Definitions

In your criteria, how are you defining “past engagement?”

Past engagement might be demonstrated by active participation in working groups or coalitions whose purpose is the pursuit of any aspect of fairness in grantmaking (including, for example, GIA’s past workshops on racial equity or other areas); preexisting efforts to assess how fair grantmaking practices are; and documentation of progress in addressing fairness. Examples are reports that clearly document a funders’ progress in addressing the aims and results its funding distribution, creating or restructuring funding programs to address a particular goal, or changing funding policies in ways that increase the likelihood of fair outcomes. Attending trainings and publishing statements alone are not sufficient.

Participation

What will my organization get from participating?

GIA members who participate in Tier 2 get access to the FFA measurement system, the chance to engage in collegial exchange with other funders that have expressed similar interests and are committed to accountability, technical assistance from GIA and/or CCA, and the opportunity to help develop a field-wide standard for measuring fairness. 

How much time will participation take?

For Tier 1, the time commitment is the 90-minute monthly meetings, plus, ideally some additional time for your staff reflection and discussion. (However, note that members who are not attending the conference, and therefore cannot participate in the in-person meeting, will not be disqualified.) For Tier 2, the time involved depends on the number of arts grants that your organization gives and your staff’s level of familiarity with its grantees and past projects funded. To discuss, email fair@ForTheArts.org.

Please say more about the coding process. What does it entail?

First, members need to set up their own spreadsheet of their grants data for a designated time period. After receiving training from our team, in the form of a video, written guide, and online meeting, you will sort and code your grants across two stages. Refer to Requirements section on the overview page for more details.   Note: though FFA does not require funders to code any specific year, funders who code more than one year have the advantage of being able to track progress.  

Who from my organization should be involved?

GIA and DDF encourage arts grantmaking leadership (meaning the decision makers in arts funding) to participate in this project, preferably in conjunction with grants management staff. Ideally, Cohort members would involve staff with a full program perspective rather than new staff alone or assistants.

Who else will be in the Cohort?

Past participants are named on the FFA Overview page. Once the new group has been selected, the names of all will be shared.

What will be shared with the rest of the group?

Note that online meetings will not be recorded. It is anticipated that overarching findings will be shared with the field, but will never identify any funder by name or other identifying characteristics. 

Selection

How much will it cost to participate?

There is no financial cost to participate; however, participating funders are expected to be fully engaged, responsive and timely for the duration of the project.

Is this project limited to foundations?

No. However, in the past, we found that foundations and some regrantors were best suited to this project because they can collect and share select data in ways this project requires. Some government agencies either gather this information in different ways and/or are not permitted to share it. And some regranting organizations may not collect it.

What if I don’t get selected? Can I still participate in some way?

Yes, in several ways! Funders can listen to the existing podcast series about the origins of the program. GIA will provide updates on the projects through its regular channels. In 2026, there will be a conference session about it and there is an intention to eventually share the system with the field.