Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Three years ago, Denver's Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, a long-time supporter of a variety of charitable causes, shifted their giving strategy to focus entirely on the arts. According to an article in the Denver Post, “Culture needed the money, the thinking went, and by targeting one area, the foundation could set itself apart from its peers and become a real player in the community.” The organization is now one of the most important voices in Denver’s arts scene, providing customized—and often critical—support to arts institutions, new art projects, and local startups to help build Denver’s arts profile.

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s current president and CEO, Gary Steuer, previously served as the chief cultural officer and director of the Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy for the city of Philadelphia. He also served as Americans for the Arts’ vice president of private-sector affairs and Executive Director, Arts & Business Council. As the foundation’s leader, Steuer is highly engaged with the arts community, serving on a variety of local arts boards, committees, and task forces. "He understands that a foundation can be a platform to do interesting things and support interesting conversations," Adam Lerner, who runs the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, told the Denver Post. "That's the new format for a public figure — being an engaged agent in the city."

This engagement has helped Steuer understand the varying—and often critical—needs of arts organizations in Denver. “The cultural ecosystem of the community has become very broad and very deep,” Steuer told the Denver Post.

According to the Denver Post, Bonfils-Stanton has supported many of the city’s major arts institutions, providing millions of dollars to the Clyfford Still museum, the Central City Opera, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and others.

The foundation helped the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver get out from under high-interest bank loans after it moved to a new building through a special “program-related investments” plan that resulted in a loan of $1 million—interest-free for the first five years.

Through Bonfils-Stanton’s Innovation Fund, the foundation provides resources to startups, such as Oh Heck Yeah, a group that incorporates video games into public art, which received $50K.

In addition, Denver’s Biennial of the Americas, a six day event in July 2015 that is focused on fostering Denver’s cultural presence, received $125K from Bonfils-Stanton. According to the event’s website, the Biennial connects business, art, culture and civic leaders from throughout the Americas by building lasting relationships, addressing shared issues and inspiring action.

Looking ahead, Bonfils-Stanton has hired a consulting firm to study how the tenants of the Denver Performing Arts Complex could work more efficiently. The foundation is also about to launch a diversity initiative exploring ways to expand arts audiences, and it is interested in funding affordable spaces for artists who have been pushed out of Denver because of rising real estate prices. "What are things that make for a healthy arts environment?" asks Steuer. "We're looking for opportunities we may not have identified yet."

Photo of Gary Steuer courtesy of Bonfils-Stanton Foundation.

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