Cultural Council Of Palm Beach County and The Devos Institute Join Teams to Provide Free Training and Consultation Programs

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (July 26, 2018) – The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland recently announced the launch of a year-long training and consultation program for 10 cultural nonprofits in Palm Beach County.

Building on a strong platform of training previously conducted by the Council, the Palm Beach County Arts Accelerator is driven by a singular outcome: to optimize 10 institutions for new investment from both the public and private sectors. Focusing on organizations that are preparing to undertake a major fundraising effort, the Arts Accelerator will support organizations in their effort to identify strengths, liabilities, and needs in respect to their campaign. A mix of in-person training and one-on-one, in-depth consultation will ready participants to implement their efforts while maintaining organizational stability. The program is offered free of charge to participants, underwritten by two generous gifts: one from The Donald M. Ephraim Cultural Leadership Fund, and a second from Suzanne L. Niedland.

 “Palm Beach County is one of our nation’s most vibrant and vital cultural ecologies. Its organizations function as a powerful driver of economic and social equity,” said Brett Egan, President of the DeVos Institute, “and we are honored to have been invited by the Cultural Council to work alongside its team to support the vision and ambition of 10 game-changing institutions.”

The following 10 organizations were selected as participants in the Palm Beach County Arts Accelerator and training will begin in September:

•  Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
  
• Boca Ballet Theatre
  
• Boca Raton Museum of Art
  
• Center for Creative Education
  
• Historical Society of Palm Beach County
  
• Loggerhead Marinelife Center
  
• Loxahatchee River Historical Society, Inc
  
• Maltz Jupiter Theatre
  
• South Florida Science Center and Aquarium
  
• Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, Inc
  

“Building capacity within the arts and cultural sector is imperative for Palm Beach County,” said philanthropist and Cultural Council board member, Don Ephraim. “The Arts Accelerator program offers sophisticated training in nonprofit fundamentals and customized training that will have a significant impact on these organizations.”

The Arts Accelerator program was open to all eligible organizational members of the Cultural Council through a competitive application process. Criteria included timeliness of campaign; organizational awareness; fundraising practices; program readiness; distinct goals for engagement; and a commitment from the board and staff leadership to support and participate in this process.

“The training offered to the community at large, along with individualized consultation and support for participating organizations, offers an invaluable opportunity for organizations to plan and implement their fundraising strategies. I am proud to play a part in the Arts Accelerator program,” said Suzanne Niedland, member of both the Cultural Council board and the DeVos Institute Advisory Council.

For more information, please visit www.palmbeachculture.com/grants.

ABOUT THE DEVOS INSTITUTE OF ARTS MANAGEMENT

The DeVos Institute has served more than 1,000 organizations from over 80 countries since Michael M. Kaiser founded it during his tenure as President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The Institute has designed its training, planning, and consulting services to assist a wide range of institutions, from traditional performing and presenting organizations, museums and galleries, arts schools and libraries, to botanical gardens, glass-making studios, public art trusts, and non-profit cinemas, to name a few. The DeVos Institute transferred its activities and offices from the Kennedy Center to the University of Maryland in September 2014. The move enables the Institute to expand its global training and consulting programs, enhance its fellowships for North American and international arts managers within the context of a major educational institution, and undertake research initiatives that utilize both University and Institute resources. More information: http://devosinstitute.umd.edu/

ABOUT THE CULTURAL COUNCIL OF PALM BEACH COUNTY

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. The Council provides grants to cultural organizations and professional artists, advocates for art and cultural funding, enhances local arts education, offers support services to foster growth of the sector and promotes cultural tourism.

The Cultural Council also serves as a venue for exhibitions and performances featuring artists who live or work in Palm Beach County, and provides additional programming at its headquarters in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building in Downtown Lake Worth. Also on the property are the Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store featuring hand-crafted items by local artists; the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center, a VISIT FLORIDA-designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center; and the Project Space, an open-air garden for live music and large-scale sculpture.

The Cultural Council is open to the public from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, including a complete calendar of cultural activities in The Palm Beaches, visit palmbeachculture.com.