Funding Arts Network

What Funding Arts Network does

Funding Arts Network (FAN), legally fifty over fifty, inc., is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 by Deborah Hoffman and Nita Maercks. It operates as a membership-driven giving circle that pools annual contributions from individual philanthropist members and redistributes them as competitive grants to visual and performing arts nonprofits in Miami-Dade County. Members participate in screening committees across four disciplines (Dance, Music, Theater, Visual Arts), conduct site visits, and vote online to select grant recipients, with the cycle anchored by quarterly luncheons and Cultural Camaraderie events at grantee performances. Over 30 years FAN has awarded roughly $6.6 million across 753 programs at 121 organizations, with recent single-cycle awards of $250,000 (May 2024) and a one-time $200,000 AWARE equity-focused initiative in 2022.

The core product is the annual Membership Program, supported by Cultural Camaraderie events, Members Only experiences, quarterly luncheons, the FANFare lecture series, Community Impact Awards, the Screener application process, a printed and electronic newsletter, and a Legacy Giving Program for planned donations. The technology stack is intentionally thin: FAN runs on NeonOne's NeonCRM for member portal, event registration, donations, and the member directory, with PayPal as the donation processor, Google Forms for screener applications, and Google reCAPTCHA for contact-form spam protection. There is no proprietary platform, no mobile app, and no AI/ML components.

FAN's business model is a recurring annual subscription from individual members that is fully pass-through into grants, supplemented by tax-deductible donations, tribute and memorial gifts, and planned/legacy giving. The membership fee is not publicly disclosed (the founding model targeted 50 members at $1,000 each). The go-to-market is community-led within Miami's arts ecosystem, relying on word-of-mouth, the website, email newsletters, quarterly events, and committee engagement. Current leadership includes President Jackie Kamin and President Elect Terry Kaplan; FAN is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with no parent organization and no external ownership.

Name

Funding Arts Network

Legal name

fifty over fifty, inc. d/b/a Funding Arts Network

Website

https://fundingartsnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Funding Arts Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 that pools annual contributions from individual members in Miami-Dade County and redistributes them as competitive grants to local visual and performing arts organizations via a member-driven screening and voting process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPACAFAJ

Creator Fundraising & Crowdfunding Platforms (Recurring/Project-Based)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Digital Media & Content Platforms (Online Video, Podcasts, Creators)/Creator Monetization & Fan Membership Platforms

SECONDARYMPACABAF

Fan Membership, Subscriptions & Patronage Platforms

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Digital Media & Content Platforms (Online Video, Podcasts, Creators)/User-Generated Video & Creator Platforms

SECONDARYMPADAAAO

Grant Funding & Public/Nonprofit Financing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Film Development & Financing

Keywords

• Arts philanthropy
• Membership giving circle
• Nonprofit arts funding
• Visual performing arts grants
• Miami arts community

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Member Contributions: Annual membership fees from individual philanthropists create FAN's primary grant funding pool. Members contribute annually to fund grants awarded to Miami-Dade arts organizations.
2. General Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to support FAN's arts funding mission. Options include general contributions, tribute donations, memorial donations, and legacy/planned gifts.
3. Legacy/Planned Giving: Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, and beneficiary designations from legacy donors ensure long-term sustainability and future arts funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Funding Arts Network (FAN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that pools annual contributions from individual members to award grants to visual and performing arts organizations in Miami-Dade County. Members actively participate on screening committees that review applications, conduct site visits, and vote online to select grant recipients across Dance, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts disciplines. The organization has awarded over $6.6 million to 121 organizations supporting 753 arts programs over 30 years.

Product overview

Funding Arts Network (FAN) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization that operates as a giving circle for supporting Miami-Dade County's visual and performing arts. The core product is the Membership Program, through which members contribute annually to a grant pool that is distributed to arts organizations via a member-driven competitive grants process. Supporting products include Cultural Camaraderie Events for attending funded performances, Members Only Events for exclusive experiences, Quarterly Luncheon Meetings with arts discussions, the AWARE Grants Initiative for equity-focused projects, Community Impact Awards for community outreach programs, Screener Application for grant evaluation, FAN Newsletter for communications, and Legacy Giving Program for planned donations. Together these products enable FAN to provide member-supported grants that make Miami-Dade arts more accessible, vibrant, and inclusive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FAN Membership Program Annual membership program for individual philanthropists in Miami-Dade County. Members contribute to the collective grant pool, serve on screening committees, attend events, and vote online to select grant recipients. Members receive access to the password-protected Members Only portal, member directory, exclusive events, and quarterly luncheons.
• Grant Programs Annual competitive grants awarded to 501(c)(3) nonprofit visual and performing arts organizations in Miami-Dade County that present programs to the public. Uses a two-step application process with member-driven screening committee review, site visits, and member voting.
• AWARE Grants Initiative Special one-time awards program supporting performing and visual arts work related to equity issues. Funded $200,000 to six Miami-Dade arts organizations.
• Community Impact Awards $5,000 awards given to programs that use creative talents to support community outreach beyond usual patrons, enriching quality of life for surrounding communities. Five awards of $5,000 each.
• Legacy Giving Program Planned giving options including bequests, estate gifts, beneficiary designations, and charitable remainder trusts designed to ensure long-term sustainability of arts funding in Miami-Dade County.

Quantifiable outcome

• $6,647,600 in grants awarded since 1996
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Council on Foundations: National membership association for grantmaking institutions, foundations, and corporate giving programs; comparable as a member-supported organization serving the philanthropic sector, though focused on larger institutional foundations rather than small giving circles.
• Grantmakers in the Arts: National membership association of arts funders providing research, convening, and advocacy; adjacent enabling organization for arts grantmakers like FAN, sharing a similar member-supported structure but with a national/institutional focus rather than a regional giving circle.
• Candid: Nonprofit data and research organization (formerly Foundation Center) providing information on foundations and grantmakers; adjacent enabling organization that FAN members and grantmakers use for due diligence, benchmarking, and sector intelligence.
• Tides Foundation: Grantmaking intermediary and fiscal sponsor for philanthropic initiatives across causes; comparable as a pooled-fund grantmaking organization with donor contributions, though operating nationally across many causes rather than focusing on a single Miami arts vertical.
• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit service organization supporting the arts sector through advocacy, research, and programs; adjacent enabling organization that could serve as either a partner or competitor for member attention and donor dollars in arts philanthropy.

Regional players

• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Major US community foundation with significant arts grantmaking focus; comparable model of regional pooled giving and arts funding, but operating at much larger scale in Silicon Valley rather than Miami-Dade County.
• United Way of Miami-Dade: Miami-Dade community fundraising organization pooling workplace contributions for nonprofit funding; comparable as a Miami-based pooled-contribution nonprofit, but with a broader community focus (education, income, health) rather than arts specifically.

Direct peers

• Funding Exchange: National network of giving circles and donor organizing groups pooling grassroots contributions for grantmaking; directly comparable as another member-supported giving circle network that FAN could learn from, partner with, or model expansion after.
• The Miami Foundation: Community foundation serving Greater Miami including Miami-Dade County; directly comparable as a Miami-based grantmaking organization supporting arts, culture, and community initiatives, though operating under a community foundation model rather than a member-driven giving circle.

Broad incumbents

• John S. and James L. Knight Foundation: Major national foundation with deep Miami-Dade arts funding presence and direct partnership history with FAN (2007-2011 New Work Award); broader incumbent funder that competes for the same arts funding space and donor attention in the Miami market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FundingArtsNetwork

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Funding Arts Network