Today’s arts philanthropy is being guided by new voices. Bahia Ramos shares her approach to funding, beginning with the fact that she collects art as a form of advocacy. A Brooklynite, she is director of arts at The Wallace Foundation, where she has sought to respond to the needs of artists and arts organizations of color during the pandemic. Part of a new $53 million grant initiative to develop the capacity of arts organizations of color is to develop a clear understanding of future needs. Before arriving at Wallace, Bahia served as program director of the arts for the Knight Foundation, where she led the organization’s strategy for a $35 million annual investment in arts funding across the country. She addresses the need for greater transparency in grantmaking, new alternatives to non-profit management, how the Biden administration has served the needs of arts organizations during the pandemic, and much else.
Today’s arts philanthropy is being guided by new voices. Bahia Ramos shares her approach to funding, beginning with the fact that she collects art as a form of advocacy. A Brooklynite, she is director of arts at The Wallace Foundation, where she has sought to respond to the needs of artists and arts organizations of color during the pandemic. Part of a new $53 million grant initiative to develop the capacity of arts organizations of color is to develop a clear understanding of future needs. Before arriving at Wallace, Bahia served as program director of the arts for the Knight Foundation, where she led the organization’s strategy for a $35 million annual investment in arts funding across the country. She addresses the need for greater transparency in grantmaking, new alternatives to non-profit management, how the Biden administration has served the needs of arts organizations during the pandemic, and much else.