PIVOTAL PLACE: NEW YORK CITY PROGRAM GUIDELINES

The Fund pursues its three program interestsDemocratic Practice, Sustainable Development, and Peace and Securityin a variety of geographic contexts. In addition, the Fund has identified several specific locations on which to concentrate crossprogrammatic grantmaking attention. The Fund refers to these as RBF pivotal places: subnational areas, nation-states, or cross-border regions which have special importance with regard to the Funds substantive concerns and whose future will have disproportionate significance for the future of a surrounding region, an ecosystem, or, indeed, the globe. While there are many places in the world that might be considered pivotal, the selection of RBF pivotal places is guided by both the Funds program interests and grantmaking history. These are places where the Fund judges that because of its experience, knowledge, and program interests, its grantmaking could be particularly effective, and where the Fund generally makes a long-term commitment. The Funds engagement in these places is multidisciplinary, involving two or more RBF program interests. It is also responsive to local needs and priorities; indeed, the Fund may pursue its broad programmatic goals in different ways within each RBF pivotal place. New York City The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has been active in New York City since the RBF's founding there in 1940. New York Citys extraordinarily diverse population, its economic prominence, and its cultural vitality combine to make the city pivotal to the future of its region, the nation, and the world. New York City has the potential to be a model 21st century sustainable urban community that nourishes neighborhoods and civic life, encourages immigrant civic and political participation, supports individual achievement and artistic expression, generates widely shared prosperity, and preserves and enhances its built and natural environments. Linked as it is to the region, the nation, and the world, New York City can become a beacon of excellence and a force for positive change both within and well beyond its boundaries. Two of the Fund's three program interestsDemocratic Practice and Sustainable Developmentare reflected in the RBFs engagement with New York City as an RBF pivotal place. The Charles E. Culpeper Arts & Culture Grants are a distinctive feature of the Pivotal Place: New York City program.

DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE In the absence of national immigrant integration policies much can be accomplished at the local level to remove barriers to immigrant and new citizen civic and political engagement. The Fund will focus on immigrant communities throughout its Democratic Practice grantmaking in New York City by pursuing the following goal and strategies: Goal: To advance the civic and political participation of immigrant communities Strategies: Strengthening the organizational capacity of a limited number of key communitybased and immigrant-led groups to advance citywide social and political equity issues. Supporting collaborations and new networks among immigrants, established community groups, and public institutions to improve local government accountability, access, and services. A special interest of the Fund is to strengthen citywide multi-group collaboration and strategic alliances to advance public education advocacy efforts that promote accountability, transparency, and equal access for all public institutions. Connecting immigrant groups with citywide, national, and international networks and campaigns for joint action on immigration issues, mutual support, and leadership development. Special attention will be given to projects that align with RBF-related thematic areas.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Goal: Building Sustainable Communities The Fund seeks to improve the safety, aesthetic quality, environmental stewardship, and the spiritual and community life of New York City neighborhoods through the following strategies: Strategies:

Assisting community-based initiatives that encourage, respect, and care for the natural and built environment and that enhance or reclaim public space. Supporting opportunities for community engagement in local development and planning processes. Advancing innovative ideas and projects that promote the concept of New York as a sustainable city.

CHARLES E. CULPEPER ARTS & CULTURE GRANTS The Charles E. Culpeper Arts & Culture Grants honor the legacy of Charles E. Culpeper by supporting the artists and arts and cultural organizations that make New York City one of the worlds most dynamic creative capitals. These grants support the creative process, build the capacity of small and mid-size arts and cultural institutions, and promote the pursuit of the creative life. The standard RBF letter of inquiry process does not apply for these grants. Proposals are accepted each year, January 1 through March 1 (on the following business day if March 1st falls on a weekend). Beginning with the 2009 award cycle, applications may only be submitted online at www.rbf.org. Grantee organizations must wait a minimum of three years from their grant final payment before reapplying.

Goal: Supporting the Creative Process The Fund seeks to foster an environment in which artists and the creative process can flourish through the following strategy: Strategy:

Supporting organizations that assist individual artists and the creative process, providing infrastructure to sustain the artistic life, and offering artists additional opportunities to develop skills complementary to their creative talents.

Goal: Building Capacity in Cultural Organizations The Fund seeks to sustain and advance small and mid-size cultural organizations, particularly those that are community-based and/or culturally specific, with annual budgets under $4 million, through the following strategies: Strategies:

Giving non-renewable, three-year capacity-building grants of up to $50,000 per year, as a source of stable funding and added vitality in the immediate term. Providing endowment grants of up to $250,000 matched on a one-to-one basis to cultural and arts organizations that demonstrate the potential for long-term leadership and excellence in the presentation of creative work to the broadest possible audiences. Awarding grants of up to $15,000 for innovative, team-based, institutional leadership conferences designed to strengthen long-range organizational management and governance. Grants cover the costs of one or two-day conferences at the Funds Pocantico Conference Center, including the participation of professional consultants, advisors, or facilitators.