Dallas’ TACA launches new initiative to sustain small and emerging arts nonprofits

The Arts Community Alliance, commonly known as TACA, has introduced a nine-month educational program to help small, promising arts companies thrive. The new Arts Accelerator will teach key aspects of arts business administration with the goal of enabling each participating nonprofit to devise a strategic growth plan for long-term success.

“In the grant process and conversations with arts leaders, we have witnessed in the last few years a surge of young and growing organizations that are right on the cusp,” says president and executive director Maura Sheffler. “They are poised for growth and have a compelling vision, but they often need a plan for sustainable growth to realize that vision. It can be expensive if you need to seek that expertise outside of your organization.”

As a funder of arts grants, TACA has a bird’s-eye view of the community, and the agency saw the need for more intensive education than can be achieved in workshops. “We thought, what do we need to provide, and what form will that take?” Sheffler says.

In general, nonprofit arts organizations don’t have access to the kind of capital funding or incubator programs that support business startups. On top of that, arts companies of all sizes have faced challenges in selling tickets following the pandemic, when audiences became accustomed to being entertained at home.

“Artists do it often on a shoestring [budget], with a ton of volunteer time and artists who are not necessarily being paid as they should be for the level of their talent,” Sheffler says. “We work in a resource-scarcity mindset, and many of them need this boost and this more comprehensive planning process.”

The Arts Accelerator curriculum was developed in collaboration with Suzanne Smith, founder and CEO of Social Impact Architects and an adjunct professor at University of Texas at Arlington and Southern Methodist University.

“There’s a sea change happening in the nonprofit space, where we are not just doing one-off funding but recognizing that we need to meet them where they are and provide a customized approach that really provides them a leg up,” Smith says.

Six nonprofits were selected from applicants for the initial cohort: Arts Mission Oak Cliff, a communal arts space; Bombshell Dance Project, a contemporary dance group that last year produced the sold-out immersive mystery “In the Conservatory with a Knife”; Pegasus Contemporary Ballet, which presents original choreography blending classical and contemporary movement; Pegasus Media Project, an agency that educates and aids aspiring filmmakers and multidisciplinary artists with a focus on underrepresented people; Soul Rep Theatre Co., which explores Black life on stage; and Verdigris Ensemble, a skilled, diverse choral group that performs innovative works.

“We are super thrilled to be part of it,” says Avery-Jai Andrews, interim executive director of Arts Mission Oak Cliff, which supplies studios, residencies and performance spaces to local artists.

“We are in a place where we understand who we are and who we serve and we are responding to our community, and we are trying to create a sustainable foundation on the back end so we can grow and scale this business,” Andrews says. “We need those back-end tools in order to manage the organization.”

The goal is transformational change, and community facilitates that process. “These nonprofit organizations will not only benefit from me and the mentors and curricula but also from each other, and that is so very important to this ecosystem,” Smith says.

The first meeting will be an Aug. 8 reception where attendees get acquainted through interactive exercises. Beginning in September, monthly classes will cover finance, marketing, messaging and development, including assignments to be completed during and between sessions.

TACA and Smith are in the process of selecting paid instructors and volunteer mentors, who will receive small stipends. “We want to pick the best instructors we feel will work best with this group and will be pairing the folks with mentors who can be a valuable support system,” Sheffler says. “We will be really selective based on specific experience and history as an individual leader and how they pair with the vision and positioning of other organizations.”

Communities Foundation of Texas and Sapphire Foundation are funding the Arts Accelerator. To learn more, visit taca-arts.org.