:: Click here for a special 20th anniversary Artist Trust timeline! ::
Since its founding in 1987, Artist Trust has been recognized as an exemplary model for artist support. It is the only organization in Washington State, and one of few nationally, that is exclusively devoted to individual artists working in all disciplines. Artist Trust has developed a national reputation, consistently being called upon by national funders and organizations to act as a convener, provide information about artists’ needs, and to tackle special initiatives.
To date, Artist Trust has awarded over $3.2 million to more than 1,653 artists statewide and has equipped thousands of artists with the information and resources necessary to become self-sufficient art makers. In 2006, more than 250,000 Washington citizens benefited from Artist Trust’s programming. Click here to read about Artist Trust's outreach throughout Washington State in Fiscal Year 2007.
Among the accolades Artist Trust has received for its outstanding Grant Programs and Information Services include:
- Receipt of an unsolicited MacArthur Foundation award in 1991;
- Recognition as Outstanding Philanthropic Organization in 2000 by the Washington Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives;
- Receipt of a 2001 Governor's Arts Award.
Recent accomplishments of Artist Trust:
- Received a three-year, $250,000 grant in 2004 for capacity-building and new donor development from the Paul G. Allen Foundation for the Arts.
- Received a $100,000 Creative Communities challenge grant from Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) in 2004, used to attract new donors for artist grants and fellowships, and to spearhead the Washington Artists Health Insurance Project (WAHIP), an effort to develop strategies for increased access to healthcare for Washington State artists;
- Worked with Dance/USA and the New England Foundation for the Arts in 2004 to help promote and provide regional professional development initiatives for dance artists;
- Received a $90,000 grant from the Connecticut-based Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation in 2002 to develop EDGE, a comprehensive professional development training program for visual artists. Artist Trust was one of four organizations nationally to receive this grant; the Tremaine Foundation granted Artist Trust an additional $75,000 in 2005 to continue the development of EDGE.
- Assisted the Washington, DC-based Urban Institute in 2003 with a national study of support mechanisms for artists;
- Administered Quake Aid, through which $40,000 was quickly distributed to artists who suffered losses as a result of the 2001 earthquake in Western Washington. A comprehensive study was also produced detailing how artists are impacted by this and other disasters.
