Arts & Business Council Supports More Diverse Arts Nonprofit Boards with Arts Board Matching

The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville is pleased to announce applications are now open for Arts Board Matching, a program that trains business leaders in nonprofit board best practices and matches them with local arts organizations for potential board service. Established in 2012, the Arts Board Matching Spring 2021 Cohort will be the program’s tenth.

“Arts Board Matching began with a two-fold mission of connecting the business community to the arts and creating a pipeline of well-trained, knowledgeable board members for local arts organizations,” said Jill McMillan Palm, Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council. “In recent years, we’ve begun to harness that pipeline as a tool to increase diversity on arts nonprofit boards, and we are sharpening our recruitment efforts this spring in hopes of identifying our most diverse cohort of business leaders ever.”

According to the National Council of Nonprofits, when a nonprofit’s board reflects the diversity of the community served, the organization is better able to access resources in the community through connections with potential donors, collaborative partners and policymakers. Diversity of experience, expertise, and perspectives also puts a nonprofit in a stronger position to plan for the future, manage risk, and take full advantage of new opportunities.

The Arts & Business Council seeks community partners to help in its recruitment efforts and encourages LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-led organizations and businesses to nominate individuals for the program. Business leaders interested in board service and arts organizations interested in being matched with board members are invited to apply by January 29 at Noon.

More information, nomination forms and applications can be found on our website here.