Since its inception in 1996,
FAN has awarded nearly $3 million in grants.
Funding Arts Network, originally known as fifty over fifty, inc. emerged from informal conversations in the early 1990’s between two Miami friends, Deborah Hoffman and Nita Maercks, both long-time patrons and supporters of the arts. Their concern about how to sustain a healthy cultural environment in Miami-Dade County in light of diminishing government and corporate funding for cultural programs, especially in South Florida, led them to develop a concept for an organization which would be an additional funding source for local visual and performing arts programs and also foster arts involvement and education among its members.
Hoffman and Maercks established a not-for-profit corporation with fifty members, each of whom would contribute $1,000 per year, creating an annual arts funding pool of $50,000, hence the group’s original name, fifty over fifty. Hoffman became the Founding President and led its growth through 2003. Over the years the organization has grown and has an average of 200 members annually. However, the original funding model guidelines are still in use. Each member’s $1,000 contribution is allocated to grants, with operating expenses covered by interest earned, or funds contributed for administrative purposes.
Thought-provoking insights and conversations about the arts occur at quarterly membership meetings with distinguished panelists covering a variety of arts topics. Members’ awareness and involvement in the arts is also fostered through the grant screening process. Member-volunteers form a screening committee which works in teams to review all the grant applications and make recommendations to the membership who make the final allocation of funds through a ballot process. There is a conflict of interest policy for the screeners, as well as grant review training workshops, workshops for prospective grantees and a no perquisite policy ensure the process is open, accessible, neutral and effective.
In 1996, the first year of its operation, fifty over fifty awarded $50,600 to seven arts groups. Since that time, the growing membership enabled FAN to award approximately $200,000 annually and as of 2010, FAN has given over two million seven hundred thousand dollars to support over 381 programs in the visual and performing arts. The name fifty over fifty, no longer applicable, was changed to Funding Arts Network (FAN) in 2003.
Other important changes occurred in 2003. The board of FAN, under the leadership of Rachel Blechman and Barbara Garrett, added an Emerging Groups Category to the dance, music, theater and visual arts categories considered for funding. This enabled newer groups as well as established groups to receive FAN funding.
To further broaden FAN’s reach to arts providers and audiences, in September 2006, the board adopted a plan to add a Community Arts Group category in 2007. Smaller groups whose art expresses a particular racial, ethnic or cultural heritage in which they are grounded are considered in this category.
In 2006, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of FAN, the board also voted to provide a special grant for a new work, performed at least once in a manner which will reach a broad cross section of the population. FAN is honored to have the James S. and John L. Knight Foundation as its grant partner in this innovative award the Knight New Work Award, “KNWA”. The Knight Foundation provided funding in the amount of $50,000 each for two of these awards. In 2008, The Wolfsonian FIU received the KNWA for its innovative exhibition Thoughts on Democracy, a Reinterpretation of Norman Rockwell’s “Four Freedoms” posters by 60 contemporary artists. These continue to be seen at the American Airlines terminal D display area in the Miami International Airport. In 2009, Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, received this award for “Elusive Landscapes” with the exhibition begining in June of 2010 and culminating in a solo exhibition November 18-25, 2010.
The Knight Foundation has generously provided funding for the Knight New Work Award for another two years. The $25,000 KNWA recipient for 2010 was Tigertail Productions, Inc. for Global Caribbean II, with an exhibition in December of 2010. In 2011 the $25,000 KNWA recipient is the New World Symphony for Opening Fanfare, with a performance scheduled for October 2011.
Each year of its existence, FAN has refined and enhanced its policies and procedures to earn a well-deserved positive reputation for its informative meetings and its thorough and careful grant process that brings great benefits to its membership and the community.