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Leadership Initiatives

ArtsFund presents a variety of leadership programs to strengthen arts organizations, educate and empower nonprofit leaders and volunteers, and advance dialogue on the critical impact of arts and culture. We also play a leadership role in broader initiatives that foster the future of the arts in the Central Puget Sound region.

Three round-corned squares detail ArtsFund 2024 leadership data points. One dark blue square says ArtsFund had 3 Statewide Convenings, one orange square says ArtsFund had 138 Cultural Partners and the last light blue square says ArtsFund's had 86 Board Leadership Graduates.

 

Welcome to the Cultural Partners Network

ArtsFund’s Cultural Partners are a network of 130+ ArtsFund-affiliated organizations of the Central Puget Sound region. The Cultural Partners Network was formed in 2015. Through trainings, events, and communications, the goal of the Cultural Partners Network is to deepen ties between organizations, provide capacity building resources, and generate exposure to new audiences and donors.

About the Cultural Partners Network

Seven performers with paint on their faces resembling skulls, using vibrant colors, intricate designs, and floral decorations perform on a stage.
Seven artists pose in front of a painting of a mountain.
A woman plays a guitar, singing, alongside a man.
A ballet performer poses elegantly in a white gown against a black background on stage.
Seven performers with paint on their faces resembling skulls, using vibrant colors, intricate designs, and floral decorations perform on a stage.
Seven artists pose in front of a painting of a mountain.
A woman plays a guitar, singing, alongside a man.
A ballet performer poses elegantly in a white gown against a black background on stage.

Meet Our Cultural Partners

The Cultural Partners Network (CPN) includes nonprofit organizations located in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, serving a diverse range of arts and cultural interests. The majority of these organizations focus on music, opera, and multidisciplinary art forms.

A blue silhouette of the state of Washington with the counties of [xyz] in orange.

This is an orange bar graph. The Cultural Partners Network organizations are organized by disciplines. Out of 35 total disciplines, Cultural/Heritage has 6, Dance has 9, Film/Media has 8, Literary Arts has 2, Multi-disciplinary has 29, Music and Opera has 35, Other has 1, Service has 6, Theatre has 23 and Visual Arts has 19.

Budget Overview

In FY24, the number of CPN organizations with annual budgets between $1M and $5M increased by 7%, while those with budgets greater than $5M grew by 4%. However, organizations with budgets under $500K have decreased compared to FY23.

This is a multi-colored pie chart of ArtsFund's Total Budget Size Count and Percentages in the Cultural Partners Network. $1M - $5M has 34%, >5M and $250 - $500K both have 14%, and $250K and $500K - $1M have 19%.

Welcoming New Groups to CPN

In FY24, the Cultural Partners Network expanded to include eight new organizations: Adaptive and Inclusive Movement Seattle, C895/KNHC Public Radio Association, Center on Contemporary Art, Mirror Stage, Centro Cultural Mexicano, The Rhapsody Project, Northwest Youth Music Association (Seattle Cascades), and Seattle Girls Choir. These new members now have access to the full range of resources and training that existing members benefit from, like networking events and exclusive Cultural Partners Network Convenings.

ArtsFund has eight new organizations added to the Cultural Partners Network. There are logos for the following organizations: AIM Seattle, C 89.5, Seattle's Home for Dance, Center on Contemporary Art, Centro Cultural Mexicano, Mirror Stage, the Rhapsody Project, Seattle Cascades: Northwest Youth Music Association, and the Seattle Girls Choir.

Who the Cultural Partners Serve

Each year, we survey our Cultural Partners to learn about their staff sizes and the communities they serve. The results of the FY24 survey show that similar to FY23, the majority of organizations prioritize youth/families and BIPOC communities in their mission, vision and values, followed by LGBTQIA+ and disability communities. With the addition of eight new groups this last fiscal year, we have seen a slight increase in organizations that center youth/families in their missions, while the overall distribution of the remaining focus areas is similar to FY23.

This is a multi-colored row chart of the Total Percentage of Cultural Partners Network Orgs serving Centered Communities through Mission, Vision, Values (MVV). Youth and Organizations has 31%, LGBTQIA+ communities has 21%, Disability communities has 11%, BIPOC communities has 28% and None of the Above has 9%.

The results of the CPN survey also indicated a 6% increase in BIPOC-led staff in FY24 compared to FY23.

There are two pie orange and blue graphs that detail ArtFund's Total Budget Size Count and Percentages in the Cultural Partners Network. In 2023, Non-BIPOC Led has 69% and BIPOC Led has 31%. In 2024, Non-BIPOC Led has 63% and BIPOC Led has 37%.

Resources to Cultural Partners

ArtsFund’s Kitchen Cabinet guides the Cultural Partners Network, shapes its programs, and provides the overall direction of the network. This group also contributes to the development of the CPN survey and offers valuable support as a governing body.

FY24 Kitchen Cabinet Members

Ellen Abram

Kathleen Allen

Billy Ray Brewton

John Gilbreath

Kate Nagle-Caraluzzo

Liz Houlton

Teresa Thuman

Cultural Partners Connect and orange ArtsFund logo.

Our Cultural Partners expressed a need for deeper connections beyond webinars and in-person networking events. In response, ArtsFund introduced the Cultural Partners Connect Slack Channel, a dedicated space for partners to communicate, share ideas, and exchange resources instantly with each other.

 

 

Board Leadership Training

Since its inception in 1999, more than 1,200 individuals have been trained in key skills needed to be an effective board member. Board Leadership Training (BLT) is taught by faculty of national nonprofit experts on essential curriculum. In FY24, the BLT program celebrated its 25th year. Thank you to the many donors and participants who supported this program and to those who contributed to over two decades of growth.

About Board Leadership Training

Accessibility Accommodations for this event included: ASL Interpretation, Autogenerated Captions, Screen Reader Compatibility, Breaks, Session Recording, Tech Support, Visual Descriptions.

ArtsFund recognizes the importance of strong board leadership for Cultural Partner organizations. To support this, we offer Board Leadership Training (BLT) to both current and aspiring board members across Washington State.

“This is going to be very worthwhile for me personally and I do hope I will be a good steward of this knowledge and put it to use at our theater and on the symphony board as well.”

2024 Board Leadership Training Participant

Four professionals from different arts nonprofits chat in a conference room.

A group of professionals from arts nonprofits chat in a conference room.

Photos of 2024 Board Leadership Training Celebration by Alborz Kamalizad

In FY24, ArtsFund hosted one BLT session with two cohorts running simultaneously, serving a total of 86 participants. This marks about a 30% increase from the 64 participants in FY24 and is double the number served in any previous session. Additionally, ArtsFund welcomed two new faculty members, refreshed course content, and introduced tiered pricing to increase access to the program.

In 2024, 28% of WA State Board Members, 47% Cultural Partners Network Members and 25% Aspiring Board Members made up ArtsFund's Board Leadership Program.

New BLT Faculty Members

Maria Kolbe-Wolfe is a Black woman with curly brown hair, thin-rimmed glasses wears a plaid sweater over a black undershirt. She's also wearing pearl earrings.

Maria Kolby-Wolfe, President and CEO of Washington Women’s Foundation (WaWF) and an instructor at the University of Washington in Nonprofit Management. Before guiding WaWF Maria performed a variety of development and communication roles at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Seattle Symphony, Path with Art, ACT Theatre, Museum of Pop Culture, and Swedish Medical Center Foundation. She has served as a board member for TeamChild, Rainier Valley Food Bank, Allied Arts Foundation, and Global Leadership Forum. Maria grew up in Bellingham, WA, graduated with a BA in English from the University of Puget Sound, and achieved doctoral candidacy in African American History at Northwestern University. Her passions and beliefs align directly with her work: Food, Art, and Justice for All.

C. Lorenzo Evans III is a bald, Black man wearing a blue blazer over a light-blue, button-up and black slacks.

C. Lorenzo Evans III, is a visionary finance executive and lecturer with over 15 years of accounting and financial management experience. With a deep commitment to the intersection of financial management and education, Evans’ work leverages his expertise to increase financial literacy and financial management competencies in both business and academic sectors. As a finance executive and consultant, Mr. Evans has transformed the financial operations of such organizations as Westfield Corporation, the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Maryland (Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center), Washington Performing Arts Society, and a host of others. A dynamic educator and subject matter expert, Evans has served as a lecturer, professor, and curriculum developer for such organizations as American University, National Arts Strategies – University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Westminster. In addition, Evans has led talks on financial management, entrepreneurship, and business development in partnership with organizations worldwide.

Recognized by DC Modern Luxury Magazine as a “Top Innovator” in 2021, Evans is an entrepreneur and the proud founder of CLE Business Services, a consulting firm dedicated to education and business solutions for businesses of all sizes and types.

Thank You Board Leadership Training 25th Anniversary Donors

Juliana Aldous

Elizabeth Alley

Kris Bien

Angela Cheung and Matthew Sekits Family

Joe and Courtney Day

Linda Elliott

David and Diane Ellison

Mary L. Hawes

Lynn Hubbard and David Zapolsky

Cynthia Huffman and Ray Heacox

Sharon and Steve Huling

Mandy Leifheit

Charlotte Lin and Robert Porter

Louisa and Scott Malatos

Rita Meher

Kirsten Murray

Judy Pigott

Mary Pigott

Jennifer and Christopher Roberts

Ann L. Shoemaker

Bret Torbeck

Nancy Ward and Toby Bright

Kristine and Patrick Wilson

Rebecca Wilson

Anonymous

 

Convenings

Partnering with local, regional, and national practitioners and thought leaders, ArtsFund’s convenings foster discussion and provide tools and training opportunities in direct response to the needs identified by Washington arts organizations.

About Convenings

Accessibility Accommodations for this event included: ASL Interpretation, Closed Captions, Visual Descriptions, Breaks.

Strategic Budgeting and Scenario Planning with the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF)

We kicked off FY24 with a convening on Strategic Budgeting & Scenario Planning, led by NFF consultants Meadow Didier and Sarah Stricklin. This session helped participants improve the flexibility of their budgets, consider timing across the fiscal year, and prepare for potential risks. This convening included two additional group coaching sessions that reinforced key takeaways.

In total, 210 people attended ArtsFund's Convenings. They were statewide, and the average rating was 4.61. The demographic information says that the percentage of attendees identified as BIPOC is 37%, LGBTQIA+ is 24%, and person with a disability is 19%.

 

Growing audiences by the Playbook: Audience development strategy, from the sports arena to the arts arena

Our first in-person convening since 2016 focused on audience development strategies, drawing parallels between the sports industry and the arts. Moderated by Mari Horita (former ArtsFund CEO), panelists Kendall Tyson and Bill Chapin from the Seattle Kraken, and Gregg Greene from the Seattle Mariners, this convening presented valuable strategies for increased arts audience engagement.

A panel of professionals, two white men and a Black woman, speak into a mic with a brown backdrop.
A row of professional women are sitting.
Two women converse at a conference.
A group of professionals chat in a conference room.
A panel of professionals, two white men and a Black woman, speak into a mic with a brown backdrop.
A row of professional women are sitting.
Two women converse at a conference.
A group of professionals chat in a conference room.

Photos of 2024 Board Leadership Training Celebration by Alborz Kamalizad

“I found this to be a really great and helpful event – immediately after my coworker (who also attended) had some great ideas to share, so this was a great source of inspiration for us and our future planning for our organization!”

Convening Attendee

 

Transforming through a Capacity Building Campaign

Many Cultural Partners cite a lack of resources and capacity as their biggest operational challenge. At ArtsFund, we’ve heard similar feedback, which led us to partner with Ariel Glassman, founder of Common Great, an organization that helps nonprofits achieve their fundraising goals. TeenTix’s former Executive Director Monique Courcy joined Ariel for a conversation about her experience undertaking a capacity building campaign and applied learnings.

“Having ‘real world’ presenters (presenters who are in orgs, ‘like ours’) was great.”

Convening Attendee
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