Stuart McLaughlin, Business to Arts and Michael Kaiser, Kennedy Center at the National Concert Hall announcing the new intake of participants for Year 2 of the DeVos Institute partnership.

Business to Arts and the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center are delighted to announce the 8 Irish arts organisations that have been selected to participate in the second year of Planning for Success in the Arts: a Capacity Building Intensive for Arts Managers and their Boards.

Identified through a competitive process, these organisations will take part in a year-long teaching and mentoring intensive, joining 11 of our original intake who will participate in a second year of the programme.

The programme is modelled on the DeVos Institute’s successful international programmes for arts organisations and managers and combines annual group seminars, regular online working groups, and ongoing, one-on-one consultation.

Over the past year, 15 organisations have taken their learnings from the programme and have begun to implement a number of changes to their marketing strategy, Board, programming structure, and fundraising tactics. A series of interviews on how the DeVos programme has led to change in these organisations can be found on the New Stream Blog.

The Intensive is led by Michael M. Kaiser (President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), Brett Egan (Director, DeVos Institute of Arts Management), and DVIAM leadership and associates. The successful organisations for Year 2 are as follows:

· Create – create-ireland.ie
· Dublin Fringe Festival – fringefest.com
· Dublin Theatre Festival – dublintheatrefestival.com
· Glór – glor.ie
· Glucksman Gallery – glucksman.org
· IMMA – imma.ie
· Temple Bar Gallery & Studios – templebargallery.com
· The Copper House Gallery – thecopperhousegallery.com

‘Planning for Success in the Arts: a Capacity Building Intensive for Arts Managers and their Boards’ is part of New Stream, a project operated by Business to Arts and supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Participants from the New Stream Partnership with the DeVos Institute for Arts Management at the Kennedy Center

Today, Business to Arts announced an extension of its organisational-capacity programme for Irish arts organisations supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and run in partnership with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC. This intensive project, run as part of Business to Arts’ New Stream programme, is currently working with 15 organisations across Ireland, and will be extended to a second year, with the addition of five more organisations, bringing the cohort to 20 arts organisations. Closing date for applications is 24 April 2013.

The broader New Stream programme, now in its fourth year and engaging over 170 arts professionals and board members per annum, consists of a number of activities which deliver a range of resilience and sustainability-building resources to arts organisations across Ireland, regardless of size and resource. The overall programme is evaluated annually by Business to Arts as part of their reporting of the project and this has found that the organisations which took part in the training have raised over €5 million in new income over three years, through applying the techniques directly acquired on the programme. This €5.4 million of funds raised is against a total of €400,000 invested by Bank of America Merrill Lynch through the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and €70,000 invested by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Business to Arts works to support sustainability in the cultural sector through partnership and professional development. The organisation is funded by support from the business community, foundations, arts organisations and the public sector, all of whom share a belief that collaboration between stakeholders can help enhance creativity and deliver a benefit to society.

Speaking at the announcement of an intake of 5 more organisations to the DeVos Ireland partnership, Stuart McLaughlin, Chief Executive of Business to Arts referred to the overwhelmingly positive feedback at each stage of the programme over the first 10 months, and praised the organisations and their Boards for their commitment to the strategy-building process. He said “Having identified that organisational development requirements in the arts stretched far beyond fundraising, we have been delighted the impact of Year 3 New Stream as we broadened the subject matter. The combination of a refreshed approach, and the implementation of skills, has allowed us to continue the trajectory of funds raised by participants in the programme. And now, by extending our partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, we are able to grow the base of knowledge in the Irish sector still further through our collaboration with Michael Kaiser and his team at the Kennedy Center.”

“Bank of America Merrill Lynch has operated in Ireland for 45 years and has been a long standing supporter of education, community development and the arts during that time.  We are therefore especially delighted to continue our relationship with New Stream and help build on the tangible results that have been achieved through the programme,” said Andrea Sullivan, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Europe and Emerging Markets (ex-Asia) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “The arts help to create connections all over the world, from our own employees through to clients and our communities. Healthy economies need the arts to thrive and we are pleased to be able to connect capital with need to help further development in Ireland.”

“Ireland has such a rich and diverse community of arts organisations, and Business to Arts is such a strong advocate for them. We are proud to continue our relationship with them for a second year,” said Michael M. Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center and the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. “I look forward to seeing how our work together will continue to strengthen the lively arts scene in Ireland.”

Business to Arts and the Kennedy Center have opened the application process for the second intake of organisations. The application form and further information is available on www.devosireland.org, and the closing date is 22 April 2013.

Brendan Murphy (left), Allianz CEO, Una Ni Chanainn, RTE‰ NSOand Stuart McLaughlin,CEO of Business to Arts at the National Concert Hall.

Nominations for the Allianz Business to Arts Awards 2013 opened officially in March. The awards in their 22nd year (the 12^th year of Allianz’s support) seek to recognise and celebrate the creativity and mutual benefits of close collaboration between the business and artistic community.

The Allianz Business to Arts Awards recognise businesses, artists and arts organisations that develop creative partnerships, working together on sponsorships, mentoring, training, staff development, commissioning, CSR projects and so on.

This year will mark Allianz’s 12^th anniversary of its involvement in the Business to Arts awards which has seen Allianz build on over two decades of support programmes for Irish arts and sports communities. As public funding faces further pressures, Allianz is encouraging more leaders in the business community to look to the creative sector to achieve business advantage, and to learn from the achievements of the Awards alumni who achieved mutually beneficial relationships with the arts communities.

Both Allianz and Business to Arts believe that culture plays an important role in creating a healthy society and a strong community in which to do business. Over 25 years, Business to Arts have championed the creation of structures to support the Irish arts sector, given its central role in the development of Ireland’s national character and its international profile.

Stuart McLaughlin, Chief Executive of Business to Arts said “In our 25th year Business to Arts have continued to support and observe many new collaborations between the corporate and cultural sectors. Pressure on all forms of funding, together with a continued emphasis by Government on growing private investment in the arts, is encouraging a more diverse portfolio of partnerships. From this new opportunities have emerged. The Allianz Business to Arts Awards in 2013 will continue our celebration of these partnerships, and to use the stories gathered as an inspiration to others.”

“In our twelve year association with the Allianz Business to Arts Awards we have seen the relationship between the business and arts world change radically, with both sides benefitting hugely.  The Allianz Business to Arts Awards has played a crucial role in unlocking creative and innovative potential in the last twenty five years” said Brendan Murphy CEO Allianz. “As Ireland’s economy starts to recover this support from the business community is needed now more than ever to develop the creativity and talent needed to thrive both from the business and cultural bottom line.”

Closing date for applications is Thursday May 2^nd 2013. Go to http://www.businesstoarts.ie/awards for information on the application process and to download and application form.

Details of new Ireland-only Sky Arts Ignition Series announced

Business to Arts is delighted to be working with Sky Arts on a exclusively Ireland-only application round for the next Sky Arts Ignition series.

The winning applicant will receive GB£200,000 from Sky Arts to fund a new project, to be co-developed between the two organisations and any contributing artists.  Sky Arts will also work with the winning organisation to bring the chosen project to a wider audience on air, on demand, online and on the ground, as well as providing marketing and new media support.

Applications will be accepted from today via the Sky Arts Ignition series website, www.sky.com/skyartsignition, where full guidelines for entries can also be found.  The deadline for applications is 2 April 2013.

This will be the third project in the Sky Arts Ignition series.  Last year, Sky Arts partnered with Tate Liverpool on Sky Arts Ignition: The Source, while this summer the V&A and Sky Arts will be opening Sky Arts Ignition: Memory Palace.  These major projects form part of Sky’s on-going commitment to broadening access to the arts.

“This will see Sky investing directly in the thriving Irish arts landscape, and collaborating with a leading arts organisation to bring a new work to life on screen and on the ground. It’s a fantastic way for us to help support Ireland’s cultural vibrancy.” said James Hunt, Director of Sky Arts. “We’ve been fortunate enough to work with some wonderful UK institutions as part of Sky Arts Ignition. I’m excited to see what new partnership we can forge in Ireland to deliver a thrilling new project.”

Stuart McLaughlin, Chief Executive of Business to Arts who will be supporting the Sky Arts Ignition application process commented:  “We’re excited that Sky Arts are making this commitment to Irish cultural organisations, which underpins Sky’s significant investment in the Irish market and creates an important new private funding opportunity to the arts sector.  The vibrant arts community are looking forward to responding with ideas reflecting the creativity that is at the core of the Irish psyche!”

Representatives of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Diageo, KPMG & Mason Hayes & Curran recently spoke to a group of senior business and arts representatives on Corporate Structures for supporting the arts

“If we do not have strong economies, we will not have strong business in the long term. Our arts investment is not purely altruistic – we’re trying to build communities that have vibrancy, imagination and creativity.”

Business to Arts recently hosted a group of senior business and arts representatives in the offices of our friends at Mason Hayes & Curran to discuss the structures available for corporate supporters of the arts in Ireland.  The discussion was kicked off by Minister Deenihan, who underlined his commitment to facilitating and enabling non-public funding of the arts in Ireland as a complement, not a replacement, for government support.

We asked our speakers, from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Diageo and KPMG, to talk about their own experience of investing in culture in Ireland, their organisation’s approach and experiences as well as describing what success looks like to them.

Andrea Sullivan, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, discussed their global foundation, a resource-rich corporate structure that invests heavily in the Irish market to support their presence here. This example, through which Bank of America Merrill Lynch have become one of the largest corporate supporters of the arts in Ireland, provides a model for many leaders of inward investor organisations who might have access to international corporate foundations.

The story behind the development of the Arthur Guinness Fund was at the heart of the story for Peter O’Brien, Corporate Relations Director, Diageo Western Europe. This fund, established in 2009 to mark the 250th anniversary of Guinness was rooted in the very essence of their brand. Arthur Guinness was himself a social entrepreneur and the fund was established to reflect this alongside the brand attributes of Guinness today. In the time since the fund was established the Arthur Guinness Fund has completed 3 rounds of funding in Ireland, with a number of cultural projects (including Business to Arts’ own fundit.ie initiative!), and the social and economic impact of all investments have been recorded and publicised widely.

Finally Terence O’Rourke, Managing Partner of KPMG and winner of an Allianz Business to Arts Award in 2012 for his firm’s partnership with Dublin Contemporary, focused his comments on the topic of engaging staff. He observed that “in a globalised world, where technology is very fast moving, where there’s lots of changes, where innovation is really copied very quickly, the ability for you to be sustaining a competitive advantage is more and more based on people. Having the best people, attracting the best people, having them really committed to your organisation which retains the best people, is a huge source of competitive advantage.” This approach is at the heart of KPMG’s strategy in selecting opportunities from the many requests that they receive each month.

Wrapping up the session Claire Lord, Partner with Mason Hayes & Curran, talked about some of the legal structures that organisations can avail of in structuring their support of the arts or, indeed, of any cause. From a Business to Arts perspective, the development of entities such as the Arthur Guinness Fund and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation are beneficial in enabling both effective giving, and effective ‘asks’ for support.

Business to Arts has joined forces with Boardmatch Ireland,  Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups, CORI, DFI, Dochas, ICTR, RCB, The Wheel and Volunteer Ireland to organise a special information seminar  on the consultation document and process.

The seminar will be held on the 19^th February 2013 from 11am to 1pm at Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) 49 Pearse Street, Dublin 2.  CAI are proud supporters of this event. You will find a link to the programme and registration details here.

The event is designed to provide you with an opportunity to re-familiarise yourself with the Charities Act 2009.  It will also provide you with an opportunity to learn more about the Government’s proposals in relation to how the act will be implemented, and about how you can make a submission to the consultation and make your voice heard.  For more details on the consultation visit the Department of Justice & Equality website.

As a registered charity, Business to Arts will be making a submission to the consultation but we encourage affiliated arts organisations to make their own submission as well and will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

Business to Arts strongly encourages you, as one of its members, to come to this event.  Early registration is advised as the event is likely to book up quickly.

Block T – (L-R) Lili Heller, Johanna Archbold, Bean Readman, Grace McEvoy, Nick Linders and Laura Dovn – Winners of the 2013 David Manley Arts Entrepreneur Award

The 2013 David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Awards were presented at a ceremony on Thursday 17^th January in Business to Arts members Mason Hayes & Curran (also one of the Awards’ sponsors), Barrow Street, Dublin by Dr. Chris Horn and Michael Kearney, Manager, national Irish rugby team and co-founder of the Snap Printing and Home Instead Senior Care franchises in Ireland.  Dr. Horn chairs the panel of judges for the Awards.

BLOCK T (represented by Laura Dovn and Ben Readman) a visual and performing arts collective based in Smithfield, Dublin was announced as the 2013 Arts Entrepreneurs of the year.  Winner in the Business category was Ronan Clarke, Smart Wall Paint and winner of Social category (and overall David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur 2013) was Steven Menton and John Egan of Archipelago.

Dr. Chris Horn said, “We, the judges, were looking for entrepreneurs with qualities similar to David Manley – those qualities which made him such an iconic person – passionate, energised, invigorating and highly engaging!  While we were well impressed by all the nine finalist teams, we were extremely impressed by John and Steve – and by what Archipelago has achieved to date and plans to do in the future.  As they said themselves, if they do their job properly, hopefully in 5 years there will be no need for them!  Ireland needs more people like them.”

Louise Manley, chair, David Manley Awards committee, comments, “David was a man who deeply loved his native Dublin and Ireland and dreamt of it flourishing through a thriving SME sector and an increasing flow of new entrepreneurs striving to add further value to our lives and communities. It is safe to say that that dream is in safe hands if the volume and quality of this year’s finalists and category winners are anything to go by.”

The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife (1854) at the National Gallery of Ireland, which is being funded through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

The Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2013 global Art Conservation Project is open for applications. Submissions are welcome from not-for-profit arts and cultural institutions that have significant works of art across all media, requiring conservation. Submission deadline is 30 November 2012.

The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project is a unique initiative that provides grants to not-for-profit organisations throughout the world to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of degeneration, in order to preserve them for future generations.

Previous grant recipients include The National Gallery of Ireland, for the conservation of one of Ireland’s most important historic paintings, The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife by Daniel Maclise. Conservation began in the autumn of 2010, with the newly restored picture due to be completed in early 2013.

Applicants can submit proposals online.

Date: Wednesday 21 November

Venue: The Abbey Theatre on the Peacock Stage, 2.00pm – 4.30pm

This advice session is suitable for anyone who wants to apply for the GBP£30,000 Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund bursary. In the next round, the funding will be awarded to five individual creative artists between 18 and 30 years of age.

This briefing session aimed at artists in any discipline aged 18-30, will provide advice on building a creative career, help with the Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund application process and a chance to meet other like-minded creatives. You’ll also have the opportunity to put your questions to a Futures Fund ambassador and current winner, both successful artists in their own right.

By attending these sessions, you can find out first hand what the judges of the Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund are looking for.

Book your ticket here.

Business and arts leaders gathered at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on Tuesday last to celebrate the Allianz Business to Arts Awards with Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan

Sponsorship, commissioning, and partnerships between arts and business which promote creativity in the community and innovation in the workplace were all celebrated at this year’s Allianz Business to Arts Awards at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Minister for Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, presented ten awards to organisations from technology, financial services, semi state and local business, who have achieved excellence in their collaborations with the arts.

Marking the 11th year of partnership between Allianz and Business to Arts, these awards recognise creative relationships that exist between the business and arts community, creating a showcase of the impact made when the two worlds come together for mutual benefit.

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, Shimmer Research, KBC Bank Ireland, KPMG, Accenture, The National Transport Authority and Bord Gáis were among the leading businesses recognised at the prestigious event on 4 September 2012.

For the 21st year, the award sculpture was commissioned by Dublin Airport Authority. This year’s award sculpture “Striped Bulb” was created by glass artist Catherine Keenan, who is based in Portstewart, Northern Ireland.

As well as the limited edition sculptures for the successful businesses, bursaries were also presented to artists and arts organisations with the Jim McNaughton / TileStyle Artists’ Bursary; the Dublin Airport Authority Arts Award; and the Allianz Community Art Prize.

Guests at the event came from across business, the arts, public and private sectors. They included Mike Adamson, Live Nation, Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School, Gilles de Decker, BNP Paribas, Vivienne Jupp, CIE, Ray Yeates, Dublin City Council Arts Officer, Moya Doherty, Abhann Productions, Paul McGuinness, Principal Management, Declan McGonagle, NCAD, Sean Rainbird, National Gallery of Ireland, John Hennessy Niland, US Embassy, Fionnuala Croke, Chester Beatty Library, John Mullins, Bord Gáis, Christine Sisk, Culture Ireland and Anna Walsh, Theatre Forum.

And the winners are:

• Best Large Sponsorship – over €25,000 value
Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard (Jameson) & Dublin International Film Festival

• Best Small Sponsorship – under €25,000 value
Shimmer Research & The Lab Gallery

• Best Long Term Partnership
KBC Bank Ireland & KBC Great Music in Irish Houses

• Best Use of Creativity in the Community
KPMG & Dublin Contemporary

• Best Creative Staff Engagement
Accenture & Boz Temple Morris for the ‘Festival of Ideas’

• Jim Mc Naughton Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice
National Transport Authority, South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council, Fingal Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council & Theresa Nanigian for ‘Travelogue’

• Jim Mc Naughton / TileStyle €10,000 Artist’s Bursary
Christina Reihill for ‘Soul Burgers’

• Dublin Airport Authority €5,000 Arts Award
Moth Productions

• Allianz €5,000 Community Art Prize
Soundscape Music Project

• Judges’ Special Recognition
Bord Gáis Energy – for their support of Age & Opportunities ‘Cultural Companions’; the Irish Book Awards and the National Sculpture Factory

Following an approach from a number of small theatre companies, we have worked with Gerard Delaney and Irish Times Training to put together a one day programme which will give beginners and those who have found themselves with a need to do day-to-day accounts for their organisation a practical start in what they need to know.

Gerry will fly through an overview to understanding the various reports produced over a financial year, managing budgets and cashflow, and getting started with management accounts.

Date : Monday 17 September
Full price : €395.00
Special 60% discount for Business to Arts Affiliates : €160
Contact : rowena@businesstoarts

Announcing the 2012 Allianz Business to Arts Awards sculpture commission, ‘Striped Bulb’, were Oliver Cussen, Acting Chief Executive, DAA; artist Catherine Keenan; Stuart McLaughlin, Chief Executive, Business to Arts.

The winners of the 2012 Allianz Business to Arts Awards will be announced on 4 September at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. These awards seek to recognise the importance of arts and business organisations working together. The Awards will be presented by Minister for Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Mr Jimmy Deenihan, TD.

This year’s categories reflect creative collaboration across a diverse range of businesses, local communities and public sector groups. The shortlisted projects are:

Best Large Sponsorship – over €25,000 value
• Calor & Moth Productions for ‘Victor’s Dung’
• Fire for The Copper House
• Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard (Absolut) & Dublin Fringe Festival
• Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard (Jameson) & Dublin International Film Festival

Best Small Sponsorship – under €25,000 value
• Ballymaloe Cookery School & The Moth for The Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize
• Gaby Smyth & Co & Graphic Studio Dublin
• Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals & Fishamble: The New Play Company for ‘End of the Road’
• Shimmer Research & The Lab Gallery

Best Long Term Partnership
• Dublin Airport Authority & Dublin Theatre Festival
• Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard (Jameson) & Dublin International Film Festival
• KBC Bank Ireland & KBC Great Music in Irish Houses
• Kerry Group & Siamsa Tire, the National Folk Theatre

Best Use of Creativity in the Community 
• The Irish Times & Fishamble: The New Play Company for ‘Tiny Plays for Ireland’
• KPMG & Dublin Contemporary
• Mayo County Council for the ‘Landmark’ Public Art Programme
• Sweny’s Pharmacy & community volunteers
• U2 and The Ireland Funds for Music Generation

Best Creative Staff Engagement
• Accenture & Boz Temple Morris for ‘The Festival of Ideas’
• Finglas Addiction Support Team & Michelle Culligan for ‘The Journey of Life’
• National Transport Authority & Theresa Nanigian for ‘Travelogue’
• Shimmer Research & The Lab Gallery

Jim McNaughton Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice
• Finglas Addiction Support Team & Michelle Culligan
• Mayo County Council for the ‘Landmark’ Public Art Programme
• National Transport Authority & Theresa Nanigian for ‘Travelogue’
• Offaly County Council & Vincent Kennedy for ‘The Kilcormac Cantata’

The following special awards will also be presented on 4 September 2012 :
The Jim McNaughton/TileStyle €10,000 Bursary for an Artist and the Dublin Airport Authority Arts Award for €5.000 will also be presented.

For the 21st year the award has been commissioned by Dublin Airport Authority. This year’s award sculpture “Striped Bulb” is being made by glass artist Catherine Keenan, who is based in Portstewart, Northern Ireland. She describes ‘Striped Bulb’ as “an exploration of form and pattern. The shape has been developed to compliment the lines, the rounded forms of different proportions cause a subtle distortion to the lines”.

2012 marks the 21st anniversary of the Business to Arts Awards which recognise businesses, artists and arts organisations that develop creative partnerships, bringing the arts and artists into the workplace and building mutually beneficial sponsorship relationships that reach and benefit communities throughout Ireland.

Members of this year’s Jury Panel were:

• Alyssa Bonic, Arts Manager, BSkyB
• Joanne Looby, Guinness RM and Digital Brand Manager at Diageo Ireland
• Natalie McGuinness, Marketing & Business Development Director, Mason Hayes & Curran
• David McLoughlin, Chief Executive, Wexford Festival Opera (Chair of Jury Panel)
• Gerard McNaughton, Retail Director, TileStyle
• Ursula Murphy, Director of Human Resources, Allianz Ireland
• Paul O’Kane, Public Affairs Director, DAA

Report of the Forum on Philanthropy & Fundraising Launched

A new report from the Forum on Philanthropy and Fundraising (of which Business to Arts is a member) which was launched last week by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD and Minister Phil Hogan TD in the National Library of Ireland, seeks a 60% increase in philanthropic giving to the non-profit sector by 2016.

The report contains four main recommendations that will be implemented in the next four years. Those recommendations include:
• A National “Giving Campaign”- aimed at the public, high net worth individuals and corporates in Ireland to increase their giving.
• Improving the fiscal environment and incentivising greater giving.
• Developing better fundraising capacity, education and training among not-for-profits.
• Creating a National Social Innovation fund – supported by the Government and the philanthropic sector.

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan TD re-convened the Forum on Philanthropy in June last year and set them a task to increase the level of philanthropic and charitable giving along with developing fundraising capacity and best practice across the sector.

In the context of fundraising capacity building, Business to Arts is delighted that the Forum on Philanthropy & Fundraising recognises the New Stream Programme (which is supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch) as a sector specific case study of the results that can be achieved via an investment in fundraising capacity building in Ireland.

The full report can be downloaded here.

Michael M. Kaiser (President, John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts) who will lead ‘Planning for Success in the Arts: a Capacity Building Intensive for Arts Managers and their Boards.’ Photo: Ilan Mizrahi

Business to Arts and the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center are delighted to announce the 15 Irish arts organisations that have been selected to participate in Planning for Success in the Arts: a Capacity Building Intensive for Arts Managers and their Boards.

Identified through a competitive process, these organisations will take part in a year-long teaching and mentoring intensive. The programme is modelled on the DeVos Institute’s successful international programmes for arts organisations and managers and combines annual group seminars, regular online working groups, and ongoing, one-on-one consultation.

The Intensive is led by Michael M. Kaiser (President, John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts), Brett Egan (Director, DeVos Institute of Arts Management), and DVIAM leadership and associates.The successful organisations are as follows:

· Abbey Theatre
· The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children
· Arts & Disability Ireland
· Axis, Ballymun
· Bealtaine Festival – Age & Opportunity
· Butler Gallery
· Clonmel Junction Festival
· Fishamble: The New Play Company
· The Hunt Museum
· Music Network
· The National Concert Hall
· National Gallery of Ireland
· Project Arts Centre
· RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
· Wexford Festival Opera

‘Planning for Success in the Arts: a Capacity Building Intensive for Arts Managers and their Boards.’ Is part subsidised by New Stream, a project operated by Business to Arts and supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Business to Arts today welcomes the announcement of thePhilanthropy Pilot Initiative by Minister Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, designed to encourage philanthropic, sponsorship and endowment funding of the arts from private sources.

Business to Arts have worked for over 20 years to broker and advocate for greater private support of the cultural sector, and having focused specifically on developing fundraising skills in arts organisations over the last two years via its new New Stream training programme, supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, are pleased that the Minister has created a pilot incentive for private funders to invest in arts programming.

Stuart McLaughlin, Chief Executive of Business to Arts, said “I am delighted that Minister Deenihan has taken this step to incentivise private support of the arts in Ireland. Business to Arts has advocated for this model, which has proven successful in other countries, for a number of years and we look forward to working with our partners in business and the arts to enable them to take advantage of this opportunity.”

He continued “In the last two years the Business to ArtsNew Stream programme has invested over €300k of private support into professional development for fundraisers. Those participating in the programme have raised over €3min the same period as a result of the training and supports received. We feel many organisations are now well placed to engage with sponsors, foundations and philanthropic donors in a professional and effective way which will allow the Minister to achieve his ambition to achieve a multiple return on his Department’s support.”

With regard to the proposed Arts Council Philanthropy Capacity Building Initiative, McLaughlin commented that “We welcome this initiative from the Arts Council and look forward to further information on the nature of the supports for arts organisations so that Business to Arts might work with the donor community to prepare them for this new approach from selected participants.”

Business to Arts is continuing its focus on professional development for the arts sector in Ireland, and has recently launched the next phase of New Stream in the form of a partnership with the Kennedy Center’s DeVos Institute of Arts Management in Washington DC. This partnership will deliver a comprehensive one-year programme of strategy development for 15 arts organisations selected via a competitive application process. This new programme, bringing world class arts management training to practitioners in Ireland will develop the planning, marketing, fundraising, board development and audience development skills of participants through a blend of local and international support.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the New Stream Partnership with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center programme. The partnership has been developed following an evaluation of the first two years of our New Stream project and will further focus on capacity building in an organisational context.

Since 2001, the DeVos Institute of Arts Management (DVIAM) has operated some of the most sought after Arts Management training programmes in the world. With work in over 70 countries, the DeVos Institute leverages its Kennedy Center and fellowship alumni network to train, support, and empower arts managers and their boards locally, nationally, and internationally.

We invite you to apply for this yearlong opportunity to leverage the expertise of leaders in the field, both nationally and internationally; and to develop strategies to strengthen the sustainability of your organisation now and in years to come. We are delighted this partnership will allow us to bring this opportunity to 15-20 arts organisations in Ireland and are grateful to Bank of America Merrill Lynch for their ongoing support of New Stream.

Key Dates
(Stage 1) Application form to be submitted by Friday 20 April
(Stage 2) Online Capacity Management Index to be completed by Friday 4 May
Notification of selected participants on Friday 18 May
First programme days Monday 18 & Tuesday 19 June 

Full information is available here
http://www.devosireland.org 

Brendan Murphy of Allianz Ireland and Stuart McLaughlin of Business to Arts at The National Gallery of Ireland, where Daniel Maclise’s work ‘The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife’ is being conserved as part of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Programme

The Allianz Business to Arts Awards recognise businesses, artists and arts organisations that develop creative partnerships, bringing the arts and artists into mutually beneficial relationships. Many partnerships survived and thrived in 2011 and there were also exciting new projects.

The call has gone out, inviting you to share the stories of your successes with your peers, to demonstrate your pride in what you have achieved and to seek to join the prestigious list of winners which represent the very best models developed in partnership between the corporate and cultural worlds in Ireland. Winning projects demonstrate that working together these sometimes-diverse worlds can come together to create brilliant art, unforgettable experiences and long-held memories which enhance, rather than diminish, the character and reputation of all involved.
As well as arts sponsorship, the Awards recognise examples of arts and business organisations working together in other areas such as mentoring, training, staff development, commissioning artists, CSR initiatives etc.

Closing date for nominations is Thursday 3 May 2012.

The National Fundraising Conference 2012:
Fostering Fundraising Excellence
21 March 2012, Convention Centre Dublin

Fundraising Ireland’s Annual Conference is coming up soon with a range of international and local speakers from the world of fundraising and development.

Tickets are €170 for members of Fundraising Ireland and €230 for non members. Click here for the full programme.

Louis Lovett and Muireann Ahern of Theatre Lovett pictured with John McGrane Head of Business and Commercial Banking at Ulster Bank

Muireann Ahern Lovett and Louis Lovett of theatre company Theatre Lovett have been named this year’s winners of the David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Awards.

Theatre Lovett were awarded €10,000 in cash and €100,000 worth of mentoring and consultancy services at an awards ceremony at the offices of Mason Hayes and Curran yesterday. Presenting the award, Harmonia chief executive Norah Casey praised the founders’ entrepreneurial and innovative spirit “which sets them apart from their peers”.

Theatre Lovett offers a unique kind of drama aimed at family and young audiences. A highly interactive art-form, it has a strong emphasis on the theatre of play. Theatre Lovett’s show The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly , co-produced with the Ark, has recently returned from the International Performing Arts for Youth showcase in Texas.

Previous winners of the Arts Entrepreneur of the YearAward include PhotoIreland Festival, THISISPOPBABY, Arcana, Mother’s Tankstation and the Street Performance World Championships.

Kevin J Kelly, Honorary President, Business to Arts

It was with great sadness that we heard of the death of our friend, former boardmember and Honorary President Kevin Kelly on 4 January. As well as an illustrious career in business, Kevin was a keen supporter of the arts, and an enormous advocate for the mutual benefits that come from partnership between the corporate and cultural worlds.

His obituary can be read here.

Sky Arts Ignition Series – a new iniatative supporting the arts

Business to Arts is working with Sky Arts and Arts & Business in the UK to bring you further information on the application process for their Ignition Series 2012.

Sky Arts Ignition Series is a new initiative from Sky aiming to bring more arts to more people by investing in the creation of the best of new and innovative arts. Sky Arts will partner with six leading arts organisations over the next three years, directly investing up to £200k into the creation of each of these new groundbreaking art works, projects, events and performances, using Sky’s reach and innovation to take them to more people – on the ground and on screen.

An information session on Wednesday 14 December in Dublin with the decision-making teams at Sky will cover application guidelines and timings, as well as help you explore what they’re looking for, and how arts organisations can work together.

If you are interested in reserving a place at this event please email rowena@businesstoarts.ie. Venue and timings to be confirmed.

Read more about the Sky Arts Ignition Series here

Venue: The Abbey Theatre on the Peacock Stage
Date: Wednesday 9 November 2011

The Arthur Guinness Fund has re-opened for applications, and they are seeking applications specifically from the arts & culture sector. The closing date is 30 November, so time is short, making this briefing session by the Arthur Guinness Fund staff very useful!

There are a number of grants available of between €50,000 to €100,000 for start-up and established projects which have a social impact and are innovative and sustainable.

Fundit.ie was a grant recipient this year, and we have benefited greatly from the mentoring and business support we have received, far beyond the financial investment in the project. We have been working with Diageo to ensure the process is more relevant to arts and cultural organisations, to ensure you feel you have an equal opportunity to apply. Although you might not see yourself in these terms, social entrepreneurs are people with business heads and social hearts – just like you!

Some useful application criteria to be aware of :
• Project applicant (and leader) must be resident in Ireland (North or South) and must be over 18
• Projects should address a social / environmental / community issue in an innovative way
• The project’s primary focus must benefit people over 18 years of age
• The project’s primary focus must benefit communities in Ireland
• You should have a clear plan for growing the initiative
• There should be a clear way of measuring impact

This year’s categories are Culture & Arts; Community Wellbeing; Technology & Social Media for Social Good; Skills for Life; Enriching the Environment; Social and Community Regeneration. There is another open category for projects that do not fit within any of the specific categories, but still work towards social change.

There is more information on how to apply to the fund here.

Click here to register places to attend.

(L-R) Stuart McLaughlin Business to Arts, Brendan Murphy – Allianz, President Mary McAleese, Declan Collier – DAA and Gerard McNaughton – TileStyle.

Google, BNP Paribas, Carlow and Cavan County Councils and Bank of America Merrill Lynch are amongst the leading businesses and public bodies recognised at this year’s Allianz Business to Arts Awards Ceremony at Dublin Castle on September 5th 2011.

President Mary McAleese, Patron of Business to Arts for all of her 14 year term of office, joined leaders from the worlds of business and culture for the 20th year of the Awards to announce and celebrate the winning partnerships between the two sectors.

Viewed collectively, the shortlisted projects in this year’s Allianz Business to Arts awards reflect the wide and varied means by which these two apparently disparate worlds can come together to foster creativity to both enrich Irish society and stimulate economic activity. From sponsorship agreements, to community-based cultural events and in-kind partnerships, each relationship represents the joining together of business and the arts for mutual benefit.

A complete list of winners can be seen here and images from the event here.

We are delighted to announce that Dara O’Leary is working with the Business to Arts team one day a week, as a ‘professional-in-residence’, for a period of 3 months, courtesy of the British Council’s Cultural Leadership International Programme.

Dara is currently arts co-ordinator with the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, and holds a MA in Cultural Policy and Arts Management from UCD. She is assisting with the launch of our new crowdfunding initiativeFund it.

See http://www.fundit.ie for more information.

Caption : Stuart McLaughlin, Chief Executive, Business to Arts, with Brendan Murphy, Chief Executive, Allianz look at books in the Chester Beatty Library with Harry McLaughlin (7)

2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the Business to ArtsAwards which recognise businesses, artists and arts organisations that develop creative partnerships, bringing the arts and artists into the workplace and building mutually beneficial sponsorship relationships.

This year will also mark Allianz’s 10th anniversary of its involvement in the Business to Arts awards.

Although it’s been another challenging year in the arts, this year it is hoped to see an increase in nominations as many relationships have continued and some high-profile and innovative new ones formed. Last year, the value of the nominations represented €6 million in investment from the Private Sector in the Arts with half of the nominations bringing the arts into the workplace or addressing organisations’ CSR initiatives. Nomination forms can be downloaded here.

Closing date 20 May, for further information select here.

Glucksman Gallery, UCC, Cork : Friday 10 June
Harbour Hotel, Galway : Monday 11 July
Hunt Museum, Limerick : Monday 8 August

In times of funding challenge we all need to focus on sustainability, achieving as broad a landscape of income sources as possible. This workshop will show you the potential to broaden and maximise income streams, focusing on your impact as an organisation, and how that can drive income growth.

What are the different ways to fundraise? How do I get started? Who would be interested in investing in my organisation? How would I approach them?

This one-day seminar will help you find answers to these and other key questions, and will help you best communicate your organisational impact. The event will help you focus on the future and what your aims are, not for survival, but for growth.

The cost to attend is €75.00 including lunch. If a second person from the same organisation wishes to attend, the total cost for the organisation is €100.00. To reserve places, please email Rowena. Places are limited.

We’re delighted to announce the publication of an independent evaluation of the first year of ‘New Stream’,Business to Arts’ programme for the development of increased fundraising skills in the Irish cultural sector supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, our broad base of business supporters, and the Department of Tourism Culture and Sport.

We have long been committed to the concept of professional development in the arts and ’New Stream’ has allowed us to develop a more detailed programme in one specific field and to measure the outcomes of this investment. The Evaluation was conducted by an external consultant and reviewed by the Director of the MA in Cultural Policy at UCD.

We are particularly pleased that the programme attracted participants from across art form, geography and scale and that, in the first year, over €1million has been raised as a direct result of participation and knowledge gained in ‘New Stream’. Crucially this figure is many multiples of the investment made in the programme and it is a trend that we hope to pursue in subsequent years.

Having achieved a positive outcome in the first year we are currently in the process of implementing the second year of the project, making improvements that take into account the feedback provided by participants.

We are particularly grateful to Bank of America Merrill Lynch for their unwavering support of ‘New Stream’. However, without our broader base of support it would not be possible for us to deliver this programme.

Download New Stream Evaluation Year 1 1MB

Fund it Ireland’s first crowdfunding website for creative ideas

We’d like to introduce you to Fund it; a project we’ve been quietly working on for the last few months which we’re now ready to shout about from the rooftops!

Fund it is Ireland’s first crowdfunding website for creative ideas which will provide a new way for designers, artists, film-makers, inventors, producers, performers, writers, musicians and other creative individuals, groups and organisations to bring their ideas and passion to reality. In fact, there’s no reason why anyone with a creative idea shouldn’t engage with the site! If you know of someone in your network who you think would be interested in using the platform, please let them know.

If you are interested in finding out more, there is a short animation up on http://www.fundit.ie explaining how the site will work.

Martin McNicholl at the Conversation About Culture

We are delighted to announce that Martin McNicholl, our candidate for the 3-month Vodafone Ireland World of Difference placement programme was successful with his application to the Vodafone Ireland Foundation. Martin is our master all things technical and will be working as Project Manager on Fund it, our new crowdfunding website which will launch in 2011. Martin is a former Management Consultant with Accenture and earlier this year implemented the cloud-based CRM system salesforce.com at Business to Arts.

Martin was one of 30 recipients (from 185 high-quality applications) of three-month paid placements with the charity of their choice. For more information on the World of Difference Programme go tohttp://www.vodafone.ie/foundation/world-of-difference and to register interest in Fund it, go to http://www.fundit.ie

Social Media Internship – Do you have what it takes to be a part of our team?

Social Media Internship

Are you an intelligent, energetic and professional social media fiend who is able to perform well in a fast-paced deadline-oriented environment? Would you like to learn how to turn your social media acumen into a career in fundraising and development? If so, we might have the perfect opportunity for you.

Business to Arts is looking for a highly motivated candidate interested in a career in social media and fundraising/ development to join our team.

The internship will support the Project Management Team and will research and assess the online marketing and communication strategies of leading international organisations as well as providing general project support.

What we require:
- Excellent internet research and social media skills
- Data entry and analytical skills
- Excellent communication and organisation skills
- Fluency in English

Previous experience with salesforce.com is also desirable but not essential.

The internship offers the opportunity:
- to be part of a small but dynamic project team
- to be actively involved in the development of a new venture
- to gain experience in online fundraising planning and implementation
- to gain general project management and communications experience

Interested applicants should send a CV and cover letter toinfo@businesstoarts.ie before Friday Nov 5, 2010. Short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews on Nov 10 & 11. Internships are offered for a three month period and will commence in mid November 2010. The internship comes with a small weekly stipend.