Organizational Innovation in the Performing Arts
OVERVIEW
The Walder Foundation seeks to support arts organizations with a strong history and reputation of working within their communities to respond to a complex and constantly evolving environment that often obstructs their ability to plan and achieve long-term institutional goals and business plans.
This grant opportunity is designed to support an organization’s long-term goals and the development of new initiatives that address pay equity/arts worker care, changing business models, and leadership retention. These two-year grants of between $50,000 and $300,000 in total are intended to launch innovative ideas that respond to capacity-building needs affecting small and midsize performing arts organizations in Chicago. Grant sizes will be determined in the context of your overall organizational budget and capacity. This is a competitive grant opportunity and not every project will be supported through this program. There is no guarantee that your organization will receive continued funding for a project if an initial grant has been made to your organization.
This grant opportunity is invitation-only. Please do not share this opportunity with external parties.
BACKGROUND
SMU Data Arts’ study, Navigating Recovery: Arts and Culture Financial and Operating Trends in Chicago, broader post-pandemic research efforts like Enrich Chicago’s Funding Equity: Crisis to Sustainability, and community-led discussions by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events have underlined that performing arts organizations' methods and operational models must be rethought to achieve sustainable and long-lasting success. The ongoing effects of the pandemic, in addition to the trends highlighted in these reports and studies, remain prevalent. Issues like a decline in audience retention leading to a decline in earned revenue, and inflated costs of equipment, programs, and salaries have forced many organizations to scale back from pre-pandemic times.
At the same time, these forces have led to an uptick in creativity, innovation, and a re-imagining of how performing arts organizations can operate to build back audiences, re-invest in staff, and reshape how independent artists and cultural workers are compensated in the sector. This grant opportunity is designed to invest in innovative solutions generated from within performing arts communities.
These project-based grants are intended to support organizations that are actively working on projects addressing issues of pay equity/arts worker care, changing business models/practices, and leadership retention. These key areas are critical to help develop longevity and sustainability, rethink the way arts organizations have historically been operating, and build pathways to growth and investment in cultural workers within performing arts organizations.
EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS
The following are examples of potential projects/initiatives that would indicate a competitive proposal for this grant opportunity.
Pay Equity/Arts Worker Care
Advocacy - Supporting the development of materials, research, educational opportunities, research, and intentional partnerships to advance pay equity in the field.
Model Program Development - Support for organizational projects that have the opportunity to further the broader learnings of pay equity/arts worker care practices within the field.
Training - Supporting projects or organizations that offer cohorts/training to organizations seeking to develop their internal practices or revise previous plans of operation as it relates to personnel
Changing Business Models/Practices:
Operational/staffing restructuring - Support for exploration and planning toward executive transitioning, long-term strategic partnerships, sunsetting programs or operations, and work that leads toward combining, sharing, collaborating, or transferring duplicated services between organizations.
Alternative earned revenue models - Support for projects/programs that build new channels of financial stability and organizational sustainability.
Development and re-engagement of audiences - Supporting projects and programs to diversify audiences, reach audiences in alternative ways, and foster new audiences, meaningfully contributing to financial and organizational sustainability.
Leadership Retention and/or Development:
Workforce development opportunities - Supporting professional development opportunities for emerging leaders and/or current leaders within an organization.
Investment in employee benefit models - Supporting projects that work toward new or enhanced benefits for organizational staff that will contribute to learnings that can then be shared with the larger field.
In this RFP, we will not be considering proposals focusing on:
Salary support to create new positions
General operating support (excluding indirect costs)
Capital campaign support or feasibility studies
Debt reduction
Individuals or organizations that are not registered Section 501(c)(3) organization classified as a Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) public charity, or a project within a fiscal sponsor organization that meets this requirement
Walder Foundation’s Performing Arts program generally does not fund:
Fundraising events
Political action groups, political campaigns, lobbying activities, or 501(c)4 affiliates
Projects intended to influence legislation, to influence the outcome of any election for public office, to carry on any voter registration drive, or to undertake any activity for a purpose other than charitable, scientific, educational, or other purposes specified in Section 170(c)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code
Religious Activities
Community, civic, or volunteer performing arts groups
Commissions of new work or production costs
Season sponsorships
Organizations whose primary mission is youth arts education/performance or social service
SELECTION CRITERIA
The following criteria will be used when determining which organizations will be prioritized for grant awards. Competitive applications will be strong in more than one of these areas:
Innovation:
Does this project provide a novel way of responding to an issue regarding pay equity, changing business models/practices, and leadership retention/development?
Does this project introduce an alternative approach to how the sector currently operates?
Feasibility:
Is the project proposal feasible? Does the organization account for the necessary resources, time, and staff capacity needed to complete the proposed work?
Considering their current mission and programs, is the organization well suited to conduct the work that is being proposed?
Does the organization/staff have the relationships, collaborations and/or partnerships to conduct the proposed project?
Alignment:
Does the project align with the organization’s mission?
Does the organization’s work actively engage with artists, cultural laborers, and the community that the organization operates within?
Does the organization’s mission align with the goals of Walder Foundation to uplift the performing arts in Chicagoland?
Impact:
Does this project have the potential to impact the local performing arts sector or the larger field?
Does this project have the ability to be replicated/adapted to other organizational models?
Is there a knowledge-sharing component to this proposal?
When considering grant requests, foundation staff reviews both the proposed project as well as the organization’s overall financial health, leadership, board development, etc.
WEBINAR INFORMATION
To learn more about the RFP, please pre-register for the webinar which will be held on Thursday, February 6, at 3 PM CT. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email from Ebony Chuukwu with the Zoom link to the webinar.
If you are unable to attend, a recording of the webinar will be sent out via email following the session.
APPLYING FOR THIS GRANT
STEP 1: Alignment Conversation Calls
In order to be considered for a grant, each organization must sign up for an appointment with Walder Foundation program staff. These 30-minute “Alignment Conversation Calls” will be a time for your organization to present:
The mission/vision of the organization
A high-level overview of the work your organization does
The proposed project and its connection to the selection criteria mentioned above
Ask questions about the RFP
This process is mandatory for organizations who are looking to apply. Organizations will be informed by April 10, 2025 as to whether or not they are moving forward to the full application phase.
STEP 2: Submitting a Proposal
To apply, you will need to create an account in akoyaGO, Walder Foundation’s grants management system. To create an account, you will need your organization’s EIN.
Create an Account in akoyaGO
1. Click on the link below to access the grantee portal:
Create an Account in akoyaGO
2. Choose Create New Account
3. Select Organization
4. Choose your region – United States or Canada – and search for your organization using the Tax ID number.
5. You will see a list of organizations matching that Tax ID number. It is possible that you see more than one entry for your organization, and it may have a staff member’s name following the organization name, for example “Walder Foundation – Monica Chavez”. Click Select next to the entry for your organization that does not have a staff person’s name next to it.
6. If your organization is new to our database and does not show up on the list, choose the Skip, manually enter option.
7. A screen will appear with fields you may fill out to create your new account.
8. Once you have completed the registration form and submitted it, your registration request will be reviewed. You will receive an email confirmation after it has been accepted, and you are free to access the grant portal. Please note that the process is typically quick but may take up to two business days.
Begin your application
Once your user account has been accepted, use the link below to login and begin working on your application:
Organizational Innovation in the Performing Arts
It will take you straight to the proposal form.
You will be able to log in any time (up until the deadline) to work on your application and save your progress. We recommend creating your account early to familiarize yourself with the system and the application form.
>> VIEW A SAMPLE PROPOSAL FORM FOR COMPLETE REQUIREMENTS
An automated email confirmation is generated upon submission of the application. If you do not receive a confirmation within 24 hours of submitting your application, please check your spam folder and then contact: grants@walderfoundation.org
KEY DATES
Application Launch: February 3, 2025
Information Webinar: February 6, 2025 (3:00 - 4:30 p.m. CT)
(The webinar will be recorded and subsequently emailed out to all invited organizations)
Alignment Conversation Calls: February 10 - March 14, 2025
(By Appointment via Calendly)
This process is mandatory for organizations who are looking to apply.
Full RFP Application Deadline: May 19, 2025 (by 5:00 p.m. CT)
Online Proposal Discussions/Site Visits: June 2025
(By Appointment via Calendly)
Decision Notification: September 2025
If you have any additional questions, please contact performingarts@walderfoundation.org - subject line: Innovation Grant RFP
For inquiries about the content of your application, send an email to performingarts@walderfoundation.org
For inquiries about the grants management system, send an email to grants@walderfoundation.org