Why is GBCA winding down?
After a great deal of consideration, the Board of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance has made the difficult decision to begin an orderly wind-down of GBCA.
This decision comes after more than five years of work to identify a sustainable model for the organization, including reducing staff, programming, and infrastructure. Over the last several months in particular, we explored a significantly smaller operating model, raised additional funds, reduced expenses, and had candid conversations with many of our closest philanthropic partners.
Ultimately, the combination of GBCA’s immediate financial position and the long-term fundraising environment led the Board to conclude that continuing GBCA as a standalone organization was not financially sustainable.
Our priority now is to manage this transition responsibly and thoughtfully, while honoring GBCA’s contributions to the Baltimore region’s arts and culture community and helping create opportunities for conversation about how some of its most important functions might continue in the future.
What happened financially? How did GBCA get to this point?
GBCA’s financial challenges developed over a period of years rather than as the result of any single event or funding decision.
Over the past five years, the organization has worked to adapt its operating model, including reducing staff, programming, and infrastructure. More recently, GBCA further reduced expenses, raised additional funds, and explored whether a significantly smaller organization focused primarily on advocacy and convening could be financially sustainable.
Despite those efforts, GBCA continued to face a structural gap between the resources available to the organization and the cost of sustaining its work. Given the organization’s immediate cash position and long-term funding outlook, the Board determined that an orderly wind-down was the most responsible course of action.
What is the timeline? What happens next?
GBCA is beginning its wind-down immediately, with remaining operations focused on managing the transition responsibly.
We will hold a Community Conversation via Zoom on Monday, August 10 at 4:30 p.m. to answer questions, reflect together, and begin a conversation about the future of GBCA’s mission and the needs of Baltimore’s arts and culture community.
Did Jeannie Howe’s planned retirement lead to this decision?
No. Jeannie’s planned departure after 14 years of extraordinary leadership created a natural moment for the Board to consider GBCA’s future leadership and direction, but it is not the reason the organization is winding down.
The underlying issue is the long-term financial sustainability of GBCA in the current funding environment. The Board had hoped to use this leadership transition as an opportunity to launch a more focused and financially sustainable chapter for GBCA, but ultimately determined that there was not sufficient funding to support this work, even in the short term.
Did federal cuts to arts funding cause GBCA to close?
No single funding decision or external event caused GBCA’s financial challenges. However, cuts to federal funding have had added pressure to the priorities and capacity of public and private funders locally and nationally.
Baltimore’s small but dedicated group of arts funders is facing increased demand across many areas, making an already challenging funding environment even more difficult.
Did COVID-19 cause GBCA’s financial challenges?
The pandemic significantly disrupted the arts and culture sector and changed the operating and funding environment for many organizations, including GBCA. However, it would be an oversimplification to attribute GBCA’s closure to COVID-19 alone.
The organization’s current situation reflects a combination of factors that developed over time, including changes in the funding landscape, organizational costs, and the challenge of sustaining GBCA’s work through a viable long-term revenue model.
What happens to GBCA’s staff?
This is one of the most painful aspects of this decision. GBCA has benefited tremendously from deeply committed staff, particularly Jeannie Howe’s extraordinary leadership over the past 14 years.
Staff have been informed of the wind-down, and we are working to manage these transitions as responsibly and thoughtfully as possible within the resources available.
What happens to GBCA members and their memberships?
As GBCA winds down, membership benefits, programs, communications, and other services will also come to an end. We are deeply grateful to the individuals and organizations whose membership and participation have sustained GBCA and strengthened this community over the years.
What happens to GBCA’s programs and its advocacy and convening work?
This is an important distinction: the need for the work is not going away just because GBCA as an organization is winding down.
We continue to hear that Baltimore’s cultural sector needs independent advocacy, connection, information-sharing, and opportunities for organizations and artists to convene.
While there is no immediate solution to fill the void, we hope there will be opportunities for future conversations about what the regional sector needs and how best to carry this work forward.
We do not want to predetermine what that structure should be. GBCA is winding down; what comes next should be shaped collaboratively with the field.
What happens to the Baker Artist Portfolios?
We are proud to have been a founding co-partner and manager of The Baker Artist Portfolios program. It has provided extraordinary benefit to artists over nearly 20 years.
The Baker Artist Portfolios will continue to support Baltimore’s artists within a different organization, with additional information about the program’s new home coming in September.
The program is funded separately through the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund and will continue in its new home.
Could another organization take over GBCA? Why not merge instead of closing?
The Board considered a range of possibilities for GBCA’s future. However, merging or becoming part of another organization takes time. Given the organization’s limited financial runway, pursuing a formal merger or organizational restructuring was not a realistic immediate solution.
The priority now is to wind down GBCA responsibly. That does not preclude future conversations about whether another organization or a new partnership among organizations might take on some of the roles GBCA has historically played.
No decisions have been made, and any continuation of this work would likely look different from GBCA as it exists today.
What is GBCA most proud of?
Over its 25-year history, GBCA has served as a connector, advocate, resource, and champion for the Greater Baltimore arts and culture community.
Among the many initiatives GBCA helped create and steward are Citizen Artist Baltimore, the Rubys Artist Project Grants, Urban Arts Leadership, and the Baker Artist Portfolios.
As we wind down the organization, we want to recognize and celebrate the many staff members, Board members, funders, members, artists, partners, and community leaders who contributed to this work.
We hope that GBCA’s legacy and the relationships and networks it helped build will continue to strengthen Baltimore’s arts and culture ecosystem long after the organization itself has closed.
How can I learn more or ask questions?
We invite members of the community to join us for a Community Conversation on Monday, August 10 at 4:30 p.m. via Zoom to ask questions and discuss the future of this work.
For other questions, feel free to contact Jeannie Howe at [email protected] or Randi Benesch at [email protected].
