Atlanta officials and local supporters of the arts hope that a new online program will help the city’s arts funding stretch further.
Billed as a forum for cash-strapped arts organizations to spread the word about noteworthy projects that need cash, Power2Give.org launched in Atlanta this week to much fanfare at City Hall, while the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia was randomly selected for a small donation from Mayor Kasim Reed.
Power2Give.org uses crowd-sourced funding to match donors with arts organizations and projects. The city has pledged $220,000 for matching purposes in an initiative that Reed called an important step in making Atlanta more of an arts-friendly city.
“We have to do more to support the work of our artists,” he said. Support for the arts “can be an important factor … when people choose to make the city of Atlanta their home.”
Camille Love, Atlanta’s director of cultural affairs, said Power2Give has raised $1.2 million in eight cities. That’s important now more than in past decades, because of dwindling government and corporate support for the arts.
As a new mayor, Reed initially cut the city’s arts funding but then restored it after facing a backlash.
Arts organizations vetted through the Office of Cultural Affairs’ contracts for arts services program are granted access to the Power2Give website. They can then describe arts-related projects that need funding. Residents can support the projects through donations via an online payment tool.
The Office of Cultural Affairs allocated $220,000 in fiscal year 2013 for matching donations made through Power2Give. The initial group of 22 organizations — including Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta, Atlanta Ballet, Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble — are eligible for matching funds up to $55,000. That leaves $165,000 for future rounds of projects.
“We know these are tough economic times,” Reed said this week. “I want everyone to know that this is really just a start. I want to make sure that $220,000 investment is leveraged to the hilt.”
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