The Wallace Foundation Awards 8 New Research Grants to Arts and Culture Organizations and Social Science Researchers Rooted in Communities of Color
Summary
To date, the Foundation has invested over $13 million for studies within the initiative, which includes a grant to the Social Sciences Research Council to fund fellowships to 18 early career scholars working in partnership with arts organizations of color to develop 18 ethnographies. Study findings will be utilized to develop tools for measuring how BIPOC artists and Culture Bearers build leadership skills, critical consciousness, professional sustainability, and community networks that transform them into leaders within social justice movements. Within a context of multiple economic crises, political unrest, climate disasters, and the recent global health pandemic, Puerto Rican arts organizations and initiatives have innovated and adopted cultural management models that provide community impact while navigating constant crisis conditions. During the planning year, the team will focus on three in-depth case studies of the Leimert Park, Little Tokyo, and Boyle Heights neighborhood through which they will work with local community and arts practice partners to co-create a full research design to be launched in 2025. TERC, a STEM learning-focused nonprofit, will partner with four community-based dance centers serving Black youth in three U.S. metros to explore the supports, opportunities, and resources for learning and development provided in these spaces.