Membership Information

Membership in GIA

The mission of Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) is to provide leadership and service to advance the use of philanthropic resources on behalf of arts and culture. GIA is the only national association of private and public funders making grants to artists and arts organizations in America.

Organizational membership is open to private, independent foundations, family foundations, community foundations, public sector grantmakers, corporate foundations and corporate giving programs, and independent nonprofit organizations whose primary activity is grantmaking in the arts. GIA's strength is in its diversity of members and their common belief that America is a better place to live when the creativity of artists is prevalent in all aspects of society.

The goals of GIA include providing information, research, communication and convening opportunities. Additionally, GIA has a goal of public policy and advocacy, serving as a resource to disseminate information on why artists and arts organizations are valued tools for community economic, educational and cultural development. GIA offers a forum for discourse, whether in print, face-to-face, or online, that probes topics relevant to arts grantmakers and encourages relationship building and best practices. GIA's solid history has created both a base and an appetite for more programming, including active interchange within philanthropy around arts, culture, inclusiveness, and creativity.

Membership is annual, to be renewed in January of each year.

Organizational Membership benefits:

• Opportunity to identify up to five staff, board, or donor members to be individual GIA member participants
• Opportunity to designate up to five additional individuals to receive a GIA Reader subscription
• Use of GIA member mailing labels three times per year at a nominal fee
• Privilege to vote for GIA's board of directors

Benefits for each representative participating in an organizational membership:

• Advance notice and reduced registration fee for GIA's annual conference
• Subscription to the GIA Reader
• Password-protected online Membership Directory; access to members-only section of GIA's web site
• GIA's electronic Members Bulletin featuring the latest news on GIA, its members and activities
• Annual Snapshot of arts funding
• Networking opportunities at GIA events

Membership Types and Eligibility

Organizational Members

• Organizations legally incorporated as private foundations, community foundations including donor-designated funds within community foundations, corporate giving-programs, and entities of national, state, county, local or tribal governments are automatically eligible for membership.
• Nonprofit organizations whose primary activity is grantmaking must meet all of the following criteria:
  1. Grantmaking represents at least 30% of the organization’s total budget
  2. Grants are made to benefit the nonprofit arts sector, individual artists and the general public and not solely to organizations or individuals connected to the grantmaking organization (example: individual artists to exhibit in the nonprofit organization’s gallery space; performing artists to produce product for the grantmaking organization)
  3. Grantmaking as a program is prominent in the organization’s mission, literature and website

Organizational membership dues range from $400 to $3000 per year based on the organization’s annual arts grantmaking budget. All members are encouraged to become funding partners and support the work of GIA above membership levels.

• $400 — grantmaking budget up to $ 999,999
• $750 — grantmaking budget of $1,000,000 – $1,999,000
• $1000 — grantmaking budget of $2,000,000 – $4,999,999
• $2,000 — grantmaking budget of $5,000,000 – $9,999,999
• $3,000 — grantmaking budget $10,000,000 or more

National Partners are national associations incorporated as a nonprofit organization established to serve and provide programs for a national arts constituency and concerned with public arts policy and nonprofit sector funding. Organizations wishing to apply for national partner status should contact the GIA office directly at (206) 624-2312, gia@giarts.org.

Individual memberships are limited to staff members and trustees of organizations that qualify for membership but whose policies prevent organizational membership in GIA. Individual membership is also open to those who give through organizations that qualify for membership such as individual donors with advised funds at community foundations or other giving programs. Those interested in individual membership should contact the GIA office directly at (206) 624-2312, gia@giarts.org.