New research published on Teaching Artists

Hi,
Last month, the NORC at the University of Chicago published its findings after three years of research on teaching artists.
A Report on the Teaching Artist Research Project: Teaching Artists and the Future of Education can be downloaded from NORC's website at:
http://www.norc.org/Research/DataFindings/Pages/default.aspx

Just the background information is informative, much less the substantive findings. Both will make it into our future grant proposals.

Enjoy,
Denise
People's Music School

Invitation from DanceWorks Chicago

Hello Smart Growth fellows,

We are hosting another FREE performance this Wednesday, October 5th from 12:15-1:15pm at the Harold Washington Library.

Vibrant and innovative, DanceWorks Chicago is proud to share a diverse repertory featuring who is new and what is next in contemporary dance as well as to showcase exciting work from established choreographers. This season, DWC celebrates its 5th anniversary creating an environment conducive to nurturing experiences of significance for everyone from artist to audience.

Please fee free to join us and bring a friend.

Sincerely,

Andreas

Fall season is here. What will you be doing?

To help us, and your fellow SMART Growthers follow your work, remember to post upcoming events, performances and anything of interest in the Calendar of Events section of the blog.

We want to make sure we have every opportunity to see your work!

IL Cultural Data Project

You know that we have joined a dozen other funders in requiring the use of the IL Cultural Data Project (CDP) as part of the application process, but do you know why? The features that allow you to easily illustrate trends in key indicators, such as earned income, contributed income, or operating deficits, help us track your progress without having to ask you for lots of information in your final reports. That is one good reason to keep it current, particularly if your organization is improving. Although we need to see the FY2010 figures for all SMART Growth applicants, if you have completed your 2011 fiscal year and already have the audit/Form 990, it's important to enter those figures, as well.

There's another good reason that so many funders are driving their grantees to this data collection system. There are now 698 arts/cultural organizations in Cook County that have entered data for 1-3 fiscal years, and we can begin to see what is "normal" and will be sharing that with you.

We will also be integrating this data into our Cultural Vitality Indicators for the region and sharing it with the City of Chicago to help inform the development of its new Cultural Plan. For this reason, it is essential that the data reflects the broad and diverse spectrum of our sector and is not skewed by lack of participation among small groups, ethnic organizations, suburban locations, etc.

So, now that you are in the know about its value, can I get you to think differently about some of the numbers you enter - specifically, those related to participation? Currently, researchers cannot use this data for analysis because organizations are entering figures that are not valid. A common example, is an organization that performs at a festival or marches in a parade and lists hundreds of thousands of audience members. First, attendance at these events is always a very vague estimate, and more important, unless the parade was in honor of your organization or it was your organization's festival, the throngs of participants are not really YOUR audience - right? We will never be able to determine if and how strategies for increasing audience participation work if folks continue to inflate their numbers to the point where no one will waste time analyzing them across the arts industry. These figures need to be useful, both to you and the field, so please keep that in mind when putting numbers together regarding attendance. Thanks.

Grant ID

This is the # that will be assigned by the Grants Manager at the Chicago Community Trust. No one has one now because this is your first SMART Growth grant. As you apply for your annual renewal in 2012 and 2013, the Grant ID # will show which grant you are referencing.

So just leave that blank.
Thanks!

3 year plan confirmation

Hi
Are we ever allowed to provide a narrative in terms of our 3 year plan or are we only giving impact outcomes measurements per each year. I ask because our board has went over the top with suggestions and details regarding each of our management areas and im not sure how to share this info in the proposal.

Request ID

On the year one template, we are asked for a "Request ID". Do we have one already or is that assigned to us later?

Tellin' Tales Theatre