The Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation, a 27 year old organization, began as a way to bring six theatres together to recognize excellence through a Tony Awards style recognition event. In the past eight years, the organization has morphed to one representing 20 theatres and now providing marketing, development, and administrative assistance across all the participating theatres. The biggest successes have come in the form of grants that have lead to several new collaborative programs between the theatres. This case study will look at how the collaboration developed, who was involved in the process, some important lessons learned, and how it has informed a grant strategy far larger than any group could manage on their own. Participants in the session, whether arts oriented or not, will identify the components necessary to create a strong collaboration, learn tips and tricks from those that have done it already including pitfalls to avoid. In addition, participants will be able to ask questions and develop dialog around what a partnership/collaborative might look like for their own organization.

Presenter:
Becky has been the President of the Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation for the past eight years. By day, she is the Marketing Communications Specialist at Opportunity Enterprises, an agency serving individuals with disabilities. She has served non-profits in marketing, development, and grants for over 20 years from human services to arts to international to government. Becky holds an MBA from Valparaiso University and is the current president of the Grant Professionals Foundation

Skill Level:
Mid-Career

Learning Path:
Evaluation/Collaboration

GPC Competencies:

Strategies for effective program and project design and development 
Organizational development as it pertains to grant seeking