Four Years Later, Alcoa Foundation Leadership Grants Show Big Impact

by David Seals

Four years after the Alcoa Foundation launched a pilot re-granting program through the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, we’re asking grantees to reevaluate the professional growth experiences made possible by this funding stream—and the initial results indicate strong impact.
Of those surveyed, one hundred percent agreed or strongly agreed that the experience gave them valuable connections with peers that they have utilized or will utilize in the future. All respondents also agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to step outside of the day-to-day and consider some big issues/challenges in their work. When asked if they would have been able to participate in this opportunity if it weren’t for the Alcoa funds, eighty-three percent indicated no.

Some grantees in their own words:

“I raise my entire budget, including my salary, from grants. I definitely did not have a professional development budget.... The Alcoa Grant meant a great deal to me. It's almost a year later and I have been able to establish a network of colleagues from all over the U.S.”
“By broadening organizational capacity...and increasing the professional skills of the administrators...the Alcoa Grant is strengthening the cultural landscape of the region in a very real way.”

“It was invaluable being able to connect with others in my field and keep that communication going; knowing what is going on in other theaters around the country helps us to keep production costs down and give/receive help from other organizations. It would have been difficult/not possible for me to attend the conference without the generous funds received from the Alcoa Grant—thank you.”

“Professional development opportunities allow staff to gain perspective and inspiration.... The Alcoa grants remove one of the barriers for participation in these valuable programs.”
“What a wonderful opportunity! I was able to attend an international conference to learn from others and benchmark our own success! A great way to gain perspective on the impact of our programs and operations while discovering some new idea, technology and colleagues! This would NEVER have been possible without the grant. We couldn't have even thought about being able to attend without your valuable financial support and I thank you so much! It means quite a lot to our small -but growing- organization!”

“The Alcoa Leadership grant provided assistance at a time of great economic turmoil. It is extremely important to continue this funding as the leadership and staffs of arts organizations struggle to sustain themselves over the next several years.”
“This was an excellent first opportunity for me to interact with colleagues on a national scale. Thank you so much!”

We extend a special thanks to the Alcoa Foundation for making these grants possible.

Republished from the 2009 Update newsletter.