The Presser Foundation is committed to centering diversity, equity, inclusion, access, anti-racism, & anti-bigotry in all of its efforts.
With that in mind, the Foundation has designated six themes to explain how it is embedding and integrating these principles into all that it does and is.
As of October 2022
For decades, The Presser Foundation funded organizations focused on classical music and other forms of music derived from classical traditions.
Recently, the Foundation expanded the definition of its mission and guidelines to provide “funding for music organizations working in a broad range of traditions, genres, and styles.” This expanded definition includes funding for classical, hip hop, jazz, rock, country, music from different countries, and more.
The expansion of the guidelines reflects the idea that people connect to different musical genres and traditions, while continuing to honor the wishes and donor intent of Theodore Presser, the founder of the Foundation.
As a result of this expansion of guidelines, some of the Foundation’s newest grantee partners include Rock to the Future, Beyond the Bars, Sruti: The India Music and Dance Society, and Mamadêlê Foundation.
What We’ve Done
In the past several years, an increased percentage of funds have been dedicated to Advancement of Music, which provides general operating support to music organizations in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Both the increased amount of assets and the prioritization of general operating support impacted the growth of this grantmaking area. General operating support gives nonprofit partners the freedom to decide how they would like to use the funds within their organization.
What We’ve Done
In assessing this area within its racial equity framework, the Foundation is determined to make applying for and receiving assistance more accessible for retired music teachers with financial need across the country. The Foundation hosted a feedback session with community music schools in January 2022 to better understand how to engage and connect people with this grantmaking area.
What We’re Planning To Do
The Foundation is committed to reassessing and reevaluating its budget and historical allocations to each grantmaking area in order to center equity throughout its grantmaking processes. The grantmaking area Assistance to Music Teachers fulfills Theodore Presser’s desire and mission to provide support to retired music teachers.
What We’re Planning To Do
The Foundation will continue to research and conduct relevant outreach to strengthen this program. The Foundation will reevaluate grantmaking guidelines, applications, and reports through the lens of racial equity.
The Presser Foundation has six grantmaking areas: Advancement of Music, Assistance to Music Teachers, Capital Support, Graduate Music Award, Special Projects, and Undergraduate Scholar Award.
What We’ve Done
The Presser Foundation has assessed and reviewed its grantmaking guidelines, application requests, and reporting requirements. Several updates and changes that have been made are described below.
Guidelines – The Foundation updated its Special Projects guidelines for 2021-2022 and 2022-23 to give micro-planning grants focused on centering racial equity in music organizations. Organizations have used these grants to help hire DEI facilitators, host trainings, and begin to develop programming around DEI.
The Foundation considered the uneven, inequitable effects of COVID on partners, thus adjusting its 2020-2021 Special Projects and 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 Capital Support guidelines to give opportunities for smaller organizations to receive funding that would help them adjust to COVID-19.
Applications – The Foundation reviewed and edited the applications for Advancement of Music, Capital Support, and Special Projects for 2022-23. These applications are more streamlined and take less time to complete, while providing the grantmaking area’s respective committee and entire Board with the information needed to inform its decision.
Reports – The Foundation reassessed and edited its Advancement of Music, Capital Support, and Special Projects written reports to be more streamlined and simpler. An oral reporting process has been implemented where grantee partners are able to share reports and updates via a Zoom conversation.
What We’re Planning To Do
The Foundation will carry on assessing and revising its guidelines, application questions, and reporting requirements. Staff will also carefully analyze and segment reporting data to better understand the impact of grants in and on BIPOC-led organizations.
What We’ve Done
The Foundation has revamped its website, created profiles on social media platforms, and developed a communications plan. It evaluated its press release distribution and formed a relationship with another agency to spread its news further. The Foundation will continue to develop and use various platforms to share updates, information, and news while using language that is equitable and inclusive, posting images and narrative with a racial equity lens/viewpoint, and sharing specific articles and stories that will promote understanding and centering of equitable, inclusive, and just practices.
The Presser Foundation accepts guest blog posts written by partners. These blog posts share an organization’s story, values, mission, goals, programming, and/or relevant trends and issues. An organization whose post is accepted will receive an unrestricted honorarium of $150. This effort amplifies organizations’ programs and goals with other arts groups, funders, and members of the community.
The Foundation is evaluating its memberships in organizations like Exponent Philanthropy, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia (through harp-weaver), and Grantmakers in the Arts. These organizations share learning and news that inform The Presser Foundation’s efforts. The Foundation also shares some of its work with these organizations and their stakeholders through guest blog posts and presentations at conferences and events.
The Foundation awarded a Music Fellowship for the 2022-2023 and 2023-24 academic years. The Fellow attends grantee music organizations’ performances and programs, and writes about performances, programs, people contributing to the field, and other music-related stories in blog posts. The Fellow’s music knowledge and programming experience significantly contributes to the Foundation’s grantmaking processes.
What We’re Planning To Do
The Foundation will regularly review the narrative and images it shares on social media and other communications platforms through the lens of racial equity. It will continue to evaluate the organizations to which it belongs and alliances with other funders and will look for opportunities to share its efforts and learn from others.
By providing support and resources to current grantee partners and conducting outreach to attract potential new partners, The Presser Foundation is dedicated to elevating its engagement and relationships.
What We’ve Done
The Foundation convenes interested partners in virtual events titled “Next Movement.” Each one of the Next Movement events focuses on a particular theme relevant to the time and/or what would be of interest.
The first Next Movement events (a series of five virtual convenings) took place in August 2020 and focused on how music organizations adapted and innovated during COVID, when a large source of earned revenue (ticket sales and tuition) disappeared or were dramatically reduced.
The second Next Movement occurred in September 2021 and featured four music organizations who spoke of their journeys to center racial equity within their organizations. In May 2022, the Foundation hosted the third Next Movement, sharing information on preparing and presenting an organization’s budget and financials to funders. For more information on Next Movement, check out the Events page.
The Foundation hired a Racial Equity Intern in Summer 2021, who conducted an analysis on the demographics of the Foundation’s nonprofit partners and Undergraduate Scholar Award recipients and created a report based on that analysis. The report will continue to inform our work.
What We’re Planning To Do
The Foundation is planning to take a variety of steps and actions to engage current and potential grantee partners.
The Foundation will reevaluate its outreach to the music community to attract diverse potential grantees. Potential activities include partnering with other foundations to reach new audiences and investigating funding opportunities beyond its traditional grantee partners.
The Foundation will continue to host Next Movement convening events, with the goal of hosting three per year.
What We’ve Done
The Presser Foundation’s ad-hoc committee on equity was formalized in June 2022 into a full standing committee by the Board of Trustees. The Committee will meet regularly to discuss relevant topics and issues on equity, inclusion, access, anti-racism, & anti-bigotry.
What We’re Planning To Do
The Foundation will identify, build relationships with, and recruit more Trustees and Committee members from underrepresented populations and fields. It will define a clear and full onboarding process for Trustees and Committee members that thoroughly engages them with the mission and efforts of The Presser Foundation.
The Foundation will institute an executive director evaluation and a Board of Trustees self-evaluation.
What We’ve Done
Regarding resources, the Foundation has begun diversifying its vendors using racial equity as an evaluation criterion. We will continue doing so when the need for a vendor arises.
Regarding investments, the Foundation has rewritten its investment policy statement to better reflect current trends and wishes. We have asked Vanguard, the Foundation’s investment manager, to provide information about Vanguard’s own DEI practices, services, and open architecture.
What We’re Planning To Do
The Foundation will continue to assess its investment policies and strategies to align them with its centering equity objectives. It will consider trends and practices in the field to see if they would fit with the Foundation’s goals and mission.
The Presser Foundation is reconsidering its office space, and how a new office would fit in with its goals to serve as a resource for its partners and other community members.