Philanthropy Chat: Janet Camarena Interviews Frances Phillips of the Creative Work Fund and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund

Philanthropy Chat is a new online audio series featuring interviews with West Coast grantmakers, and other philanthropy and fundraising experts, conducted by Janet Camarena, director of the Foundation Center's San Francisco library/learning center.

For this edition of Philanthropy Chat, Ms. Camarena interviewed Frances Phillips, director of the Creative Work Fund and also senior program officer at the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, to discuss the Creative Work Fund's current grantmaking programs, how the Fund has recently expanded, and tips for artists and arts organization representatives who plan to approach the Creative Work Fund for support.

Listen to the program:

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Question 1: "Frances, you wear several grantmaking hats. I know you are primarily hear to talk about the new Creative Work Fund guidelines, but can you start by telling us about both of your grantmaking roles, how they are connected, and then give us some background about how the Creative Work Fund came about and how it is different from other foundations out there that support the arts?" (7.5MB)

Question 2: "I was delighted to learn recently that the Creative Work Fund has expanded to include a broader geographic reach, and that the award size has grown as well. Can you tell us about the expansion that's happening this year, what communities you are now covering, and other details about your guidelines, what's new this year and how the application process generally works?" (10MB)

Question 3: "What advice can you give to new artists about how to identify potential community partners for their work? Are there specific recent examples you can provide that might shed some light on what these artist/organization partnerships look like and how they come about, and ultimately how they make a case that their work will strengthen a community?" (11MB)

Question 4: "Besides collaboration and community impact, are there other common challenges that applicants face in your application process and general advice you have for overcoming those challenges or avoiding common mistakes?" (12MB)

Question 5: "Since the struggle of the individual artist seems sadly inevitable, beyond the Creative Work Fund, do you have other advice for resources for individual artists who are looking to support their work?" (4.5MB)

Question 6: "Through your work you have the good fortune to see and experience a lot of exciting, new work from emerging artists and writers. Are there any gallery shows, performances, or books you want to promote while you are here?" (3MB)

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