The Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County Helps Small Nonprofits Make a Big Impact

Sarasota’s arts sector has faced unprecedented challenges in recent years. Hurricanes have damaged theaters, concert venues, museums, and other facilities, leading to canceled shows, lost revenue, and costly repairs, and public arts funding cuts have led to unexpected budget shortfalls.

While large arts organizations with established brands and committed supporters or patrons may be able to weather such challenges, many small and mid-sized arts organizations have been forced to grapple with an uncertain financial future. To help those smaller arts nonprofits increase their resilience and sustainability, this summer, the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County invited a handful of arts nonprofits to take part in a series of workshops made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and 11 participating organizations also received capacity building grants from the foundation. The series provided the nonprofits with both education in how to grow their internal capacity, as well as funding to put those plans into action.

At the workshops, a variety of experts guided participants through a series of exercises that challenged them to develop concrete plans for how they can make their organizations more successful. Sessions focused on helping nonprofits improve their marketing and storytelling efforts, strengthen their fundraising capacity, grow their public profile, widen their community support, and partner effectively with others in their field. Arts leaders walked away with clear goals and plans for their organizations, helping ensure that Sarasota’s cultural fabric remains strong and vibrant.

The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota is a 65-piece orchestra that has produced critically acclaimed musical events for audiences of all ages since its founding in 1975.

"We benefited from taking a deep dive into our ‘why’ and were able to engage our board members through the activating questions presented at the workshops, which helped them reach a deeper level of understanding of our organization and their role in making it thrive. The bonus to these classes was that all of the participating organizations got to know each other better, and on a personal level. I felt as though I gained 15 new friends and mentors through the process." —Robyn Bell, The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota

SPAACES Foundation provides both exhibition space and studios for artists, and works to advance contemporary visual art while supporting professional artists.

“What stood out most was how personal and actionable the sessions felt. For an organization like SPAACES, which is growing quickly, but still modest in size, it was empowering to connect with mentors and peers who understand that stage of growth. It gave us both the confidence and the strategies to tell our story more boldly.” —Asya Stuart, SPAACES Foundation

The Mike Block Trio will perform as part of the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota in January. Artist Series Concerts presents concerts by outstanding musicians performing in a wide variety of genres and introduces young people to interactive music experiences.

“The sessions opened new ways of thinking, offered fresh perspectives and resources, and were very informative all around. It was also inspiring to share space with other organizations—exchanging ideas, discovering common ground, and even sparking possibilities for collaboration.” —Keren Shani-Lifrak, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota

“We heard a clear need from our arts community, and it was incredibly rewarding to help to meet it and learn alongside such passionate organizations and professionals. We see this type of collaborative work as pivotal to our mission of being a resource, voice, and advocate for the arts in Sarasota.” —Brian Hersh, Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County