April 18, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Pittsburgh arts groups may be out of luck after last month’s announcement by the Heinz Endowments that the foundation is refocusing its grant making to concentrate on fewer causes, writes Andrew Taylor, director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, in The Artful Manager.
He writes that 30 percent of the endowment’s grants in the next five years will flow to efforts to improve the public schools, revitalize Pittsburgh’s downtown, and spur economic development.
“The new focus will inevitably mean that many annual grantees will see lower checks in the next five years, or no checks at all.”
The Heinz Endowments awarded $57-million last year, mostly in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Mr. Taylor lamented that the foundation, which has been a major supporter of cultural groups, no longer considers the arts to be a major part of efforts to improve the vitality of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region.
One commenter on the blog, John Federico, director of development for the City Theatre Company, in Pittsburgh, however notes that the Heinz Endowments “will continue to have the largest arts grant-making program in Pittsburgh, committing $9-million annually to grants in the arts.”
(The change at the Heinz Endowment is noted in The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual survey of wealthy grant makers. A paid subscription or short-term pass is required to obtain this article.)
