Boot Camp for the Arts Livestream

The livestream will feature presentations, Q+A interviews, and case studies from across the arts industry on leadership, marketing, fundraising, and wellness. You’ll hear from experts on how to navigate the crisis, and from peer organizations about what they’re doing to remain active in their patrons’ lives. You’ll also have a front-row seat to live performances throughout the day to spark your creativity and inspiration.

Additional speakers and performers will be announced soon. Please register for updates and more information.

WHEN

Thursday, April 23

TIME

1:00pm – 5:00pm EDT

COST 

Free

SPEAKER LINEUP 

Host: Erik Gensler
Founder and President, Capacity Interactive

Jess Bergson
Consultant, Capacity Interactive

Karen Brooks Hopkins
President Emerita, Brooklyn Academy of Music

Sarah Cho
Senior Search Analyst, Capacity Interactive

Eunice Choi
Graphic Designer/Marketing Assistant, Seattle Shakespeare Company

Ashley Dunn Gatterdam
Vice President, Client Strategy, Capacity Interactive

Brett Egan
President, DeVos Institute of Arts Management

Adrian Ellis
Founder, AEA Consulting and the Global Cultural Districts Network

Jeff Fickes
Communications Director, Seattle Shakespeare Company

Deeksha Gaur
Co-Founder and CEO, Show-Score; Board Treasurer, SPACE on Ryder Farm

Fatima Jones
Senior Director of PR & Communications, Apollo Theater

Heidi McElrath
Development Director, Seattle Shakespeare Company

Meaghan McFarland
Associate Creative Director, Capacity Interactive

Timmy Metzner
Director of Marketing, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Tom O’Connor
President, Tom O’Connor Consulting Group

Krisi Packer
Director of Marketing and Content, Capacity Interactive

Elizabeth Racheva
Chief Philanthropy Officer, Washington Performing Arts

Nik Rama
Analytical Lead, Google

Luke Rodehorst
Account Executive, Google

Emily Simoness
Co-Founder and Executive Director, SPACE on Ryder Farm

Zannie Voss
Director, SMU DataArts

Jennifer Zaslow
Partner, Clear Path Executive Coaching

Click HERE to register!

Thursday, April 16 – 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – The Bright Solutions – Join us for a discussion on internal and external factors to be considering in the midst of COVID, recommendations for managers and boards to consider as you continue to operate, and Q&A with attendees to help you move forward. If you have particular questions/issues you would like addressed, please email Karen, at NetworkPeninsula, and we will add them to the agenda on April 16!

Register for this free webinar HERE.

As you may know, Congress recently approved the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the largest emergency aid package in U.S. history. The CARES Act includes more than $2 trillion to help individuals and businesses struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It allocates $350 billion in loans for small businesses, including nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations with less than 500 employees.

CARES Act paperwork needed for application:

* 2019 IRS Quarterly 940, 941 or 944 payroll tax reports.

* Last 12 months of Payroll Reports beginning with your last payroll date and going backward 12 months.

1. Payroll report must show the following for the time period above:
2. Gross wages for each employee, including the officer(s) if paid W-2 wages.
3. Paid time off for each employee.

i.  Gross wages for each employee, including the officer(s) if paid W2 wages.

ii.  Paid time off for each employee.

iii.  Vacation pay for each employee.

iv.  Family medical leave pay for each employee.

v.  State and local taxes assessed on the employee’s compensation for each employee.

* 1099s for 2019 for independent contractors that would otherwise be an employee of your business.

1.  Do NOT include 1099s for services.

* Documentation showing a total of all health insurance premiums paid by the Company Owner under a group health plan.

1. Include all employees and the company owners.

* Document the sum of all retirement plan funding that was paid by the Company Owner (do not include funding that came from the employee’s out of their paycheck deferrals).

1. Include all employees, including company owners.
2. 401K plans, Simple IRA, SEP IRAs.

Web Resources:

7 Ways to Survive and Thrive in a Challenging Virtual World

A Coronavirus Visa Roundup for Non-U.S. Artists

Guide to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

7 Ways CARES Act Financially Supports Nonprofits

CARES Act Offers Nonprofit Organizations Multiple Methods of Financial Relief

The Honorable Carole L. Brookins, one of Wall Street’s pioneering female executives, founder of The First Alliance Foundation and a former executive director to The World Bank, died on Monday, March 23, 2020, in Palm Beach, Florida. She was 76. The cause of death was complications from coronavirus.

A cum laude graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Ms. Brookins began her career in finance as a trainee underwriter of municipal bonds in Chicago at A.G. Becker & Company. At a time when few women worked in financial services, she earned less than half the salary of a male trainee, but that was no deterrent. She was soon hired as a market reporter at the Chicago Board of Trade, and from there, she came to the attention of the nation’s second-largest stock brokerage firm, E.F. Hutton. In the 1970s, she rose to become E.F. Hutton’s Vice President of the Commodity Department.

In 1980, Ms. Brookins left Wall Street to create World Perspectives, a Washington, D.C.-based agricultural market analysis and consulting firm, in part to address what she saw as an information gap between policymakers and traders during the grain embargo against the Soviet Union. Because of her intellect and spunk, she was in high demand throughout her life-giving public speeches and providing valuable insight. And, she attracted Washington’s most powerful as headliners at the annual conferences she would orchestrate.

Ms. Brookins served from 2001 to 2005 as The World Bank Group Executive Director representing the United States. She earned praise for her interactions with many board members from developing nations as well as her work with members of senior management at the International Monetary Fund.

She also contributed to many corporate and nonprofit boards, holding seats at the American Financial Exchange (AFX) Board of Directors, Center for Financial Stability (CFS) Boards of Trustees and Advisors, Nieuw World Capital Management’s Advisory Board, the AIM-listed holding company Climate Exchange plc (CLE) and the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), as Chairman of the North American Advisory Board of NTR plc, member of the Rabobank North America Agribusiness Advisory Board, and a trustee of E-4 Impact-a UK-based non-profit that accelerates African energy access through small to mid-sized enterprise. She also served on the U.S. President’s Export Council and State Department Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy. She was a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Brookins’ passion for France and history led her to establish the First Alliance Foundation (TFA) in 2018 to advance shared strategic goals and build confidence and bilateral camaraderie among the U.S. and French military leaders. She continued to lead that organization until her death. In its first year of operation, the TFA awarded its first grants to coincide with commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris (August 1944) to enhance the French-American strategic alliance for the common benefit. Ms. Brookins was especially proud of TFA’s bilateral thought-leadership exchanges between current and future French and American senior military leaders. Ms. Brookins was awarded the Merit Agricole by the Government of France and honored as Woman of the Year by the Organization of Women in International Trade.

Ms. Brookins was predeceased by her parents, Charles H. and Rebecca A. Glueck, and sisters, Rachel Glueck and Anne Glueck Friedman.  She is survived by many close friends and godchildren around the world who love her dearly.  A celebration of her life will follow.

Press Contact:

Lawrence Goodman

President

Center for Financial Stability

1120 Avenue of the Americas, 4th floor

New York, NY  10036

lgoodman@the-cfs.org

1 212 626 2660

TFA- Official Foundation Description

The First Alliance (TFA) Foundation is a US Private Foundation, registered as a non-profit corporation in Delaware and residing in Florida.  TFA has a US tax ID number and has formally filed and has official IRS “pending” US 501-C3 status.

TFA-Mission

The TFA Foundation mission is to strengthen the French-American strategic alliance.

• TFA seeks to advance shared strategic goals, strengthen bilateral thought-leadership and support confidence building between current and future strategic leaders.

TFA-Funded Projects and Programs:

TFA awards will support and strengthen the French-US geo-strategic alliance through projects and programs engaging the military and official-public sector, and private sector (including not for profit organizations).

TFA will fund initiatives that both (1) commemorate the French-American alliance and (2) contribute to strengthening the current and future relationship.

• These projects may include commemoration events and prizes or other funding and material support to existing foundations and defense educational institutions.

TFA will provide awards for the first projects publicly in 2019 to coincide with the commemorations of the 75^th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris by the French and Americans.

• Commemorations in the summer-fall 2019 will take place in both Paris and Washington DC
• A prize competition will be organized for French and American war college officers.

TFA Founding and Organization Background:

TFA is founded and funded by The Hon. Carole Brookins as a US-domiciled Private “non-operating” Foundation with US 501 C-3 status.   Appropriate relationships are being structured with French and US organizations to carry out programs and projects aligned with the Foundation’s mission.

TFA will formally publicly announce in Washington D.C. on December 11, 2018, but has been officially operating since July 1, 2018.  All official documents have been filed with official federal and state agencies in compliance with all relevant US legal, accounting, and regulatory requirements.

The founder serves as Chair of The First Alliance (TFA).   LTG (France-R) Olivier Tramond serves as a Member of the Board of Directors, Strategic Affairs consultant, responsible to the Chair in executing the mission.  Other Directors are Dr. Richard Sandor (CEO & Founder, The American Financial Exchange), Mr. Lawrence Goodman (CEO & Founder, The Center for Financial Stability) and Mr. Richard Kamenitzer (Secretary/Treasurer). TFA’s five distinguished U.S.  Senior Advisors are Susan Eisenhower (President, The Eisenhower Group) Mr. Tony Culley-Foster (President &Founder, CFCO, Intl), LTG (R) David Huntoon, LTG (R) “Mick” Kicklighter, and VADM (R) Scott Van Buskirk.

Please follow the link below for more information on The First Alliance Foundation:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005448/en/Alliance-Foundation-Honor-French-American-Military-Alliance

The Arts Awards were held on Friday, October 26, 2018, from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm at the Fairview Park Marriott Hotel in Falls Church, VA. The Arts Awards bring together the arts community, business community, civic and elected leaders to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of artists, arts organizations, and the private sector for supporting the arts in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church.

The Bright Solutions was proud to support ArtsFairfax as a Table Sponsor for the event.

Seated: Joe Berardelli, Lesley Irminger, Dennis Egan (The Choralis Foundation), Richard Kamenitzer, and Kristen Ferretti.  Standing: DeAnna Treadway, Jean Chen, Melissa Dobbs (Metropolitan School of the Arts), and Sarah Bright Yaneza.

As you are perhaps aware, 2018 has been a year of changes. At Bright Solutions, we are ever mindful of our client’s need to adhere to regulations imposed above and beyond the policies of the Board. We review all transactions within our scope of work for such compliance. However, this does not mean that all requirements are being addressed, as some may fall beyond the scope of our engagement.

Human resource management has been impacted with Family Leave, Sexual Harassment, overtime, independent contractor vs employee, etc. changes and/or additions.

Internal Revenue has expanded their scrutiny into such areas as travel compensation and reimbursement, as well as their review of the same issues being reviewed by the Department of Labor regarding overtime compensation and independent contractor vs employee status.

States have joined in on the issue of independent contractor status, minimum wage and other related management record-keeping and compliances, as well.

Some of our clients have access to legal counsel on either a regular basis or on an “as-needed” basis. We strongly advise that a member of management maintain contact with their legal counsel to assure themselves that the practices/policies of the organization are compliant with the local, state and federal requirements. Towards this end, we would welcome having access to the designated legal counsel so that we might review the issues that are relevant to the organization’s delivery of its mission. All this means is that you or the appropriate authority at your organization introduce Bright Solutions to your legal counsel and let them know we can speak to them about client affairs.

For those clients that do not have such access, we strongly recommend that the Board, a committee of the Board or some professional service be engaged to make sure that appropriate policies are in place and management has a system of review to make sure that compliance is in place.

Lastly, in the area of risk management, protection of the assets (and protection of and from potential liabilities) are essentially part of the duties of “care” and “obedience” of the Board. Your insurance agent, like your legal counsel, should conduct an annual review of all of the activities being planned for the ensuing period, as well as the adequacy of protection currently in place. Once again, we stand ready to work with your agent in providing them with the information they require. Here, again, we would need an introduction to your agent, allowing us to share your information.

We continue to work with and for you in providing the level of service that is essential in sound management practices. To that end, we have developed two new products:

1. an overall compliance review related to organizational documents, tax filings, etc.

2. An I9 review, based on the new requirements and regulations imposed by the USCIS, should your organization be audited.

We are prepared to either do these reviews as part of our current scope of services. Or, you can direct us to simply train your staff based on the research we have developed. We will follow up with you directly to discuss these reviews.

Recently, Richard and Sarah were asked to give a presentation for Prince William County arts organizations. It was a wonderful evening and a pleasure to meet and assist some budding and forward-thinking arts organizations. The arts are alive in Prince William County!

“Volunteer, Strategic Partner and Member Awards Program” held at: African Union Mission to the United States, “Africa House” in Georgetown (Washington, DC)

Richard Kamenitzer, Principal of The Bright Solutions, recently received the Jinx Hazel Arts Award in recognition of his contributions to the Arts in Fairfax County, Virginia.  Richard has helped to build one of the nation’s most respected higher education programs for the arts and arts management, training hundreds of artists and arts administrators, helping young professionals create new arts programs, and sustaining local arts organizations in Fairfax communities.

Congratulations, Richard!