Assets for Artists Launches New Chapter, Announces Latest Funding

NORTH ADAMS —Assets for Artists (A4A), a 17-year-old initiative supporting artists across New England, is marking its formal transition to independent nonprofit status with more than $2 million in new funding.

This includes a $1.5 million general operating support grant from the Barr Foundation. The three-year grant will power A4A’s work providing capacity-building programs, professional development, and financial education to artists in all disciplines across New England.

A4A has also secured significant program support, including $460,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to launch the Greater Hartford Creatives Alliance, more than $100,000 from the city of Boston through the Arts Action Consortium, and $82,000 from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts to continue the ValleyCreates artist support programming.

Since its founding, A4A has delivered professional development support to more than 3,700 artists in seven states, awarding more than $1.7 million in capacity-building grants to artists and providing more than 1,600 hours of career-building and financial education workshops and more than 4,000 hours of individual coaching sessions led by A4A’s roster of experienced artist trainers.

Launched as a collaborative program under MASS MoCA in 2008, A4A began by serving artists in Berkshire County, but has since expanded to serve all of New England. Two years ago, A4A began the process of transitioning to organizational independence: assembling a seasoned board of directors, all of whom are New England-based working artists; incorporating as a nonprofit; filing for and receiving federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status; moving into a rental office on the MASS MoCA campus; and transitioning A4A’s existing five (soon to be six) full-time staff. A4A’s website (assetsforartists.org), email newsletter, and Instagram profile (@assets4artists) remain unchanged.

“Being a standalone nonprofit allows A4A to scale our mission, deepen our impact, and expand our reach,” said Blair Benjamin, A4A’s founder and executive director. “We’re so grateful to the Barr Foundation and all of our generous funders and partners for fueling the future of our work, and, by extension, the work of artists across all of New England.”

SueEllen Kroll, senior program officer at the Barr Foundation, noted that “artists are the cornerstone of vibrant communities. They tell our stories, imagine futures that haven’t yet come to be, and inspire young and old alike with their creativity. Over the past eight years, the Barr Foundation has invested in Assets for Artists to help support these changemakers through visionary programming that takes artists, and the impact of the arts, seriously. We’re honored to support A4A’s work as they step confidently into this exciting new chapter.”

A4A will continue to serve as one of the country’s most experienced and robust providers of business and financial training and capacity building for artists, and all programs will continue uninterrupted. In addition, plans include growth in programs to support artists in their local and regional community-building work, and piloting strategies to strengthen artists’ safety nets, including tools to build emergency and retirement savings and access affordable housing and homeownership.

“Already, thousands of artists have benefitted from A4A’s programming,” said artist and culture worker Luis Cotto, chair of A4A’s board of directors. “A4A combines rigor, heart, and impact in a way that’s rare, placing artists at the center of all programming. So it’s a thrill to see this organization fully chart its own course. The need is there, and the possibilities ahead are vast.”