A Letter ArtsFund President & CEO
August 6, 2024
I hope your summer has been going well. ArtsFund has been busy, and I encourage you to read through the rest of this letter to see what is going and how you can engage, but I would like to start by sharing a personal reflection.
We understand that many of you are still struggling with a new cultural landscape. Changing patron preferences, higher wages, economic uncertainty, these are just some of the issues we face today in the sector. At the same time, we also hear more about the continued opportunities for arts and culture to play a meaningful role in the redevelopment of our downtowns, our main streets, and our suburban cores. Even with continued challenges to our business model, our role in community wellbeing has never been greater.
Our communities need the arts more than ever and it is your organizations that are providing the services that are supporting the quality of life for Washingtonians across the state. That is a huge responsibility, but one that we shoulder with pride.
Through our capacity building programs, our data studies, and our grantmaking, we are privileged to have a 30,000-foot view of how all of you are creating positive outcomes for the people you serve. At ArtsFund, we aim to provide services that better resource your work and allow you to do more for your communities. This year alone we have provided capacity building seminars for over 900 arts administrators, continued to collect data and advocate on behalf of the sector, and provided over $12 million in unrestricted grants to 811 organizations in 37 out of 39 counties across the state. This is just an example of the commitment we have to your work, and the trust we put in your leadership.
We hope that you all take the opportunity to join us at this year’s Celebration of the Arts on September 24th so that we can celebrate you, but even more importantly, we hope that you continue to tell us what you need in order to make your communities thrive. We are not able to provide everything, but we are able to listen, learn, and advocate on behalf of all of you.
Thank you for allowing us that opportunity.
Thanks again for everything you do. Washington is better because of your service, and we are privileged to be a part of that in all the ways we can.
Sincerely,
Michael Greer
ArtsFund President & CEO