The 2020 Seminar on Strategy for AEF Leaders is postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Our intention is to reschedule the Seminar in the fall of this year, date to be determined. Please contact Christine J. Vincent, AEFI Project Director at christine.vincent@aspeninstitute.org with questions. In the meantime, please be well.

April 30 – May 5, 2020

The Seminar on Strategy for Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders supports the professional development of individuals who currently have, or will have, policy-setting and leadership responsibilities for artist-endowed foundations—directors, officers, trustees, board members, senior staff—as well as those supporting an artist’s stewardship planning efforts with respect to a potential foundation.

Presented by the Aspen Institute Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative (AEFI), the Seminar educates leaders about the characteristics of these distinctive charitable organizations, including foundations’ complex business models, diverse philanthropic practices, influential art historical roles, and manifold governance and stewardship requirements.

The Seminar is based on findings of AEFI’s National Study of Artist-Endowed Foundations and subsequent research publications, which are viewable at www.aspeninstitute.org/aefi, and focuses specifically on the strategic concerns of leaders orienting themselves to the field. Site visits and sessions with seasoned foundation leaders are central to the curriculum. By building the capacity of foundation leaders, the Seminar advances AEFI’s mission to strengthen the charitable impact of the emerging artist-endowed foundation field in the realms of cultural philanthropy and art stewardship.

Dates: Thursday, April 30 – Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Seminar Opening Dinner on April 30, followed by five full-day sessions, with the Seminar Closing Reception the evening of May 5.

Location: New York City, hosted by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Nancy Graves Foundation, Joan Mitchell Foundation, The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, and The Milton Resnick-Pat Passlof Foundation.

Who Should Consider Applying to Participate in the Seminar:

• Individuals who, within the past three years, have assumed leadership responsibilities for artist-endowed foundations—directors, officers, trustees, board members, senior staff;
• Individuals designated to assume foundation leadership roles in the future, for example upon the artist’s death, including artists’ family members and professional associates; and
• Individuals supporting an artist’s stewardship planning effort with respect to a potential foundation.

Curriculum Topics:*

• Legacy Stewardship and Artist-Endowed Foundations
• Organizational Viability
• Economic Sustainability
• Cultural Asset Stewardship
• Philanthropic Impact
• Foundation Operation
• Communications and Foundation Planning

* Subject to Change

Application: By online submission, deadline March 12, 2020. Participant selection determined by Seminar Admissions Committee. Notification of acceptance March 19, 2020.

Application Contents: Applicant’s letter outlining motivation to apply; applicant’s cv; two letters of reference; foundation documentation – all submitted with the Seminar online application form, including agreement to comply with Seminar Eligibility and Application Guidelines and Seminar Participant Guidelines.

Application Timeline: Key dates in the Seminar application process are as follows:

• March 12 – Application Deadline
• March 19 – Acceptance Notification
• March 26 – Tuition Payment Deadline
• April 30 – Seminar Convenes in New York City

Tuition:

$4,875 USD, payable upon notification of acceptance and no later than March 26.

Completion Certificate: Conferred by the Aspen Institute Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative/AEFI.

Seminar Refund Policy: No tuition refunds will be made. In the case of an inability to participate, with prior approval by AEFI, tuition may be applied to participation in the subsequent Seminar if the individual remains in a foundation leadership position at that time.

To Apply for Participation in the 2020 Seminar, Click Here. 

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