Arts Capital | Atlanta (AC|A) is a groundbreaking coalition of 30+ senior arts leaders and funders working on behalf of 170+ nonprofit arts organizations across the 11-county metro area. Together, we are launching a $70 million+ initiative to stabilize and strengthen the region’s nonprofit arts ecosystem, which is currently in crisis but poised for transformation.

Arts Capital | Atlanta is guided by a diverse steering committee of 30+ senior arts leaders and funders who have been working together since March 2023. The committee includes representatives from 22 nonprofit arts organizations across metro Atlanta and spans disciplines such as dance, music, design, visual arts, and film. Each member organization has signed a formal commitment to actively participate in and help shape the initiative.

This collaborative effort also includes funders such as the Zeist Foundation, the Imlay Foundation, and the Molly Blank Fund. Public partners like the Georgia Council for the Arts, Fulton County Arts Council, and the City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs participate regularly, and statewide advocacy partners like Georgians for the Arts join monthly.

Since 2024, Laura Hennighausen, Director of Strategic Philanthropy at Purpose Possible, has facilitated this project.

You can learn more about the committee here.

In the wake of the Lyric Theatre’s closing, in March 2023 a diverse group of Atlanta arts leaders banded together to write an open letter that discussed the challenges of surviving the pandemic, which has proven to be “the biggest disruption to the American Arts sector in history, and the most destructive since the Great Depression.”

These organizations were just a few of the many that regularly gathered every Friday morning to strategize and support each other and their organizations since the beginning of the pandemic. The Lyric’s closing after 42 seasons served to galvanize these leaders to sound the alarm about the precariousness of arts organizations within the 11-county metro region and call for increased support from philanthropic partners, government agencies, and the public.

This effort quickly became a collaborative which has met every Wednesday for over a year and a half to imagine and create improved infrastructure for the arts ecosystem. Together, we have conducted research to get an honest picture of what organizations are experiencing and what they need to flourish.

Arts Capital | Atlanta aims to raise and redistribute at least $70 million over the next three years to strengthen the metro Atlanta arts sector through unrestricted stabilization grants to move than 170 nonprofit organizations in the region. Designed by and for arts leaders, the initiative seeks to reverse the sector’s decline and position Atlanta as a national model for arts sustainability.

In Phase 1, funds will be distributed through a stabilization fund housed at the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, using a data-driven model that prioritizes actual organizational need.

In Phase 2, the initiative will launch a new arts service intermediary—providing ongoing support, advocacy, leadership development, and shared infrastructure to sustain the sector long-term.

The goal of this campaign is to stabilize as many eligible nonprofit arts organizations as possible—and we had to start somewhere.

Early on, the steering committee adopted the 11-county metro Atlanta region, as defined by the Atlanta Regional Commission, as our focus area. This regional overlay gives us a shared, data-driven framework to understand needs, track impact, and ensure broad representation across the metro.

We also recognize that many public arts funding sources, like the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, are only available to organizations based within those jurisdictions. That often leaves nonprofits headquartered in other counties at a disadvantage. By focusing on the 11-county metro, we aim to help close that gap and bring more equitable resources to arts groups throughout the region and encourage other locales to create their own arts legacies.

Additionally, our metro focus complements the work of partners like Georgians for the Arts, who are advocating for increased statewide arts funding. A stronger metro arts ecosystem can bolster the case for more investment across Georgia.

Once we defined the 11-county metro region as our focus area, we set out to understand what it would take to truly stabilize the arts ecosystem here. Through a combination of survey responses and a detailed review of tax records, we identified about 210 operating nonprofit arts organizations in the region. We were able to collect annual budget data for 173 of them, ranging in size from $5,000 to $15 million in revenue, and sorted them into six tiers based on budget size.

We then asked these organizations: “In an ideal world, what would you need to fully realize your mission and strategic vision?” Their responses became the backbone of our model. Based on this self-reported data, we calculated stabilization needs across each tier using an inverse percentage scale, ensuring that the smallest organizations would receive the largest gifts relative to their budget size. For example, Tier 1 organizations (the smallest) reported needing the equivalent of roughly 200% of their current annual operating budget in order to achieve true sustainability.

To ensure fairness, we also built in a “no less than” floor for each tier, so that no organization would receive less than the tier below.

This was a rigorous and thoughtful process, supported by Dylan Gandy, an Emory fellow on loan from a local foundation. Every number was double-checked through hand-reviewed tax returns and cross-referenced with survey responses.

In total, the combined annual budgets of the 173 organizations amount to nearly $92 million. Based on their own data and our methodology, we estimate a minimum of $62.7 million is needed to stabilize the field. Accounting for recent funding cuts and organizations we may have missed, we’ve set the campaign goal at $70 million - a bold, achievable target that can shift the future of the arts in Atlanta.

Arts Capital | Atlanta is a community-led initiative created by the very people who lead and sustain nonprofit arts organizations every day. Unlike many traditional funding models, AC|A focuses intentionally on micro to medium-sized organizations - groups that often do the most with the least and are routinely underfunded, despite their vital role in our cultural ecosystem.

This effort is about equity, flexibility, and long-term resilience. We’re prioritizing unrestricted funding and solutions designed by the sector itself, not imposed from the outside.

We’re planning this initial campaign as a one-time, transformative investment - a financial shot in the arm to help the entire sector leap forward together. At the same time, we’re actively strategizing for longer-term, sustainable solutions that could provide ongoing annual support in the future. This is a bold first step toward building the kind of resilient, well-capitalized arts ecosystem Atlanta truly deserves.

No. Arts Capital | Atlanta is committed to growing the overall pool of resources for the arts, not redirecting existing ones. All of our fundraising asks clearly stipulate that contributions to AC|A should be new or increased support for the sector, not a replacement for current giving.

In addition, AC|A will not seek funding from the Georgia Council for the Arts, Fulton County Arts & Culture, or the City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs contracts for services programs, ensuring we do not compete with existing public funding sources relied on by local organizations.

Arts Capital | Atlanta established a fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia (CFNEG) in June 2025. Fundraising is currently ongoing, and grants will be distributed through a public Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process once sufficient funds have been secured.

The steering committee will give an update to the community no later than December 2025 on the progress of the campaign and timeline for redistribution.

Arts Capital | Atlanta’s steering committee selected the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia (CFNEG) to host our pooled fund after a thoughtful RFP and interview process. Located in Gwinnett County, CFNEG brings a valuable presence in a part of the 11-county region where we’re intentionally working to expand relationships and deepen engagement. Their location and leadership help extend the geographic reach of this effort and ensure broader regional representation.

CFNEG stood out for their responsiveness, creativity, and genuine enthusiasm for building something new. This is an emerging area of work for them, and we’re excited to co-create an approach that’s community-centered, flexible, and grounded in the real needs of arts organizations.

When this campaign succeeds, CFNEG has also committed to helping small and mid-sized organizations manage their gifts and think long-term, offering investment guidance and support for those seeking financial stability beyond the immediate moment.

Their strong reputation and collaborative spirit make them a natural fit. And we hope this partnership will spark even broader collaboration, inviting other private, corporate, and community foundations across the region to join us in supporting a thriving, interconnected arts ecosystem.

No. Funding will be open to eligible nonprofit arts organizations across the region, regardless of participation in the steering committee. Steering committee members are not guaranteed funding and will not receive priority in the grant process. Steering committee members have served as volunteers over the last two years and their organizations have not received funding from AC|A during that time.

Funding will be available to nonprofit arts organizations located in the 11-county Atlanta metro area. Full eligibility criteria will be shared in a public Request for Qualifications (RFQ) once funds are ready to be distributed.

Not at this time. Arts Capital | Atlanta is currently focused on stabilizing nonprofit arts organizations, many of which are facing shrinking resources and increasing demands. These organizations are the backbone of our local arts ecosystem - they create jobs, hire artists, produce public programming, and provide critical access points for communities.

By strengthening nonprofits, we’re investing in the infrastructure that supports artists. With increased capitalization, these organizations will be better equipped to pay artists fairly, offer more opportunities, and fuel creative careers across the region.

We know that individual artists and for-profit spaces are essential to Atlanta’s cultural landscape, and we hope that future efforts can expand to include more direct support. For now, this is about laying the groundwork so the entire creative community has a stronger foundation to build on.

Funding decisions will be made by a community-led committee composed of local arts administrators and funders. This collaborative group will review applications and recommend awards based on the established criteria.

Currently, our steering committee is focused on building policies, forming working groups, and launching fundraising efforts. As the initiative develops, we expect more opportunities for deeper involvement.

For now, we encourage nonprofit arts leaders to join our mailing list and participate in the Friday Community of Practice - spaces designed for connection, learning, and collaboration.

Please feel free to reach out to Laura Hennighausen at LauraH@ArtMattersAtlanta.org 

Yes, please watch this website and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about upcoming info sessions.

The steering committee will give an update to the community no later than December 2025 on the progress of the campaign and timeline for redistribution.