GREATER FLINT ARTS COUNCIL
We Grow 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?
Arts Incubator
We serve as Genesee County’s arts / cultural incubator. GFAC support services for artists and arts organizations include consulting in career development, program development, strategic planning, funding, organizational development/ sustainability, marketing and partnership development. All GFAC programming is done in partnership with local agencies, businesses and media (support materials). More than 1,500 volunteers work with us annually to accomplish an impressive portfolio of events and services. We normally have under our wing more than two dozen young artists of various disciplines who produce their own events. Many of these productions are paired with character building and civic engagement activities. Through arts incubator, GFAC is able to provide artists and small arts organizations funding, space for meetings, performances, rehearsals, office space, phones, a mailing address and more. Normally, more than 120 events are booked in the GFAC gallery by other organizations or individuals annually. The use of our facility by others is currently suspended due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
We receive close to 5,000 requests annually for information and referrals via email, phone and social media. Topics of inquiry include locations of art, music and theatre classes for youth, dates and times of events, local artists seeking services and arts agencies seeking funding.
Another incubator program, GFAC founded the Parade of Festivals in 1999. This program was created to boost the economy of our downtown during its renovation. It offers incubator funds to begin new festivals, long term support for free festivals and a marketing package which includes regional media and a brochure that is designed for displays and the highway welcome centers throughout Michigan. In 1999, it began with 7 local festivals and has grown. GFAC was involved in the incubation of many of the participating festivals, including Flint Restaurant Week, DROP Fest, Alley Fest and the Downtown Sound Festival. We have received a number of requests to help with future events and plan to continue working with local artists who want to produce them. Additionally, this program gives support to existing festivals including Flint Pride, Goodstock, 80’s In the Hole, Heritage & Harmony, and Flint Hispanic Festival. This program was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We anticipate being able to revive this program with adjustments for 2021.
Where we work
Awards
Entertainment Venue of the Year 2018
Flint/Genesee Chamber of Commerce
Affiliations & memberships
Americans for the Arts 2021
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsMaximum number of participants allowed to attend conferences
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, Religious groups, Women and girls
Related Program
Arts Incubator
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We hosted a national placemaking conference in September 2021. No conferences were scheduled in 2022.
Total number of conferences held
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Arts Incubator
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
National Placemaking Conference
Number of competition winners declared
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
LGBTQ people, Heterosexuals, Religious groups, Ethnic and racial groups
Related Program
Arts Incubator
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Members Exhibition High School Competition University Competition
Total number of free admissions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Religious groups, LGBTQ people, Heterosexuals
Related Program
Arts Incubator
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
ARTWALK Parade of Festivals Tunes At Noon
Total number of off-site performances held
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Arts Incubator
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Flint Jazz Festival Tunes at Noon Festival
Total number of free performances given
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Arts Incubator
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Tunes at Noon ARTWALK
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1. Our goal is to increase artistic expression in our community by engaging members to be creators and audience.
2. Our goal is to renovate 3 levels of our building which are currently only used for storage.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Support services to artists.
Support services to arts agencies.
Support services to arts educators.
Mass marketing to the public to inform of opportunities to be both creators and audience.
Fund Raising.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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 aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, 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, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
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
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- 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.
GREATER FLINT ARTS COUNCIL
Board of directorsas of 05/24/2023
Thomas Webber
Franklin Benefit Solutions
Term: 2021 - 2023
Charles Boike
Attorney
Kimberly Cole
VP Sales & Engineering
James Draper
Engineer, Retired
Louis Hawkins
Community Relations Administrator, Retired
Gary Jones
Advertising Director / Musician
Laura McGuire
Artist, Self Employed
DeWaun Robinson
Nonprofit Administration
Diane Ruddy
Guidance Councelor, Montrose Community Schools, Retired
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? Yes -
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/19/2021GuideStar 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 ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- 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 have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- 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 measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- 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.