Meet the Change Maker: Michael Benevides, Fabric Arts Festival Founder
Can you share a little about your background? My family was immigrants from the Acores. I came here when I was two years old. My father started his own business in Fall River, which was Portugalia Imports. I always worked in the family business. I also had a genuine...
Meet the Change Maker: Q&A with Ashley Occhino, Executive Director of Fall River Arts and Culture Coalition
What has your career path been? I went to school for fine arts in textiles. At the time, many mills had closed. My parents were educators, so it seemed natural that I went into teaching art classes. I had an internship in Boston, and then I worked at the Fuller Craft...
New Funding for the Arts, Emergency Relief, and BankFive Scholarships
As the year comes to a close, I reflect back on 2022 and am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together. As a community foundation, our role is to help donors connect with meaningful philanthropic initiatives, and to that end, in 2022, we’ve awarded over $5...
Creative SouthCoast Blog – 3rd EyE Youth Unlimited
Poised to reorganize and rebuild through capacity building Being the president of a small nonprofit made up entirely of volunteers can sometimes be daunting. Moving the organization forward, securing program funding, and ensuring day-to-day operations run...
Creative SouthCoast Blog – Looking Forward
Pictured: Barr Foundation Director of Arts & Creativity, San San Wong with Community Foundation President & CEO Leonard Lee. Through the Creative Commonwealth Initiative, we work with the Barr Foundation and four other community foundations across the state....
CREATIVE SOUTHCOAST BLOG – Who is FRACC?
Even from the highway, you get a sense of the proliferating art scene in Fall River. A colorful Viva Fall River mural on the side of Rt 195 is one of many recent public art installations across the city. If you have plans next weekend, cancel them and head over to...
CREATIVE SOUTHCOAST BLOG – Who is New Bedford Creative?
Fall River and New Bedford art communities are thriving with engaging art installations, well-appointed museums - both new and old, burgeoning artist communities, and an incredible creative vibe. Our Creative SouthCoast Initiative supports these efforts and works with...
Creative SouthCoast Blog: Not Just a “Nice to Have”
When it comes to economic development, are the arts a “nice to have” or a “must-have”? The answer to that question was made clear when MassDevelopment chose, not a commercial business, but a mill converted to artists’ studios in New Bedford to announce the newest...
Creative SouthCoast Blog: Capacity Building
So, what do we mean by capacity building? Glad you asked! Capacity building is the investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit. This can take the form of financial support, community building, mentoring, and resources to strengthen...
Conversations on Capitalization and Community – Building a Stronger and Healthier Arts and Culture Ecosystem
This free online workshop led by nationally recognized arts finance consultant Rebecca Thomas of Rebecca Thomas & Associates is for donors and grantmakers and will focus on building a stronger and healthier arts and culture ecosystem. The SouthCoast Community...