This report reviews results from the 2018 Local Arts Agency Profile Equitable Investment module, which was completed by 537 local arts agencies (LAAs) across the United States. It focuses on how, when, and where LAAs currently consider equity in the deployment of their funds, time, space, and staff.

A report on the first two years of progress following the 2016 adoption of the Americans for the Arts Statement on Cultural Equity by that organization, with accompanying data and analysis. Also includes recommendations for future work.

The Color Bind provides a useful lens for policy makers, researchers and practitioners pursuing in a wide variety of goals, from addressing racial disparities in health and education to creating diverse and inclusive organizations to providing culturally competent services to clients and customers. By foregrounding open conversations about race and ethnicity, Foldy and Buckley show that institutions can transcend the color bind in order to better acknowledge and reflect the diverse populations they serve.

Part history, part case study, and part “idea bank,” we hope this Monograph will serve as a tribute to the accomplishments of a vibrant and growing field, as well as a catalyst and guidepost for those new pioneers who have just begun their journey.

Publishing and distributing these Grantmakers in the Arts essays is part of our ongoing commitment to sharing information and deepening the understanding between local arts agency grantmakers and their partners in the private funding community.

More than 2,300 participants from 21 cities participated in the 41 forums, which were directed by a wide cross section of experts—from business leaders and elected officials to artists and arts-based training consultants, from human resource and education professionals to arts administrators.