

March 22, 2018
How do arts and cultural philanthropy help us understand who we are as a people, reckon with our past, and envision different futures? What difference do they make?
Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, gives the keynote at the third annual Power of Giving symposium focusing on philanthropy’s impact on—and through—culture and the arts. Philanthropic and cultural leaders from the American Ballet Theatre, Knight Foundation, and Smithsonian join historians, performing artists, and impact investors in discussions about the role of philanthropy in supporting artistic expression and cultural institutions.
Dance and live painting performances punctuate conversations about the arts as a tool for mobilizing resources, transforming communities, bridging differences, and drawing attention to issues of consequence.
The annual Power of Giving symposium brings historic perspectives to contemporary conversations about philanthropy’s impact. View other Power of Giving symposiums focusing on annual themes: the 2020 Power of Giving focusing on Educational Equity; the 2019 Power of Giving symposium on Health and Medicine; and the 2016 Power of Giving symposium on Sustainability and the Environment. The 2015 Power of Giving symposium examined philanthropy more broadly as part of the launch of the Philanthropy Initiative.