Pasadena Now
Los Angeles Times
J. Paul Getty Trust and the California Community Foundation announce a first major round of support to local art organizations and artists facing historic challenges
LOS ANGELES – Four hundred artists and 80 arts organizations received $2.7 million in total grants as part of a broad-based COVID-19 relief effort for the visual arts in the Los Angeles region, the J. Paul Getty Trust and the California Community Foundation announced today. The emergency support was designed to reach individual artists throughout all areas of LA County and arts organizations that serve the region’s culturally diverse communities.
“The arts are a source of expression, resistance, and healing,” says Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation, an operating program of the Getty Trust, which initiated the $10 million LA Arts COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund to help small and midsize visual arts organizations. “But our creative artists and arts organizations, who do so much to advocate for social change, will not survive this pandemic and its economic fallout if we don’t take action now to support them.”
The economic impact of COVID-19 has been especially hard on small and midsize arts institutions. The pandemic also laid bare inequities in funding, particularly for organizations that serve communities of color. Smaller arts organizations tend to operate without any endowment funds or cash reserves. Yet they act as essential community anchors, supporting creative expression for artists of color, providing access to the arts for underserved groups, and offering arts education in schools and at their own sites. Even while their doors have been closed, many have worked hard to maintain their community bonds, hosting COVID-19 testing sites or food distribution centers on their premises.
After months of lost revenue, these organizations are struggling to maintain staff, provide safe galleries and workspaces that meet new health and safety standards, and still ensure meaningful arts participation for their communities when they reopen.
The more than $2 million in emergency relief grants awarded to 80 visual arts nonprofits and museums provides support to meet urgent financial needs over the next three months, including staff salaries, rent, and emergency supplies to comply with public health measures. This basic operating support will also allow organizations some leeway to plan for reopening, restructuring, and collaboration. Innovation will be critical if these institutions want to continue their work.
“We’re going to have to become semi-experts in how to manage spaces and arts experiences through a public health lens,” says Betty Avila, executive director of the arts nonprofit Self Help Graphics & Art, which received an emergency grant.
Self Help has worked at the intersection of arts and social justice since 1973, serving its community in East Los Angeles by promoting local Chicana/o and Latinx artists. But Avila recognizes they won’t endure if they don’t adapt, and the COVID relief grant will start them on that path. “We cannot return to our work with a ‘back to business as usual’ perspective.” In the meantime, the emergency grant will help them cover operational expenses, including support for Self Help Graphics’ teaching artists.
The threats facing arts institutions extend to visual artists. Thousands saw their income evaporate as the museums and non-profit spaces that exhibit their work shuttered. Many also depend on part-time work as teaching artists or preparators who set up and take down exhibitions. Countless artists also survive on work in the gig economy. With high unemployment across the region, they are straining to find alternative sources of income.
The California Community Foundation and Getty responded by creating the Relief Fund for L.A. County Visual Artists. The Fund has provided emergency grants of up to $2000 each to 400 local artists who work in all visual arts disciplines. Artists who applied for grants were asked to demonstrate their artistic practice through an online presentation of their work and to describe their financial needs. Additional contributions came from a trio of local artist-endowed foundations: the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, the Sam Francis Foundation, and the Shepard and Amanda Fairey Foundation. The artist relief fund is administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation.
“This crisis is a wake-up call to all Angelenos to support the organizations that provide access to the arts and the artists that inspire us to be resilient,” says Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, which is administering the LA Arts COVID-19 Fund. “The emergency grants will reach a wide array of arts nonprofits and dedicated artists, but more help is needed. The demand for funds was far greater than the supply. We welcome others to join us in this effort to ensure the arts continue contributing to the cultural vitality and wellness of our region for the benefit of all residents.”
For over 30 years, Getty and CCF have been longtime collaborators in the arts, supporting one of the most prestigious fellowships for visual artists in the country, the biennial Fellowships for Visual Artists. The Fellowship, led by CCF, was created by an earlier endowment from the Getty and has grown with subsequent donations from CCF and individual donors. The LA Arts COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund was a natural extension of that partnership. The next phase of their work together will focus on recovery grants to help key museums and visuals arts organizations reimagine their operations in order to survive and thrive in the coming years. More information on recovery funds will be available before this fall.
FOR A LIST OF GRANTEES, PLEASE CLICK HERE
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Paula Valle Castañon at pvalle@www.calfund.org or 213.452.6233
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Getty is a leading global arts organization committed to the exhibition, conservation, and understanding of the world’s artistic and cultural heritage. Working collaboratively with partners around the globe, the Getty Foundation, Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute are all dedicated to the greater understanding of the relationships between the world’s many cultures. The Los Angeles-based J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs share art, knowledge, and resources online at Getty.edu and welcome the public for free at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.
The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Through strategic grant initiatives, the Foundation strengthens art history as a global discipline, promotes the interdisciplinary practice of conservation, increases access to museum and archival collections, and develops current and future leaders in the visual arts. It carries out its work in collaboration with the other Getty Programs to ensure that they individually and collectively achieve maximum effect. Additional information is available at www.getty.edu/foundation.
About The California Community Foundation
The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915, its mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. CCF manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org.
Designed to Serve Vulnerable TK-12 Students at Risk of Learning Loss
LOS ANGELES (June 11, 2020) – A new collaborative effort to support extended learning opportunities for low-income and vulnerable TK-12 students this summer called LA County Summer Learning Initiative was announced today. The region’s education leaders, including the California Community Foundation (CCF), together with the LA County Office of Education (LACOE) and the Greater LA Education Foundation (Greater LA), have come together to ensure students receive the support they need in the upcoming months.
Together, CCF and Greater LA will grant at least $1 million towards these efforts.
The closure of schools for the COVID-19 crisis has deepened a divide along racial and socioeconomic lines for the County’s young people. Many of our students and families have faced enormous hurdles in gaining equal access to education and support as highlighted in a Beyond the Schoolhouse report published last year by UCLA. The murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests further focused attention on the need to support our Black youth and other minority students.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated existing inequalities within the education and youth development systems,” said CCF president & CEO Antonia Hernández. “Given the extended physical closures of schools and youth-serving community centers, there is an increased need for responsive summertime learning environments.”
All students in general experience learning loss over the summer. COVID-19-focused research suggests that students in some grades may return in fall 2020 nearly a full year behind what we would expect in normal conditions. “Summer slide” is worse for high-need student populations, from low-income foster youth to English learners to students with disabilities, as they are less likely than their higher income peers to have enriching opportunities over the summer.
Summer programs that can mitigate potential learning loss and address the social-emotional needs of youth are especially needed as students across our region have experienced months of disrupted in-class engagement with their peers.
CCF, Greater LA and LACOE also recognize that many nonprofits and school-based summer programs are experiencing losses in revenue that may threaten the availability of summer learning programs, while also facing new potential costs such as expanded technology infrastructure and associated training.
“Education leaders must use this moment as a turning point to bring about real change in our approach to race and equity. But we can’t do it alone,” said Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo. “The summer learning initiative is a shining example of the power of partnerships. Working together is the only way we can truly stop persistent educational inequities and ensure a brighter tomorrow for our at-promise youth.”
The upcoming programs must be administered by a TK-12 school (including independent schools and public charters) and/or a nonprofit organization. Preference will be given to collaborations between nonprofit and schools as partners. Grants amounts are expected to range from $25,000 – $100,000 each, with consideration given to the number of youth served and the frequency and duration of the program model. Application information available at www.calfund.org/la-county-summer-learning-initiative/
Resources are made possible through the CCF COVID-19 LA County Response Fund, The Greater LA Education Foundation, and the generous support of donors and philanthropic partners.
For more information about supporting the LA County Summer Learning Initiative, please contact Valerie Cuevas at the California Community Foundation: vcuevas [@] calfund [.] org.
Questions from potential grantee partners and applications should be directed to youthdevelopment [@]calfund [.] org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Roshin Mathew
California Community Foundation
rmathew[@]calfund[.]org
213-377-5630
Margo Minecki
LA County Office of Education
Minecki_Margo[@]lacoe[.]edu
562-500-5184
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The Greater LA Education Foundation (Greater LA) is the philanthropic arm of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). Greater LA was formed in 2019 to increase collective problem-solving and innovative solutions for today’s complex learning environments. Our mission advances a deeper collaboration between schools and communities to disrupt inequity and meet the needs of today’s diverse learners across Los Angeles County. Additional information is available at www.greaterlaedfund.org/.
The California Community Foundation (CCF) has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915. Its mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. CCF manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies.
LOS ANGELES – The California Community Foundation (CCF) proudly announces that after an extensive search process, Jarrett Barrios has been named Senior Vice President of Strategic Community and Programmatic Initiatives.
CCF leads positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. We envision a future where all Angelenos will have the opportunity to contribute to the productivity, health and well-being of the region. Jarrett Barrios brings together a rich background in philanthropy, public policy, nonprofit administration and fundraising with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. Like CCF, Jarrett believes in diversity, collaboration, accountability and inclusiveness. He joins CCF at a critical moment. We face unprecedented challenges that require vision, partnership and an unyielding commitment to social change. Jarrett is eager to meet with CCF staff, nonprofit and community partners, donors, advisors and all members of our community. He will officially begin in his role at CCF on July 13th.
“Everything I’ve done up until this point has prepared me for this role,” said Jarrett Barrios. “It is a distinct privilege to help guide one of our LA County’s most storied and impactful philanthropic organizations at this important inflection point in our nation’s history,” Said Jarrett Barrios. “From Massachusetts to LA, all of my knowledge and skills will be poured into this role, and I am honored to be working with an organization with a deep-rooted connection to the community. This is where my passion lies.”
Jarrett will be joining CCF from the American Red Cross of Los Angeles Region, where he served as CEO. In that role, he has overseen long-range planning, staff development, core program execution, financial management and fundraising. Most notably, he developed and launched the award-winning Prepare LA 2.0 community resiliency program using demographic and disaster data to strategically focus, organize and serve vulnerable populations in the county. He also previously served as CEO of the Red Cross Massachusetts Region. Prior to the Red Cross, Jarrett was CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, before serving as CEO of GLAAD.
Serving 8 years in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as both a state representative and state senator, Jarrett authored and passed legislation to advance solutions to youth violence, health care access and homelessness. Jarrett received his A.B from Harvard College and his J.D from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is currently the board president of the Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations and board director of CLASP.
“I am delighted to welcome Jarrett Barrios to our CCF family. His strategic thinking, connection to community and management expertise will help drive the long-term impact we hope to create through our advocacy, outreach and community investments,” said CCF president & CEO Antonia Hernández.
The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their own personal passions and to collaborate with us in addressing the root causes of challenges in Los Angeles County. CCF stewards $1.8 billion in assets and manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit www.calfund.org.
Media Contact
Roshin Mathew at rmathew [@] calfund [.] org or (213) 452-6229
Getty and California Community Foundation lead a
local coalition and encourage more partners to contribute
LOS ANGELES – California Community Foundation (CCF) together with the J. Paul Getty Trust and a coalition of local artist-endowed foundations announced today the launch of the Relief Fund for L.A. County Visual Artists, a collaborative effort to support the region’s visual artists who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The artist relief fund will distribute $655,000 to visual artists who represent the various and diverse communities of Los Angeles County and have been severely impacted by the current crisis. It was created with CCF endowment funds and by repurposing the biennial Fellowship for Visual Artists program, which began in 1988 with a founding gift from the J. Paul Getty Trust. Additional support has been provided by a group of premier artist-endowed foundations based in Los Angeles, including the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, the Sam Francis Foundation, and the Shepard and Amanda Fairey Foundation.
The artist relief fund is being administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), a non-profit intermediary focused on the financial well-being of those in the arts.
“During the current crisis we are becoming ever more aware of the vital role artists play in our society. They guide us through dark times, they challenge us to think critically, and they stimulate us to imagine new futures,” says Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation, an operating program of the Getty Trust. “We’re grateful to the artist-endowed foundations who clearly recognize the unprecedented economic challenges our artists are facing and have joined us in this effort to sustain them.”
Getty and California Community Foundation have been long-time collaborators in support of the arts in Los Angeles. They announced earlier this month that they would work together on a fund supported by$10 million from the Getty and administered by CCF to provide emergency relief and recovery grants to non-profit museums and visual arts organizations in Los Angeles County. This partnership and the contributions of artist-endowed foundations to the new artist relief fund reflect a shared belief that the arts are central to the vitality of the region.
“Artists are often among the most vulnerable in our region, particularly those from underserved populations across Los Angeles. For these reasons, the artist relief fund will focus on financial need with priority consideration given to the region’s cultural and geographic diversity,” says Antonia Hernandez, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “We encourage others who can contribute to donate to the fund and help us sustain artists and build healthier communities for all Angelenos.”
Eligible applicants may apply for up to $2,000 in one-time support, and grants can be used toward any expenses that alleviate financial pressures. The application may be accessed here:
https://www.cciarts.org/LAEmergencyRelief.htm
To be eligible for the artist relief fund, applicants must be visual artists who are permanent residents of Los Angeles County and not currently enrolled in school. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate their artistic practice through an online presentation of their work and to describe their financial needs. Artists are asked to apply only if they are facing immediate needs, to reserve as much of the Relief Fund as possible for those facing significant financial threats.
For more information about supporting the Relief Fund for L.A. County Visual Artists, please contact Stephania Ramirez at the California Community Foundation: sramirez@www.calfund.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Alexandria Sivak
Getty Communications
asivak@getty.edu
1+ 480-239-4324
Roshin Mathew
California Community Foundation
rmathew@www.calfund.org
1+ 213-377-5630
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Getty is a leading global arts organization committed to the exhibition, conservation, and understanding of the world’s artistic and cultural heritage. Working collaboratively with partners around the globe, the Getty Foundation, Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute are all dedicated to the greater understanding of the relationships between the world’s many cultures. The Los Angeles-based J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs share art, knowledge, and resources online at Getty.edu and welcome the public for free at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.
The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Through strategic grant initiatives, the Foundation strengthens art history as a global discipline, promotes the interdisciplinary practice of conservation, increases access to museum and archival collections, and develops current and future leaders in the visual arts. It carries out its work in collaboration with the other Getty Programs to ensure that they individually and collectively achieve maximum effect. Additional information is available at www.getty.edu/foundationhttp://www.getty.edu/foundation.
About The California Community Foundation
The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization for Los Angeles County since 1915. Its mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. CCF manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies.
Los Angeles—The California Community Foundation (CCF) announced the next rounds of its COVID-19 LA County Response Fund awards totaling $7,949,500. Since the start of this pandemic, CCF has awarded $11,922,500 to nonprofits across LA County bringing the total number of grants awarded to 233.
“Community Foundations are powerful agents of hope in people’s lives especially during a crisis,” said Antonia Hernández, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “Our staff and community partners have the knowledge and networks to do what is required to help get funds and resources to people who need them the most.”
During the ongoing health and economic crisis, CCF continues to work with donors, foundations, government and community partners to provide the resources possible to mitigate the spread of COVID- 19 and support families impacted by economic hardship and school closures.
As more families face greater economic challenges during the safer at home orders, access to direct assistance for basic needs provides a safety net for many across the county. Hardship support is needed to help families with immediate needs for utilities, gas, housing assistance, food and additional resources to support home schooling. Extremely vulnerable workers like day laborers, street vendors, domestic workers and undocumented immigrants with limited eligibility for relief aid from public agencies, continue to suffer greatly.
Recognizing food insecurity has increased with the current economic conditions and is projected to stay at an elevated level for the next several months, CCF is funding the expansion of food security programs by supporting area foodbanks and meal distribution centers.
Addressing the acute needs of our homeless neighbors with our health clinics and hospitals continues to be a priority of CCF’s response efforts. Funds in this round are going to prepare for a surge in cases, street outreach and medical staff in shelters.
CCF is committed to working with our partners and communities throughout the region to ensure our immediate response supports our most high need neighborhoods and families and that our post-COVID- 19 efforts strengthen Los Angeles by focusing on those most acutely impacted.
CCF is especially proud to be partnering and leveraging its efforts with its donors who have collectively given over $16 million dollars out of their donor advised funds to respond to COVID-19 related needs within Los Angeles and throughout the nation and the world.
The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their own personal passions and to collaborate with us in addressing the root causes of challenges in Los Angeles County. CCF stewards $1.8 billion in assets and manages 1,700 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit calfund.org.
Media Contact
Roshin Mathew at rmathew [@] calfund [.] org or (213) 452-6229
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