Focus: Grant Writing & Capacity Building
Timeline: 2023–Present
Services: Proposal Development, Project Budgeting, Program Strategy

The Client
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the largest private funder of arts and culture in the United States. Through its Performing Arts portfolio, Mellon invests in small- to mid-sized organizations across the country that champion artistic excellence, access, and community impact.

The Need
As Mellon expanded its national support for performing arts organizations, many grantees sought additional guidance to strengthen their proposals, refine project narratives, and develop sound, transparent budgets. These groups—often community-centered and artist-led—needed expert support to articulate their creative vision and build sustainable pathways for growth.

The Process
CNTR ARTS, led by Bryan Joseph Lee, partnered with Mellon’s Performing Arts team to deliver tailored capacity-building support to grantees nationwide. This included:

• One-on-one coaching sessions with executive and artistic leaders to shape project narratives and define measurable outcomes.

• Collaborative budgeting sessions aligning financial plans with artistic goals and funder priorities.

• Detailed review and editing of proposal materials to ensure clarity, coherence, and strategic alignment.

• Group learning sessions on sustainability planning, storytelling for funders, and building effective partnerships.
  
  

The Outcome
Through this collaboration, CNTR ARTS has helped over a dozen small- to mid-sized arts organizations secure more than $3 million in approved funding. Participating organizations strengthened their internal grant systems, refined their strategic cases for support, and gained the tools to engage confidently with institutional funders. Mellon’s Performing Arts team benefited from a more streamlined review process and a clearer picture of the creative and organizational capacity thriving across the national arts landscape.