SPRINGFIELD AREA ARTS COUNCIL
Enriching the Community Through the Arts
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a national, annual program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Regional and State competitions, presented in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, are hosted by the Springfield Area Arts Council.
First Night Springfield
The Arts Council's signature event celebrated its 36th year on December 31, 2023. Held in downtown Springfield on New Year's Eve, this annual Celebration of the Arts features over 200 performers. Free activities and performances are held for children in the afternoon.
Artist on the Plaza
An entertainment series featuring local performers, this outdoor, noon-hour, summertime program has been held for over thirty-five years.
Friday Night Jazz and Blues
The year-round jazz and blues live music series is held weekly from 5:30 to 7:30. A 50/50 raffle benefits Arts Council programming.
Mayor's Awards for the Arts
In collaboration with the Mayor of Springfield, these awards are given to recognize artists, arts educators, arts organizations, businesses, and volunteers from Menard and Sangamon counties. Awards are based on nominations from the public. A commissioned artist designs the awards for this biennial program.
Art After Hours
A city-wide visual arts exhibit featuring artwork created by employees is held in collaboration with local businesses, educational and medical institutions, and state agencies. It is a biennial program.
Levitt AMP Springfield
In partnership with local organizations, event sponsors, and the Levitt Foundation, this weekly concert series is held outdoors in the summer at Fourth Street and Capitol Avenue. These family-friendly events showcase a variety of genres with nationally-touring headliners and local openers.
Arts in Education
Public and private schools receive grants to fund visits by performing, literary, and visual artists.
Community Arts Access
With funding from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, project-based grants are awarded to local arts and other non-profit organizations to increase available arts programing. A panel of artists and community members determines the recipients.
City Arts
In cooperation with the City of Springfield, a panel of artists, city employees, and community members determines grant awards to artists whose projects bring the arts to the city.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
SPRINGFIELD AREA ARTS COUNCIL
Board of directorsas of 01/11/2024
Mr. Steve Rambach
Teacher, retired
Term: 2023 - 2024
Steve Rambach
Teacher, retired
Al Shull
Art instructor
Melinda Kaye
Visual artist
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/11/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.