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Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Flamboyan Arts Fund Partner on Arts Innovation and Management Training Program in Puerto Rico

Rosiris Ramos Meléndez

Program to provide two-year management training in strategic planning, fundraising, digital marketing, and resilience planning to 10 Puerto Rico-based arts organizations

 

October 21, 2020 – San Juan, PR and New York, NY – Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Flamboyan Arts Fund today announced their collaboration on the Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) Puerto Rico program. The Flamboyan Arts Fund (FAF) is a partnership between Flamboyan Foundation, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, his family, and the Broadway musical Hamilton, which raised $15 million from the show’s run in Puerto Rico in January 2019 to preserve, sustain, and amplify the arts on the island. AIM Puerto Rico will bring together national and local experts to provide 10 Puerto Rico-based nonprofit organizations with bilingual arts management training and tailored consulting services for fundraising, strategic planning, and digital marketing. The program will also include resilience training for responding to natural disasters.

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ AIM program was established in 2011 to strengthen the organizational capacity and programming of arts and cultural organizations through a combination of multi-year general operating support and management training. The challenges faced by the cultural sector because of COVID-19, including these organizations’ significant loss of revenue, underscore the urgency of establishing AIM Puerto Rico.

“Arts and cultural organizations are essential to building strong and vibrant communities, but today they face more challenges than ever, including in Puerto Rico. As Puerto Rico continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing impacts of recent natural disasters, we are working with the Flamboyan Arts Fund to provide arts and cultural organizations with management training and tailored consulting services – free of charge,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg LP, and 108th Mayor of New York City. “Our partnership will help these organizations survive this difficult time and emerge even stronger and more resilient.”

“Puerto Rico’s diverse artistic talent and creativity are part of what make it such a special place to live, work and visit,” said Luis Miranda of the Flamboyan Arts Fund. “Now more than ever, it is essential that we support the region’s cultural organizations so that they can continue to serve as a source of enrichment and vibrancy. This partnership between the Bloomberg Philanthropies AIM program and our partners at the Flamboyan Arts Fund will help build a solid foundation for strengthening the future of the region’s cultural ecosystem.”

“Ensuring long-term sustainability of arts and cultural organizations has been the top priority of the Flamboyan Arts Fund since the beginning,” said Kristin Ehrgood, Flamboyan Foundation CEO and Board Chair. “We know this exciting collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies will provide new opportunities for learning, including working models which will enable participants to reimagine their future and preserve their critical contributions to Puerto Rico and beyond.”

“This program represents a great opportunity to strengthen the arts and culture ecosystem in Puerto Rico with high-level management tools to achieve stability and growth in the sector. Our cultural organizations generate high-quality products and experiences. Now we will have the opportunity to support them in the managerial know-how to maximize its impact,” said Javier Hernández Acosta, Inversión Cultural founder and one of the local advisors to grantees participating in the program. He will provide coaching, and support to institutions as they implement strategic planning.

The organizations selected to participate in AIM Puerto Rico are cultural institutions that have been in existence for at least two years. The ten organizations are:

  • Andanza
  • Corporación de la Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño
  • Corporación del Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico
  • Fundación Arturo Somohano
  • Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades
  • Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico
  • Museo de Arte de Ponce
  • Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico
  • Museo de Arte MUSA
  • Museo de las Américas

Artistic, executive, and board leaders will participate in a series of seminars. Each organization will develop and execute a long-range strategic plan with the support of national and local mentors. Other cultural organizations supported by the FAF will be invited to participate in the AIM Puerto Rico seminars.

Since 2011, more than 700 arts and cultural organizations in 14 cities have participated in the AIM program. For a full list of participating organizations, click here. Participating organizations reported significant improvements in fundraising and overall income over the two-year program:

  • Fundraising: 76 percent secured increased contributions from donors
  • Income: 64 percent increased total earned income

Local and national media outlets shared the news. Here are links to some of them:

National

Local

 

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in more than 570 cities and over 160 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2019, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3.3 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.

About Flamboyan Foundation
Guided by the belief that all children deserve the opportunity to live a fulfilling life, the Flamboyan Foundation works to ensure every child in the US and Puerto Rico receives an outstanding education. In D.C., Flamboyan is accelerating student learning by helping educators and school systems transform their relationships with families. In Puerto Rico, Flamboyan is ensuring students are reading in Spanish on grade level by third grade while building a thriving philanthropic and nonprofit sector, which includes arts and cultural organizations. http://www.flamboyanfoundation.org

About Flamboyan Arts Fund
The Flamboyan Arts Fund is a partnership between Flamboyan Foundation, Lin-Manuel Miranda, his family, and the Hamilton musical to preserve, amplify, and sustain the arts in Puerto Rico. Since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, many artists and arts organizations like museums, theaters, arts education programs, and music venues are at risk of cutting back services or closing. The fund supports all facets of the arts community including music, theater, visual arts, dance, literature, and youth arts education to ensure that the arts and culture continue to flourish during the rebuilding of Puerto Rico. http://www.flamboyanfoundation.org/flamboyanartsfund


Media Contacts
Rebecca Carriero, Bloomberg Philanthropies, rebeccac@bloomberg.org

Neeltje van Marissing Méndez, Flamboyan Foundation, nvanmarissing@flamboyanfoundation.org