

The working paper discusses the merits of artistic collaboration, presenting lessons learned from interviews and a literature review. Raises key issues relevant to arts groups, funders, communities, researchers, and evaluators and presents a sampling of more than 60 nonprofit arts partnerships. With bibliographical references. FULL TEXT

Kohm, Amelia; La Piana, David; Gowdy, Heather. Strategic Restructuring: Findings from a Study of Integration and Alliances among Nonprofit Social Service and Cultural Organizations in the United States. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children, 2000. 54 p. Call Number: 609 KOH.

Provides findings from a survey of 192 respondents with experience in restructuring. Definitions of two primary types are given: alliances include joint programming and administrative consolidation, while integration includes joint ventures, mergers, and other changes to corporate control. Case studies of several of the respondents are appended.

Ostrower, Francie. Partnerships Between Large and Small Cultural Organizations: A Strategy for Building Arts Participation Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2004. 14 p. Subject File Number: 202.

An examination of The Wallace Foundation’s Community Partnerships for Cultural Participation reveals that it can be very difficult to create mutually beneficial or sustained large-small partnerships. Collaborations in general are challenging, but issues of mutual respect and relative influence and rewards become all the more sensitive and hard to achieve when collaborators differ so greatly in their resources and culture. FULL TEXT

Walker, Chris. Arts and Non-Arts Partnerships: Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategies. Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2004. 14 p. Pamphlet File Number: 202.

Practical lessons are emerging from the experiences of arts and non-arts organizations forming partnerships with each other that can help them identify and reduce the risks in this increasingly popular strategy. These partnerships can confer benefits on both parties if the benefits are mutual and in accord with their respective missions and if the potential risks and costs are anticipated and addressed. FULL TEXT

Americans for the Arts

Americans for the Arts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the arts nationwide by partnering with "local, state, and national arts organizations; government agencies; business leaders; individual philanthropists; educators; and funders throughout the country." The organization's Web site provides news; information on issues, events, and services; research; and a field directory.

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership organization of America's state and jurisdictional arts agencies. The Web site's Arts Over America section provides a directory of links to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations, an annotated list of arts-related Web sites, and links to major funders in the arts.

National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts' mission is to support excellence in the arts and to bring arts to all Americans. One of its strategic goals is to develop and maintain partnerships that advance the mission of the NEA. Its Web site serves as a comprehensive resource for the arts community and its supporters.

Philanthropy News Digest

To find potential partners or collaborators, browse "Funding for the Arts," a recently updated guide to arts-related Web sites.

Arts Education Partnerships

See ARTS EDUCATION: A Resource List

Corporate Sponsorships

Business Committee for the Arts. Case Studies. Long Island City, NY: Business Committee for the Arts, 2003. 57 p. (loose-leaf) Call Number: 202 BCA.

Contains more than 50 case studies of partnerships between businesses and arts organizations.

Daellenbach, Kate, John Davies, and Nicholas J. Ashill. "Understanding Sponsorship and Sponsorship Relationships: Multiple Frames and Multiple Perspectives." International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, vol. 11 (February 2006): p. 73-87. Subject File Number: 137.

The researchers use the illustration of a New Zealand arts sponsorship as an example.

Finn, David; Jedlicka, Judith A. The Art of Leadership: Building Business-Arts Alliances. New York, NY: Abbeville Press, 1998. 235 P. ISBN: 0-7892-0566-1. Call Number: 434 FIN.

Profiles of 29 business leaders who enhanced their company's support of the arts. Companies discussed include: Ameritech, Bayer Corporation, BFGoodrich, Blount International, C. J. Segerstrom & Sons, Chase Manhattan Bank, Cinergy Corporation, Dayton Hudson, Eli Lilly & Company, Fluor Corporation, Forbes, Inc., Goldstein Golub Kessler & Company, Guardsmark, I. W. Marks Jewelers, Jaeger Management Company, Metropolitan Life Insurance, Nasher Company, Norfolk Southern, Novartis International AG, PaineWebber Group, Principal Financial Group, Proctor & Gamble, Ruder-Finn, Inc., Sara Lee Corporation, Shiseido Co., Springs Industries, SunAmerica, Inc., Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., and Xerox Corporation.

Kelly, Andrew. "Creative Partnerships: Fundraising for Short Film Projects." International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, vol. 6 (February 2001): p. 9-20. Subject File Number: 372.

Tells the history of a collaboration between filmmakers, corporations, and funders to create the Brief Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol, England. The experiences of this arts program may prove useful for other sponsorships. With bibliographic references.

Lewis, Nicole. "Vying for Corporate Support." Chronicle of Philanthropy, vol. 19 (23 August 2007): p. 14, 16.

This article provides an overview of the methods and pitfalls of seeking and maintaining corporate sponsorships on the part of arts organizations. Explores the practice of arts groups bringing corporate representatives on to their boards, and mentions the arts-oriented giving trends of several large companies.

Rectanus, Mark W. Culture Incorporated: Museums, Artists, and Corporate Sponsorships. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. x, 298 p. ISBN: 0-8166-3852-7. Call Number: 438 REC.

An examination of corporate influence on arts and culture, presenting examples mainly from Germany and the United States. Elaborates on the development of cultural politics at multinational corporations such as AT&T, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, IBM, and Philip Morris. Analyses the relationships among sponsors, artists, audiences, grantmakers, governments, museums, and other cultural organizations. Concludes with a chapter on the "cybersponsorship" of virtual museums on the Internet. With bibliography and index.

Souccar, Miriam Kreinin. "Companies Show Art Appreciation." Crain's New York Business, vol. 21 (19 December 2005): p. 17-8. Subject File Number: 202.

Companies that are entering the New York market are aligning themselves with arts and cultural sponsorships. The article notes the activities of Bank of America, Target, and UBS among others.

Arts and Business Council Inc.

The Arts and Business Council develops mutually beneficial partnerships between arts organizations and businesses. Visit the Web site to learn about the Business Volunteers for the Arts Program that provides pro bono management consulting to nonprofit arts groups.

Business Committee for the Arts

The Business Committee for the Arts helps businesses collaborate with arts groups. The Web site includes information on its programs, excerpts from lecture series, news articles, as well as survey data on business support of the arts.

See also CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY IN THE ARTS: A Resource List

International Collaboration

Amplifying New Voices: International Collaboration in the Arts [video recording]. New York, NY: Ford Foundation, 2002. 20:00 minutes. (GrantCraft: Practical Wisdom for Grantmakers). Call Number: A 050 FOR AMP.

Portrays a Ford Foundation model program that commenced in 1994. Ford's "Internationalizing New Work in the Performing Arts" initiative sought to identify a core group of U.S.-based international arts organizations and work with them to improve practices and document and share the results. The five recipient organizations were the Northwest Asian American Theatre (WA), 651 Arts (NY), UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance (CA), Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (TX), and Miami-Dade Community College CCCI (FL). Christine Vincent of the Ford Foundation and the directors of the grantee organizations explain their involvement in and goals for the project. Click HERE to learn more about the video.

The following working papers provide case studies and lessons learned by participants of "Internationalizing New Work in the Performing Arts":

Working Paper #1: Finding Common Ground in International Artistic Collaboration. New York, NY: Arts International, [2000]. 24 p.

Working Paper #2: Developing Audiences for international Artistic Collaboration. New York, NY: Arts International, [2000]. 24 p.

Working Paper #3: Sustaining International Artistic Collaboration in the Performing Arts. New York, NY: Arts International, 2001. 24 p.

Working Paper #4: Core Values/Philosophy of Work in International Artistic Collaboration. New York, NY: Arts International, 2001. 24 p.

International Cultural Exchanges. Washington, DC: Americans for the Arts, 2006. 11 p. (Federal Resource Guide Series for Arts Organizations).

Describes funding opportunities available to arts organizations for international cultural exchange programs. The grants are administered by State Department's Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs under the Fulbright-Hays Act.

Artist Colonies

Artists Communities: A Directory of Residencies in the United States That Offer Time and Space for Creativity. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Allworth Press, 2005. 273 p. Call Number: 202 COM 2005.

Features descriptions for 95 communities that provide studios and housing for artists in a communal environment. Entries give address; telephone number; facilities and housing descriptions; average number of artists present at one time; ratio of artists applying to artists accepted; scholarship, fellowship, and stipend opportunities; and statements by a former resident and the community's director. An additional index provides brief data on 300 U. S. and international programs. Includes indexes by artistic categories, regions, seasons and deadlines, fees and stipends, and disabled access.

Artists' Communities at Work: Lessons Learned. Providence, RI: Alliance of Artists Communities, 2003. 49 p. Call Number: 202 AAC.

The booklet provides case studies that document successful management practices, particularly in fundraising and community building (both internally and with the outside world) and examines various models for artists' communities.

Stoudt, Charlotte (ed.) Stages of Transformation: Collaborations of the National Theatre Artist Residency Program. New York, NY: Theatre Communications Group, 2005. 173 p. Call Number: 206 STO.

The book celebrates the work of participants in the National Theatre Artist Residency Program, which terminated in June 2005.

Middleton, Robyn; Seale, Mindy; Ruttle, Martha; Stephens, Emily; Loomis, Stacey; Peterson, Nicole. Artists and Writers Colonies: Retreats, Residencies, and Respites for the Creative Mind. 2nd ed. Portland, OR: Blue Heron Publishing, Inc, 2000. xx, 330 p. ISBN 0-936085-62-2. Call Number: 202 MID.

Main section contains descriptive entries for residencies, retreats, and fellowships for artists and writers. Entries provide the colony's name, address, telephone number, history, application information, provisos, and deadline. Also includes a list for foreign artists and writers. Includes indexes.

Alliance of Artists Communities

The Alliance of Artists Communities is a national service organization that supports artists' communities by encouraging collaboration among members of the field, raising the visibility of these communities, and advocacy. Web site resources include contact information for member programs, a list of links to individual communities, information about the organization's directory and other publications, job listings, and other links.