History of the Awards

by Lisa Mackay Across Canada, arts organizations are working to ensure their creative teams and collaborators better reflect the communities they serve. This can create a challenge for the sector: IBPOC artists are often expected to be visible and available for opportunities, yet many hiring processes still rely heavily on informal and hyper-local networks that tend to be monochromatic.  It was in response to this challenge that Valerie Sing Turner and Anju Singh of Visceral

by Lisa Mackay Interest in social prescribing continues to grow as health systems look for ways to address issues such as loneliness and isolation, and other mental health challenges through community connection rather than clinical treatment alone. Within the arts sector, this growing conversation has prompted new thinking about how creative participation might contribute to broader approaches to wellbeing.  The Rozsa Foundation has been exploring this idea over the past sev

by Jennifer DeDominicis Of late, many organizations have been in the thick of reporting back to funders about the work they have undertaken as part of a Future Focus-funded project. Let’s be honest - reporting is typically thought of as a requirement, something a funded organization has to do for compliance and something necessary for future eligibility.  Funders are generally clear that reporting helps them to better understand your experience and impact, but also learn abou

The Growing Importance of Cybersecurity In today's digital age, arts organizations are increasingly relying on online ticketing, donor databases, and cloud-based collaboration tools. While these digital tools enhance efficiency and accessibility, they also introduce significant cybersecurity risks. Recent incidents in the nonprofit and arts sectors have highlighted the vulnerabilities organizations face, including phishing attacks, data breaches, and system disruptions. The c

The Rozsa Foundation has always had an interest in exploring and advocating for the broader benefits of the arts in society. Early funding projects such as Dancing with Parkinsons with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and Anne Flynn at the University of Calgary showed us the profound impact that art can make in physical and medical challenges. We are also always interested in exploring ideas that may help strengthen the arts sector by identifying and accessing other streams of reven

There is nothing quite like perusing through Substack or Medium to help one realize just how many smart people there are in the world! So many, in fact, that it can be difficult to know where to start. We decided to share just a handful of articles and newsletters that regularly make their way into our inboxes. These newsletters inevitably become part of our office conversations, in case you are looking for some new inspiration. To keep the list manageable, we are limiting ou

As part of the Future Focus program guidelines, we talk about organizations being “curious about how to anticipate or encounter challenges they face.” Truthfully, anticipating and encountering are somewhat gentler terms than many organizations use to share the circumstances they are facing. In conversations I have with arts managers, we often speak of urgency or a need to respond to a new or persistent challenge that demands their time and attention. Curiosity in these circ

by Jennifer DeDominicis, Organizational Strategy Advisor Core to the Future Focus Program’s ethos is supporting learning to facilitate a shift or change that organizations hope to undertake. When you apply, there’s an entire section of the application about learning and outcomes. But here’s the rub – learning, especially learning as it relates to change, doesn’t necessarily happen in straight or predictably sequential lines. In this way, learning towards a desired outcome in

This interview was originally published by Metcalf Foundation HERE as part of a series by David Maggs that builds on the work of his...

by Lisa Mackay Access to reliable and up-to-date data has long been a challenge in Canada’s arts and culture sector. For those working in...

by Ayla Stephen Introduction to Future-Focused Work Over the past year, Jennifer DeDominicis and I have engaged in numerous insightful...

by Lisa Mackay Recognizing the Value of the Arts If you work in the arts, you already know that the value of our sector is undeniable....

by Lisa Mackay It is the beginning of February and already the year has been full of politics. We can’t expect much of a break from this,...

In 2022, the Rozsa Foundation, Calgary Arts Development, and the Calgary Foundation jointly developed the Future Focus funding program to...

by Ciza Zoya Earlier this November, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference in New Mexico. This...

by Lisa Mackay The Canadian Arts Coalition (CAC) is an alliance of arts service organizations, arts organizations, individuals and...

by Lisa Mackay In the last blog post, I included the first part of an article on developing audiences. In it, I suggested that adjusting...

by Lisa Mackay Arts attenders have been declining for many years, and as we know too well by now, the pandemic exacerbated that decline....

By Ciza Zoya A recent article posted on Arts Managed  and compelling statistics from Hill Strategies  shedding light on the state of the...

by Simon Mallett Given the nature of the Rozsa Foundation’s multifaceted support for the arts community, it’s important for us to stay...