Motown Museum receives part of $30 million grant

DETROIT – The Motown Museum has received a grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Arts Innovation and Management program.

Through the two-year initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies is providing $30 million across 262 small and mid-sized nonprofit cultural organizations around the country to help strengthen their operational and programming efforts, including training in fundraising, audience development and board member engagement.

"As we protect and preserve the physical space where the Motown legacy was born, this grant will help ensure that the community, visitors from around the world and future generations of Motown fans can continue to enjoy the local Detroit authentic experiences that the Museum provides," said Motown Museum Chairwoman and CEO Robin Terry.

The invitation-only program supports nonprofit cultural organizations based in six cities: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. All organizations are locally or internationally recognized nonprofits that have been in existence for at least two years. The grantees are required to participate in a management training program; secure matching funds; ensure 100% board participation in fundraising; and maintain up-to-date information in the Cultural Data Project, an online financial & data collection platform that assists arts organizations across the country to collect, learn from, and use data effectively. The grants are unrestricted so that recipients can use them to address their greatest needs.

This $150,000 grant will be used toward general operations during two years. The funds will be used to maintain the Museum's most cherished artifact, the Hitsville House, and to position the Museum for future growth. In addition, Motown Museum leadership will participate in a series of capacity building and strategic planning workshops run by the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is partnering with the DeVos Institute to develop curricula and conduct trainings for the AIM program in each city. The comprehensive workshops engage organizations around activities that strengthen their long-term health and goals and include consultations and implementation support for arts managers and their boards. 

First piloted in New York City, Bloomberg Philanthropies supported 245 grantees through AIM from 2011-2013. Participating organizations reported improvements in audience development, board engagement and fundraising over the two-year program.