We are writing to invite you to participate in a small, private convening in New York City on May 30, 2024, about the threat polarization poses to American society and culture. As you well know, over the past few years, we have witnessed an extreme rise in polarization, othering, and division here in the United States and worldwide. This level of polarization destabilizes electoral and political processes while posing a significant barrier to our collective efforts to solve other pressing issues. 

 It would be an honor to have you join us as an active participant in a small unique gathering with five prominent world leaders who have been invited as featured guests, to share their lessons grappling with extreme polarization:

— Hon. Ms. Ouided Bouchamaoui (Tunisia): leading Tunisian business woman who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 as a key member of the Tunisian Quartet that led the National Dialogue which produced a historic political settlement in the country that headed off the risk of civil war.
— Ai-jen Poo (US):  next-generation labor leader, award-winning organizer, author, and a leading voice in the women’s movement. She is the President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Director of Caring Across Generations, Co-Founder of SuperMajority and Trustee of the Ford Foundation.
— President Chandrika Kumaratunga (Sri Lanka): first and only female Executive President of Sri Lanka (1994-2005) who governed through the country’s civil war, survived an assassination attempt, and later served as the Chairperson of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation.
— Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia (Kenya): current Chairman of Kenya’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission, having previously served as Chancellor of St. Paul’s University, General Secretary of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, and Senior Adviser to the President of Kenya.
— Hon. Ms. Monica McWilliams (UK): cofounder of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition political party and its lead negotiator in the peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement, of which she is a signatory, following which she served as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (2005-2012).

In addition to the private convening on May 30, you are invited to attend a full-day program on Friday, May 31 at the Ford Foundation as these leaders present their lessons in conversation with influential advocates and thoughtleaders from the United States.  The session will also be recorded and amplified with a prominent media partner soon to be announced. (In the RSVP form, please indicate if you intend on attending both days on May 30 and 31, or only the private convening on May 30.)

The aim is to try to get to the root of how we can end polarization and begin to see common ground, with a focus on leading policymakers and opinionmakers in the United States.  

As space is limited, we look forward to your reply by March 15. We hope you are able to join us for this incredibly important discussion.

Sincerely,

Hilary Pennington

Program: 

May 30, 2024

2:30pm: Coffee Networking 
3pm: Program
5:30pm: Reception 
6pm: Dinner

May 31, 2024

9:30am: Program 
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Program
2:45pm: Reception

A detailed agenda will follow closer to the date of the convening. 

The performing arts in the United States is at a historic crossroads. The pandemic ignited a broader social, racial, and economic reckoning that both revealed existing vulnerabilities and inequities and posed new challenges to the way performing arts are made and experienced. Moved by the urgency of the moment, a group of performing arts funders, including The Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and The Institute of Museum and Library Services invited national funders and key partners to take stock of the landscape of performing arts funding and state of the field and consider the future.

Hosted on Wednesday, June 26 through Thursday, June 27, 2024 at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, Performing Arts Futures: A Funder Gathering, aimed to create a space for shared learning, connection, and coordination among leading funders. Made for, by and with performing arts funders, the convening was values- and data-driven, gathering 48 individuals working within private philanthropy, public funding institutions, and field leaders from a diversity of perspectives. Curated and managed by ADC Consulting in collaboration with a host committee, the event included a combination of research presentations, small and large group discussions and panels, and art experiences.

This report tells the story of the inception, process, and learnings of Performing Arts Futures: A Funder Gathering. Anchored in values of transparency and collaboration, the report aims to provide:

—information and tools for convening participants to continue ongoing relationship building and learning and encourage self-organizing around key issues;
—insight for broader philanthropic partners around key issues addressed at the convening and opportunities to join organizing efforts; and
—content and findings for the performing arts field on convening discussions that may inform the field’s ongoing work and response to the current moment.

While the report does not articulate solutions or next steps the field must take in response to the current and overlapping crises the performing arts field is facing, it highlights important root causes, provides perspective into the tools and approaches philanthropy and other members of the field are taking today, and discusses key issues that are driving collaboration within the sector.