Helping the arts help themselves

Artsfund is a pair of sensible shoes in a creative world that spends its time en pointe.

All of the pragmatic work of the respected organization, known for decades as the Corporate Council for the Arts, helps the region's rich cultural life stay on its toes with sound finances and strategic plans.

ArtsFund is in the midst of its 39th annual campaign, with a goal of raising $3.4 million to help more than 70 King and Pierce County nonprofit arts groups.

True to its practical nature, the campaign began as a way to consolidate dozens of separate fundraising drives into a single coherent quest for financial support. The community has benefited from grants totaling $53.5 million since the arts council was founded.

Corporate and private donors power a mixture of grants for music, theater, visual arts, multidisciplinary programs, dance, film and media, and literary arts, plus grants for service organizations and museum projects.

Corporate, workplace and individual giving supports a bounty of creative offerings, from symphonies and plays to museums and art exhibits.

Beyond all the entertainment and cultural enrichment, a vibrant arts scene fosters more than $1 billion of economic activity. A recent study found more than 28,000 full- and part-time jobs generated by the arts, with payrolls of more than $465 million. In turn, the opportunity to earn a stable living in the arts attracts the best and brightest to settle and work here.

ArtsFund raises money, but also provides management and marketing consultations for the business side of the arts. Leadership training is offered for board members of grant-recipient organizations.

An innovation that weaves the public and arts organizations together is TakePartInArt.org, a Web site provided by ArtsFund and other supporters that serves as a calendar and bulletin board for nonprofit arts organizations to post their events and special ticket offers.

Artistic excellence and solid business practices combine to attract loyal audiences and confident donors. A donation to ArtsFund is about sharing in the region's creative joys. But it also is very much about helping the arts sustain themselves.

The dual mission of promoting a richer cultural life and stronger arts organizations is a reason for being and a point of pride for ArtsFund.