Arts groups work together to do more for kids

Makaroff Youth Ballet is one of five partners in the Young Audiences Fine Arts Series.

We used to use the scientific term “catalyst” to describe our grants made from discretionary funds. In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance added to create a reaction between other materials. Catalyst grants have been replaced by new goals in a program I would compare to a concept borrowed from biology — symbiotic relationships. That’s the term for organisms that find mutual benefit in working together. We believe that’s true for nonprofit organizations as well. To encourage it, we have developed partnership grants. This news release demonstrates how two $25,000 Arts & Culture partnership grants have encouraged arts groups to find partners to benefit children in need.