Throughout the country, some of America's top businesses are engaging with the arts to engage employees, foster innovation, and transform communities. Do you know of or work for a business that deserves to be honored for its support of and engagement with the arts? Nominate it for the 2016 BCA 10 Awards!

Americans for the Arts wants you to elect art professionals from the field to serve on one of four network advisory councils: Arts Education, Emerging Leaders, Private Sector, and

As employee engagement becomes a priority for companies, many of them are turning to the arts in an effort to fuel attraction and retention, according to Business Contributions to the Arts: 2017 Edition, published by The Conference Board and Americans for the Arts. Nearly 70 percent of companies surveyed responded that they offered board service opportunities at arts organizations for their employees, while 65 percent offered volunteer activities and 63 percent provided free or discounted tickets to arts events. However, measuring the business or societal impact of arts contributions continues to challenge most companies and their partners, as only 28 percent of businesses reported making an effort to measure these impacts.

Launching today, the third essay in The pARTnership Movement essay series, Foster Critical Thinking, demonstrates how arts partnerships can help a company encourage critical thinking and thereby boost innovation among employees.

As part of its recently released Blueprint for Collective Action for the Arts initiative, Cincinnati-based United Arts Fund, ArtsWave, has announced its’ new strategy will allocate funding based on five community goals.

Do you know of an arts professional from your community whose leadership and forward thinking could benefit the rest of the field? Or are you looking to gain leadership experience and take your involvement with Americans for the Arts to the next level?

Americans for the Arts wants you!

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, is proud to introduce this year’s BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America honorees. Presented every year by Americans for the Arts’ Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), the BCA 10 awards honor 10 U.S. companies for their exceptional commitment to the arts.

In recognition of the Arts & Business Council of New York’s 50^th Anniversary and its many accomplishments over decades of service to the arts and business communities in our city, Mayor Bill DeBlasio declared November 17th "Arts & Business Council of New York Day". Arts & Business Council of New York will hold its 3rd annual Arts Volunteer Fair the same evening, continuing its commitment to fostering arts and business partnerships in New York City.

Launching today, the second essay in The pARTnership Movement essay series, Put Your Company in the Spotlight, explores how engaging with the arts can help a business build market share, enhance its brand, and reach new customers.

Blue Line Arts, a Roseville, CA-based gallery, arts education, and cultural facility recently announced its acquisition of select programs of the Arts & Business Council of Sacramento (SacABC).

The programs that Blue Line Arts will continue to operate, starting in 2016, include Prelude to the Season, an annual arts excellence awards show; and Flywheel, and incubator that trains artists to hone practical business skills.

Each year, Americans for the Arts honors the best businesses partnering with the arts in America through the BCA10 awards. This summer, two of our previous honorees, Golden Artist Colors, Inc. (BCA 10 2012) and Scholastic Inc. (BCA 10 2013) have partnered to provide an unprecedented opportunity for art educators. Teachers of students who received recognition in the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were invited to submit painted art-pieces for a chance to participate in a weeklong artist residency through the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation.

NV Energy(a 2015 BCA 10 honoree) employees have traveled across Nevada to share the story of their successful arts and business partnerships and celebrate their BCA 10 recognition. NV Energy has been supportive of the arts for nearly 30 years through the NV Energy Foundation, and in the past 10 years alone, the foundation has committed $3.4 million towards arts and culture initiatives in rural and urban Nevada.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) and Business for Culture & the Arts (BCA) announced last week that a few of BCA’s signature programs will be absorbed by RACC while BCA heads towards ceases operations in the next few months.

The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg recently received a significant grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to execute a public art project with a purpose as part of Bloomberg’s Public Art Challenge.

Three years ago, Denver's Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, a long-time supporter of a variety of charitable causes, shifted their giving strategy to focus entirely on the arts. According to an article in the Denver Post, “Culture needed the money, the thinking went, and by targeting one area, the foundation could set itself apart from its peers and become a real player in the community.” The organization is now one of the most important voices in Denver’s arts scene, providing customized—and often critical—support to arts institutions, new art projects, and local startups to help build Denver’s arts profile.

The Arts & Business Council of New York (ABC/NY) recently launched an online matching portal for its Employee Engagement Program. Through the matchmaking site and consulting services, ABC/NY will offer a variety opportunities to create meaningful partnerships between the arts and business communities in New York City through volunteering, arts-based training, and customized arts events.