Atlanta’s social justice arts nonprofit Alternate ROOTS is one of 78 organizations, and the only one in Georgia, to receive a grant from the new Ruth Foundation for the Arts (Ruth Arts).
Alternate ROOTS was awarded $10,000 in Ruth Arts’ initial round of funding, which totaled $1.25 million. Individual grants ranged from $10,000 to $50,000.
Ruth Arts has an endowment of $440 million and more than $17 million in annual giving power. It promises to be a powerful new force in the landscape of arts philanthropy. It is supported by a bequest from the late Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, who is part of Wisconsin’s Kohler family, a major manufacturer of plumbing products.
Alternate ROOTS is a regional arts service organization that serves 15 Southern states, from Alabama and Texas to Maryland and Washington, D.C. The 44-year-old nonprofit calls for social and economic justice through the arts and is committed to dismantling all forms of oppression.
Ruth Arts places particular emphasis on creativity in all its forms, with a focus on the unconventional and exciting. Grantees were not confined to particular fields or genres of work and span a broad spectrum of culture-making.
The foundation launched with a unique artist-driven nomination process for this initial round of grants, guided by a group of nearly 50 artists. Drawn from across the country and at all stages of their careers, the artists were asked to propose organizations they felt had deeply influenced their own engagement with art, presented visionary community programming, and connected deeply with artists’ processes. The grantees were then drawn from these nominations.
Grants will remain on an invitation-only basis for a twice-annual cycle. As the foundation develops, it will continue to work with artists to guide and inform its programming, and will host their artist nominating processes on a regular basis.
