Arts & Culture Forward places a new focus around what Solowey cited as organizations that focus on unfamiliar art forms, ethnic voices or in farther geographic areas from the central city, as well as ones that center their missions on specific populations, low-income households, people of color, differently abled people, and of course youth. The smaller organizations are defined as having less than $1 million in their annual operating budget, and right now, of the 47 arts organizations that Piper Trust funds, 21 of those are in that smaller category — a number that has doubled in the past decade. “It really comes down to trust, and trust-based philanthropy,” Solowey said. “Sometimes giving can be uneven — we have all the resources in the funder’s seat, and as a result, the relationship is unbalanced. Trust- based giving puts the nonprofit in the driver’s seat. All these organizations are ones we have known for at least a decade, and we feel quite comfortable with them deploying resources as they see fit.” For Dr. Lawrence Bell, the executive director of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society — which celebrates the history and heritage of the Jewish community in the Valley through exhibits and programming at a historic building in downtown Phoenix — the program is about building a better future for the arts in the Valley. “Phoenix is lucky to have them. We do not have a lot of philanthropic foundations of the size and capacity of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust,” Bell said. “You see their name everywhere, but I’m not sure the community is always aware of the great work they do …. They prop up a part of the community that doesn’t always get attention in terms of arts and culture.” To learn more, visit pipertrust.org . The Arizona Jewish Historical Society, an Arts & Culture Forward grant recipient, sponsors public exhibitions, documentary film series, book discussions and more. 64 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE NEXT DOORS

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