This is a transcription of a session from the Grantmakers in the Arts 1999 conference, Strengthening the Arts Through Policy, Performance and Practice, held on November 14-17, 1999 in San Francisco, California.

In recent years, many grantmakers, artists, artist managers, and cultural policy experts have tried to better understand the nature of public participation in the arts and how to enhance it. Funders at the national, regional and local level are:

• commissioning research;
• funding diverse marketing, programming and capacity-building initiatives by cultural groups;
• evaluating the impact of audience development efforts; and
• stimulating discussion in the field about what does and doesn't work in building cultural participation.

In this panel session moderated by John Killacky, the representatives of leading national, regional and local foundations examined the work they are sponsoring to build peoples participation in the arts and culture, and the implications of this work for both their foundations and the fields at large.