Whether you’re an individual, business, nonprofit, or foundation, partnering with a local arts agency can help you expand your reach and contribute to the vibrancy of local communities.
Partnering with a local arts agency (LAA) can offer numerous benefits, but first, what is a LAA?
A local arts agency is an organization, typically funded by local government or foundations, that supports arts and cultural activity within a geographic area. Arts agencies play a vital role in fostering the growth of the arts community by providing funding, resources, and shared services to cultural organizations and creative people.
CultureSource is the LAA for the seven counties of Southeast Michigan. We empower creativity throughout Metro Detroit by working with partners from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to instigate innovation at our beloved cultural organizations.
Here are a few ways you can benefit from working with a local arts agency.
Foundations
Local arts agencies are deeply rooted in their communities and have connections with diverse stakeholders, including artists, patrons, educators, and policymakers. Partnering with LAAs can help foundations build meaningful relationships with new audiences and support your foundation’s strategic initiatives. At CultureSource, we provide tailored services to foundations from strategy consulting, to facilitating regranting, and supplying research insights.
Arts Organizations
Local arts agencies offer numerous benefits for arts organizations including access to a vibrant network of cultural peers, resources, and opportunities for organizational development. By joining your LAA’s cultural network, your organization can stay informed about emerging trends in the sector and take advantage of resources designed to support long-term sustainability. For nonprofit arts organizations in Southeast Michigan, CultureSource offers membership which provides access to low or no-cost capacity-building programs, support for digital investment, and equity resources.
Policymakers
Partnerships between policymakers and LAAs can open avenues for economic growth and community engagement. By leveraging the creative sector’s economic potential, policymakers can stimulate local economies, attract tourists, and create jobs. Moreover, local arts agencies can provide critical insights from the sector to help policymakers better understand the challenges faced by the creative community. CultureSource routinely facilitates dialogue on how policy change can simultaneously support social infrastructure and promote civic participation.
Artists
Local arts agencies offer funding, training, and other resources that can support your artistic endeavors. Staying connected with your LAA provides opportunities to tap into these resources to support not only your programmatic initiatives, but ongoing career development. For artists in Southeast Michigan, CultureSource offers funding opportunities and a free, online professional development course in partnership with Creative Capital.
Peer Organizations
When nonprofits and service organizations join forces, both can benefit from increased visibility. Leveraging each other’s promotional platforms can amplify your message and help you connect with diverse audiences. Through joint projects, exhibitions, or events, organizations can leverage collective expertise and resources to achieve mutual goals. CultureSource and our numerous peer organizations often seek opportunities to offer shared services and events for our members.
Local arts agencies play a crucial role in promoting creativity and contributing to the vitality of regional communities. Whether you’re an individual, business, nonprofit, or foundation, there are many ways to partner with a local arts agency to expand your reach and maximize your impact.
View CultureSource’s cross-sector partners, and check out this interactive map to find a local arts agency in your region.