Member Information & Directory

National Resources

NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Alliance for Nonprofit Management
Website: www.allianceonline.org
The Alliance provides leadership in enhancing a civil society by challenging and strengthening those who deliver management and governance support services to nonprofit organizations. Alliance members include management support organizations (MSOs), individual professionals, and a range of national/regional, umbrella, research and academic, publishing and philanthropic organizations that provide technical assistance (training and consulting) to nonprofits. By "raising the bar" on quality among our members and our members' clients, we provide leadership in the enhancement of a broader vision - one of stronger, healthier communities and civil society.

Arts Extension Service
Website: www.umass.edu/aes
Arts Extension Service is a Continuing Education Program of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. It servides on a contractual basis to state arts councils, the National Endowment for the Arts, arts organizations, and individual artists throughout the United States with consulting and training services and workshops, organizational analysis and growth tools, research projects, and publications and distribution of resource materials. AES services cultural organizations, artists, arts administrators, and board members.

Benton Foundation
Best Practices Toolkit
Website: www.benton.org
The Benton Foundation website features annotated links to sites that can help non-profit managers use Internet technology to support their goals. Resources organized around such topics as technology funding for nonprofits, online newsletters and discussions, and web pages with great tools for nonprofits.

Internet Nonprofit Center
Website: http://nonprofits.org
The Internet Nonprofit Center provides access to data about nonprofit organizations from both nonprofit and outside sources. A Special Gallery of Organizations is also established whereby nonprofits may directly place online their own brochures, annual reports, and home pages.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
Website: www.midatlanticarts.org
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation celebrates and supports the wealth and diversity of the region's arts resources and works to make these resources widely accessible both in the region and beyond. The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation serves presenter partnerships and artist companies in all performing arts disciplines in the Mid-Atlantic states. It aslo serves artists in a wide range of media working in partnership with nonprofit organizations in communities of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

National Executive Service Corps
Website: www.nesc.org
NESC provides low cost, quality management consulting services to not-for-profit organizations.

EDUCATION

Arts Education Partnership
Website: http://aep-arts.org/
The Arts Education Partnership (formerly the Goals 2000 Arts Education Partnership) is a private, nonprofit coalition of education, arts, business, philanthropic, and government organizations that demonstrates and promotes the essential role of arts education in enabling all students to succeed in school, life, and work.

Getty Center for Education in the Arts
Website: http://getty.edu/education
The Center, an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, is dedicated to improving the status of arts education in the nation's schools. The Center supports arts education advocacy, professional development, theory development and curriculum development. Programs include national conferences, collaborative projects, publications and videos, art teacher seminars, six regional institutes, and ArtsEdNet- a World Wide Web site for arts educators. The Center supports several national initiatives including the development of a new National Assessment for Education Progress in the Arts (1996) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for art educators.

Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network
Website: www.kennedy-center.org
The KCAAEN is a program of the education department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  The Alliance Network is comprised of 46 statewide nonprofit organizations that bring together educators, community leaders, arts organizations and concerned citizens to develop policies, programs, and services that advance the quality of education through the inclusion of arts in the curriculum.  The KCAAEN is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund.

Music Educator National Conference (MENC)
Website: www.menc.org
MENC provides a wide range of publications, hosts national conferences, promotes music education through outreach programs and administers the development of the Voluntary National Standard in the Arts.

National Art Education Association (NAEA)
Website: www.naea-reston.org
NAEA is a membership organization for art teachers in the U.S. and Canada. It provides publications, conducts national conventions and sponsors other events through affiliate organizations.

National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
Website: www.nfaa.org
This organization identifies and recognizes artistically accomlished young people through scholarships, apprenticeships and cash awards; encourages professional development through workshops, public performances and exhibitions, residencies and other projects; and advocates to strengthen arts programs in public and private educational institutions and communities.

National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts
Website: www.nationalguild.org
This national service organization provides direction, technical and artistic assistance, publications, and seed money to start arts centers in areas without arts education.

National Network for Folk Arts in Education
Website: www.carts.org
This group links folklorists, folk artists and educators, and advocates for the inclusion of folk arts and artists into education.

Teachers and Writers Collaborative (T&W)
Website: www.twc.org
This organization brings educators and writers together to develop new ideas and materials and explore the connection between writing and reading literature. T&W sends writers into schools; publishes a bi-monthly magazine and books; and runs the Center for Imaginative Writing, a resource library and meeting place for writers, educators and students.

Young Audiences (YA)
Website: www.youngaudiences.com
A national arts-in-education organization, YA has more than 30 chapters in the U.S. Its national headquarters provides an extensive resource center, advocacy, certification, conferences and networking opportunites.

DISCIPLINE-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

Academy of American Poets
Website: www.poets.org
The Academy of American Poets was founded in 1934 to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry. The largest organization in the country dedicated to the art of poetry, the Academy sponsors programs nationally.

American Alliance For Theatre & Education
Website: www.aate.com
A coalition of artists and educators, AATE services include publications, conferences, the promotion of research and creative activity, and the establishment of a communication and support network. AATE sponsors "Theatre in Our School ".

American Folklife Center
Website: http://www.loc.gov/folklife/
This national center provides services for Congress, individual researchers and state-based folklife programs; houses the nation’s largest archive of ethnographic field recordings plus related multiformat documentation, and is a curriculum resource bank for folklife materials, and provides referrals to state folklorists and other cultural specialists.

American Folklore Society (AFS)
Website: http://afsnet.org/
AFS is a membership organization for academic and public folklorists.

American Symphony Orchestra League
Website: www.symphony.org
The American Symphony Orchestra League provides leadership and service to American orchestras while communicating to the public the value and importance of orchestras and the music they perform.

Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF)
Website: www.aivf.org
AIVF is a national trade association of individuals involved in independent media. It publishes The Independent Film & Video Monthly, a magazine with information about the contemporary media arts field.

Association of Performing Arts Presenters
Website: www.artspresenters.org
APAP is a national service organization whose 1500 members consist of both presenters of performing arts and artists/managers. Its programs and services include publications and information, professional development seminars and workshops, an annual conference, grants for adult audience development and advocacy on behalf of the presenting and touring field.

Associated Writing Programs (AWP)
Website: www.awpwriter.org
AWP is an organization of writers and college/university creative writing programs. It hosts an annual conference, publishes a newsletter and sponsors various programs promoting creative writing throughout the country.

Chamber Music America (CMA)
Website: www.chamber-music.org/
Chamber Music America has fostered a national community of chamber music professionals for twenty-four years, supporting commissioning, performance, education, and community-based activities in cities and towns across the country, as well as providing a much needed infrastructure of programs and services addressing their special needs. CMA's mission is to promote artistic excellence and economic stability within the profession, and to ensure that chamber music, in its broadest sense, is a vital part of American life.

Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)
E-mail: info@clmp.org
CLMP is the national service organization dedicated to supporting and promoting literary publishing in the U.S. It publishes a tri-annual newsletter.

Dance/USA
Website: www.danceusa.org
Dance/USA, the national service organization for not-for-profit professional dance, seeks to advance the art form of dance by addressing the needs, concerns and interests of the field.

International Society for the Performing Arts Foundation (ISPA)
Website: www.ispa.org
The purpose of ISPA is to provide a forum for arts professionals who respect the value and role of the performing arts in our global society; an opportunity to enhance managerial skills through an exchange of ideas and experiences; and interaction with colleagues through a series of organized and informal assemblies.

National Association of Performing Arts Managers and Agents (NAPAMA)
Website: www.napama.org
NAPAMA promotes the mutual advancement and best interests of performing arts managers and agents; promotes open discourse among members and with larger field; gives active consideration and expression of opinion and questions affecting the industry; disseminates and exchanges information through forums, meetings, publications, workshops, electronic media, and new technologies; develops and encourages ethical and sound business practices. In all ways, NAPAMA acts as a resource for its members and creates an environment of regional, national and international alliances on behalf of the vitality of the performing arts.

National Dance Association (NDA)
Website: www.aahperd.org/nda
The NDA promotes the development and implementation of sound philosophies in all forms of dance and in dance education at all levels. The NDA identifies and develops resources and disseminates pertinent information on dance education to Association/Alliance members, dance/arts education organizations, governmental bodies and federal agencies, and the general public.

Opera America
Website: www.operaam.org
OPERA America is the not-for-profit service organization for the field of opera. Membership includes professional opera companies of North America; allied international members; other producing, presenting and educational institutions; individual performing and creative artists; arts administrators and consultants; and trustees and volunteers. In addition, OPERA America serves as a resource to the media, the funding community, government agencies and the general public.

Poets & Writers
Website: www.pw.org
Poets & Writers is a national literary service organization providing services through four programs: Publications; Information Center; Readings/Workshops; and The Writers Exchange.

Theatre Communications Group, Inc. (TCG)
Website: www.tcg.org
TCG, the national organization for the American theatre, offers a wide array of services in line with our mission: to strengthen, nurture, and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. Through our artistic, management, and international programs, advocacy activities, and publications, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of our member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field, and promote a larger public understanding of and appreciation for the theatre field. TCG has over 430 member theatres nationwide.

ARTS & BUSINESS

Arts & Business Council
Website: www.artsandbusiness.org
The Arts & Business Council is devoted to stimulating partnerships between the arts and business that benefit both sectors and the communities they serve. It is the oldest such arts and business partnership association in the world.

Business Committee for the Arts, Inc. (BCA)
Website: www.BCAinc.org
BCA is a national non-for-profit organization that encourages businesses to invest in the arts and provides them with the resources necessary to develop alliances with the arts that benefit businesses, the arts, and the community. BCA offers publications for sale that can help convince businesses of the value of investing in the arts.

ADVOCACY

American Arts Alliance
Website: www.americanartsalliance.org
Established in 1977, the American Arts Alliance is a nationwide consortium of nonprofit performing, presenting and exhibiting arts organizations.  The mission of the Alliance is to be the principal advocate for America's professional nonprofit arts organizations and their publics in representing arts interests and advancing arts support before Congress and other branches of the federal government. 

Americans for the Arts
Website: www.artsusa.org
Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With a 40-year record of objective arts industry research, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Americans for the Arts produces annual events that heighten national visibility for the arts, including Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy, the National Arts Awards Gala, and the Government Leadership in the Arts Awards (in cooperation with the U.S. Conference of Mayors). Local arts organizations in communities throughout the country benefit from special national projects such as the Animating Democracy Initiative, the YouthARTS Resource Initiative, and the National Arts Education Public Advertising Campaign with the Ad Council.

Art in the Public Interest
http://www.apionline.org/
API Resource Catalog with some excellent works on community based arts. API also has a number of essays on-line on cultural policy. Especially recommended, William Cleveland's "Bridges, Translations and Change: The arts as Infrastructure in 21st Century America."

The Association of American Cultures (TAAC)
Website: www.taac.com
TAAC is a national organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of ethnic art and culture in the United States. Services include a quarterly newsletter; a biennial conference; a clearinghouse of national information on culturally diverse artists and arts organizations; publications and video tapes.

Center for Arts & Culture
Website: www.culturalpolicy.org
The Center for Arts and Culture is an independent think tank that aims to broaden and deepen the national conversation on culture and cultural policies. The Center commissions research, holds public roundtables, and publishes new voices and perspectives on the arts and culture. Through its public listserv the Center provides the latest news on arts and culture as well as a vehicle for the exchange of ideas, research, and information among policy makers and professionals in the cultural community.

Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest
Website: www.clpi.org
CLPI is a national organization educating nonprofits about the important role lobbying and public policy participation can play in achieving their missions. CLPI provides training on lobbying and advocacy, motivational, legal and how-to information via its website, books and one-pagers. CLPI is unique in that it works with nonprofits across a broad spectrum of interests and focuses mainly at enabling nonprofits new to the public policy arena to become strong advocates for their causes.

Independent Sector
Website: www.independentsector.org
Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of more than 700 national organizations, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to promote, strengthen, and advance the nonprofit and philanthropic community to foster private initiative for the public good.

Partners for Livable Communities
Website: www.livable.com
Partners is a consortium of organizations, municipalities, corporations and individuals interested in improving the quality of life in America's communities. Services include publications, information referrals, conferences, technical assistance and special projects.

National Assembly of State Art Agencies (NASAA)
Website: www.nasaa-arts.org
NASAA is a nonprofit membership organization representing state arts agencies of the United States. NASAA serves as the collective voice and service professional and appointed leaders with opportunites for information exchange, leadership development, issues analysis and legislative advocacy.

GOVERNMENT

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
Website: www.ncsl.org
NCSL monitors arts and culture-related legislation at the state level and provides information to legislators and the public.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Website: www.arts.gov
The NEA, an independent agency of the federal government, was created to encourage and support American arts and artists. It promotes continued vitality of the arts and endeavors to increase access to the arts for all Americans. The NEA provides matching grants to tax-exempt, not-for-profit arts organizations and to selected artists of exceptional talent.

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Website: www.neh.gov
The NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the federal government that supports research, education and public programs in the humanities. The term humanities includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following disciplines; history; philosophy; languages; linguistics; literature; archeology; jurisprudence; the history, theory and criticism of the arts; ethics; comparative religion; and those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.

U.S. Conference of Mayors
Website: www.usmayors.org
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is an association of mayors, in cities with a population of 30,000 or more, which provides a forum for discussion and debate of the most pressing issues affecting our cities and develops a national urban agenda which is presented to the Congress and the Administration. Services include information, training and technical assistance.

U.S. Department of Education
E-mail: CustomerService@inet.ed.gov
E-mail: usa.learn@ed.gov
The U.S. Department of Education provides a toll free information line (listed above); free publications on educational topics; a monthly newsletter for parents, educators and citizens involved in school reform; and a live, interactive video teleconference for communities working to improve their schools (Satellite Town Meeting).

FUNDRAISING

Chronicle of Philanthropy
Website: http://philanthropy.com
Online resource with numerous links to funding resources and well as funders.

Council on Foundations
Website: www.cof.org
Seeking to promote responsible and effective philanthropy, the Council on Foundations helps grantmakers become more effective funders by representing their concerns to policymakers and maintaining support services and special initiatives.

The Foundation Center
Website: www.foundationcenter.org
The Foundation Center is an independent national service organization established by foundations in 1956. Its mission is to support and improve institutional philanthropy by promoting public understanding of the field and helping grantseekers succeed. Services include a comprehensive and up-to-date database on foundations and corporate giving; free educational programs and fee-based training and other services; a content-rich Web site and numerous publications.

TGCI (The Grantsmanship Center)
Website: www.tgci.com
The Grantsmanship Center is considered to be the best known and most frequently used source of information on grantsmanship. Its main forms of assistance are
1) the Grantsmanship Training Program, a 5-day small-group workshop on program planning and proposal writing offered in cities throughout the United States;
2) a membership program providing a wide range of follow-up services to graduates of TGCI training; and
3) The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, published three times a year and free, on request, to staff members of public agencies and nonprofit organizations

The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a 31-year history as New York’s service association for arts and cultural organizations. The Alliance provides leadership and vision, and delivers services, resources and tools that strengthen cultural organizations. The Alliance informs the field on statewide and national issues affecting the arts and assists local arts agencies in building community support.

P.O. Box 96
Mattituck, NY 11952-0096
Phone (631) 298-1234 / Fax (631) 298-1101