Arts & Education Council of Greater St. Louis

1. INVEST: To annually increase fundraising so that we can increase funding, resources and services to local arts and arts education organizations.
2. CELEBRATE: Amplify the impact of the arts and arts education in our region by raising individuals’ awareness and appreciation of the value of A&E’s mission through effective communications that promote giving.
3. IMPACT: Generate meaningful investments through nimble grant making and strong community partnerships.
4. ACCELERATE Be the catalyst that connects arts organizations and nonprofits to each other and to the broader community
5. OPTIMIZE Ensure the long term operating stability, capacity and infrastructure of Arts and Education Council and Centene Center for the Arts.

1.To annually increase fundraising by maintaining, deepening, and broadening the base of financial support for the Arts in our community.
2. Use A&E’s existing, authentic content to tell the story of why giving to A&E is a good investment.
3. Position A&E as a gatherer and celebrator, bringing together and celebrating places and people, strengthening the region’s quality of life by fostering conversation and collaboration.
4. Communicate and cultivate cultural equity in the arts through business practices and grant processes.
5. Raise A&E’s profile beyond existing audience so that the community fully understands and values the scope of A&E services and programs beyond existing donors and supporters.
6. Grant programs that demonstrate more proportional funding and provides measurable community impact through the lens of the Elements of a Vibrant Community framework.
7. A&E’s grants programs are aligned with our organizations strategic direction, financial policies and annual fundraising cycles by year end of 2019.
8.The Grant and Program Committee uses approved scoring rubrics and reader visits that contain appropriate measures to insure alignment.
9. To continue championing policies and practices of cultural equity within our organization and our grantees that empowers a just, inclusive and equitable community.
10. The Centene Center for the Arts fosters an environment that nurtures innovation, connectivity and collaboration and encourages creativity for our community.
11. A&E envisions an arts and culture sector that grows with collaboration, shared experiences, fresh ideas and art forms.
Finance Committee
12. The committee provides a leadership role in financial oversight for the organization and is actively building and preserving the financial resources necessary to support the accomplishment of its mission, both for the short and the long term.
13.Strengthening the board’s effectiveness through board nominating and engagement efforts.
14. Ensuring that effective board processes, structures and roles are in place so that board affairs are managed appropriately which shapes the overall success of the organization

Founded in 1963 by St. Louis community leaders, the Arts and Education Council is the only local non-profit organization which raises funds from the private sector to support the arts and arts education activities in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

The Arts and Education Council advances the growth of the arts in St. Louis through professional development programs and the Centene Center for the Arts, an arts accelerator in the heart of the Grand Center Arts District.

Each year, contributions to the Arts and Education Council help support nearly 70 arts and arts education organizations whose exhibits, classes, performances and outreach programs impact over 1.7 million people. Students participating in arts activities supported by A&E are four times more likely to have higher academic achievement, run for class office, have higher school attendance and graduation rates, and have higher self-esteem. Cancer patients participating in art therapy as part of their recovery experience less pain, reduced stress and rely less on medication. Our region's economy flourishes with a strong arts and culture industry providing over $583 million in economic impact and supporting nearly 30,000 jobs. And visits to art activities outpace professional sports by nearly 3-to-1 – illustrating just how valuable and vital the arts are to our community and our lives.

2017-18 was a year of exciting developments focused on innovation and inspiration at A&E. We started the year by launching the stARTup Competition for arts entrepreneurs. One of only two like it in the country, the stARTup Competition is a partnershipbetween A&E and the PNC Foundation to foster innovative ideas that have the potential to change the cultural fabric of our region.
In that spirit of sparking innovation, we opened the Catalyst Innovation Lab within our arts incubator, the Centene Center for the Arts. This “living room for the arts” is a space to share new ideas that will push us forward together.
We also expanded our grant programs to reach nearly 100 organizations and 1.6 million people and welcomed new programs to A&E’s lineup like the Katherine Dunham Fellowship, which aims to create a more diverse pipeline of arts leadership through a paid fellowship opportunity for African-American men and women. 2017 was also a year in which we experienced record-breaking support from you, our donors, including Edward Jones and its associates committing more than $1 million to A&E through their workplace giving initiative — the largest in A&E’s 54-year history. In short, it was a remarkable year of programs and services that helped shape a more vibrant community for all. We look forward to expanding our investments opportunties by widening our fundraising reach while sustaining current programs and inititatives.