Elevating Arts Leadership
Elevating cultural organizations and artists as community leaders and anchors
Within this strategy, Barr invests in arts organizations and leaders in the cultural sector to create the conditions for artists to thrive. We envision an arts field that is nimble, adaptive, and responsive to communities – where artists, cultural workers, and arts administrators produce courageous art, experiment, and take bold risks.
Our grantmaking priorities are to:
- Strengthen arts organizations through capacity building, strategic capitalization, and collaboration across the arts ecosystem.
- Foster conditions for artists and creative workers to thrive.
- Stimulate new work and reach new audiences by embracing risk and elevating artistic appreciation and discourse.
Initiatives
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Cultural Evolution
Supporting arts institutions through business model transformation
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Catalyzing Vitality
Supporting small grassroots organizations that expand access to arts, culture, and creativity within communities of color
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Powering Cultural Futures
A six-year partnership with 15 community-rooted organizations to support BIPOC arts and communities, and advance a more equitable Massachusetts arts sector.
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Grantmaking in Elevating Arts Leadership
Celebrity Series of Boston
To support Celebrity Series’ organizational rebranding implementation plan
- Award Date: 11/20/2025
- Amount: $100,000
- Term: 11 months
- Program:
- Strategy:
Myriad USA, Inc.
To support Massachusetts arts organizations to access Nonprofit Secure resources
- Award Date: 11/04/2025
- Amount: $200,000
- Term: 24 months
- Program:
- Strategy:
Trustees of Tufts College
To support the Collective Futures Fund
- Award Date: 11/04/2025
- Amount: $25,000
- Term: 12 months
- Program:
- Strategy:
Grantmaking Inquiries
Please note that Barr invests in long-term systems change work as outlined in our strategy and — with exceedingly rare exception — does not fund individual artists, individual projects, or programs. For those who feel their work may align with Barr’s priorities, the best approach is to complete this form.
Please allow up to 6 weeks for a response. For additional resources that might support your organization, please check out our Resources for Grant Seekers post.
Our Team
Insights from Elevating Arts Leadership
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Announcing Catalyzing Vitality: New Grantmaking from the Arts & Creativity Program
Announcing Cultural Evolution: Supporting Organizations through Business Model Transformations, a new initiative from the Arts & Creativity program