welcome

April 2010

Toward An Expanded Mission:
The Future of The Fund for Arts and Culture

The Fund for Arts and Culture, a non-profit organization, is expanding its mission to provide professional services to institutions in the visual and performing arts, and to support their efforts to bring the value of arts and culture to their communities. The Fund is refocusing to meet newly identified opportunities as well as an expanded vision of its role in serving the global community.

Michael Daniels

After two successful decades, The Fund's creator, Jillian Poole, will be stepping down from the day to day responsibilities as chief executive officer, but will continue to serve as a valued resource for The Fund. It is seeking new and experienced leadership and has taken a significant step with the addition of Michael Daniels to lead our planning operations. Mr. Daniels has enjoyed a long international career in the private sector and will assist The Fund in formulating its future strategic direction and exploring new areas for its activities. The Fund is entertaining proposals from several significant nonprofit organizations to establish working relations with them.

Since its inception The Fund has responded to formal invitations from cultural institutions, ministries of culture, and U.S. Embassies. Over 100 consultants associated with The Fund have provided assistance on a pro bono basis in more than 20 countries in the areas of arts administration, management, governance, planning, public relations, marketing and fund raising, through seminars, round table forums, workshops, training courses, consultations and lectures.

The Fund's future plans recognize the growth in nations joining the front ranks of industrialization and their need to have their cultural institutions keep pace with their emerging economic and industrial presence on the world stage. To that end, The Fund presents an experienced and available resource to these emerging powers in their efforts to promote and protect their cultural organizations, heritage and treasures. It is The Fund's belief that strong, vibrant cultural institutions strengthen civil society and contribute to a positive global outlook.

MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

FAREWELL!

When we established The Fund after the Cold War, we did so to address what we believed would be a short-term problem in Central Europe, namely the cultural institutions’ lack of familiarity with management techniques to cope with the sudden withdrawal of government support and the emerging free market. But it turned out the problems were more pervasive than we imagined, and here we are after twenty years and some hundred consultants having worked in over twenty countries, still helping cultural institutions to better serve their communities. And indeed looking at new places we can serve. But I think you’ll understand that after spending so much of my life serving The Fund, I feel it’s time for me to say goodbye to all of you.

The Fund is refocusing to meet new demands and conditions; it is seeking new leadership and new operating patterns to enable it to better serve other parts of the world. Our advisors are working on this challenge and you’ll have definitive word about our future in the coming months. In the meantime, we will continue to fulfill our commitments for 2010.

For me, and indeed for many others, The Fund has provided extraordinary experiences. In the course of fulfilling our assignments, I have made innumerable trips, visited some countries repeatedly and for extended stays, others more briefly. I’ve traveled to the farthest reaches of Siberia; I’ve been above the Arctic Circle, in Central and Eastern Europe and in nearly all the Balkan countries. I have met fascinating people of outstanding accomplishment, wide interests, and unexpected talents. I have made friends I cherish, been the beneficiary of thoughtfulness, kindnesses and generosity I can never reciprocate, coped with unheralded events I could never have imagined, seen glorious performances and stunning art, eaten astonishing food , and talked into the early morning hours in places luxuriously grand or utterly stark.

The Fund is comprised of a huge variety of people — our consultants, our donors and our advisors who share their time, talent and funds. The Fund’s people are unique; they constitute an irreplaceable resource – a treasure that must be preserved to help cultural institutions in other areas of the world.

To name the hundreds of people who’ve contributed to our endeavors can’t be done. But certain ones must be singled out. My husband Richard, who encouraged me to start this organization and invariably welcomed me home from my trips with yellow roses. Harold Burson and John Whitehead have supported and counseled us since our beginning. And David Graling. And Frank Johnson. Paul Elicker who continues to be immensely supportive in the face of great personal challenges. Hugh Southern, who has planned our trips, and Sally Yerkovich, who has undertaken more missions than anyone else. Our friends at the Russian Museum, who have championed our services over the years, and Olga Reva who has accompanied us, patiently translating and explaining. And these are just a few of hundreds to whom I owe gratitude. Thank you all for sharing in my twenty- year adventure of a lifetime!

I send you love and goodbye,

Jillian Poole