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 “At Ameriprise Financial, we celebrate the arts as a medium that brings people together and enables us to see the world through the lens of diverse cultures and experiences. We support programs, exhibitions, and artists that enrich our communities and inspire new ways of thinking.”
—Brian Pietsch, Senior Vice President Community Relations and Public Affairs, Ameriprise Financial (2015 BCA 10 honoree) Nominations for the BCA 10 Now Open
Do you know of a business that deserves to be honored for its support of and engagement with the arts? Nominate it for the 2016 BCA 10 Awards! Presented annually by Americans for the Arts' Business Committee for the Arts, the BCA 10 Awards recognize the 10 best businesses partnering with the arts in America. Past honorees include AutoZone, Edward Jones, John Deere, Microsoft, Scholastic, The Tampa Bay Times, and many other businesses of all sizes. Learn more about the BCA 10 Awards and view photos from this year’s event. All 2016 honorees will be celebrated at the BCA 10 black-tie gala in New York City on October 5, 2016. The nomination process ends January 8, 2016.
 Throughout the United States, businesses are partnering with the arts to engage with employees, stimulate innovation, and transform America’s communities.The pARTnership Movement from Americans for the Arts encourages and celebrates those partnerships. Learn more.
FOX’s Urges Empire Fans to “Get Behind the Beat”
Inspired by the hit show Empire, FOX’s “FOX PRESENTS EMPIRE, Behind The Beat” campaign, a collaborative effort between FOX and the nonprofit organization Notes for Notes, will raise money to build fully equipped music studios across the country, providing young people with free access to instruments and audio equipment, as well as professional mentors. Learn more. Arts & Business Partnerships Featured on The Huffington Post
On The Huffington Post, Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch writes about the power of arts and business partnerships, highlighting BCA 10 honoree AutoZone and drawing from his experience touring the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Kohler facilities in Wisconsin. Read his story. Employee Resource Groups and the Arts
Employee resource groups, which bring together coworkers who share common interests and identities, hold many benefits for businesses and are growing in popularity. These groups often seek ways to engage with their communities. To help arts organizations interested in partnering, we’ve created a new tool-kit on www.pARTnershipMovement.org. Read more. Art Comes to Coney Island
Real estate development and investment firm Thor Equities partnered with street artists this spring to transform an empty lot at Coney Island into the Coney Island Art Walls. Learn why. Brewing Up New Partnerships in California
Something’s brewing in North Oakland, CA. This summer, while waiting on pending permits to open his new brewery, Samuel Gilbert forged a connection with the community by inviting the arts in. Read more.  In the Spotlight: Duke Energy Employees Go Behind the Scenes
2015 BCA Hall of Fame honoree Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States, believes that providing access to and building an appreciation for the arts can have a powerful impact on the communities it serves, including its own community of employees. During Lunch & Learns, the company takes employees behind the scenes to experience the arts in their communities. Learn more.
Photo: Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, one of Duke Energy's arts partners. Photo courtesy of Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.  Do you have your own partnership story to tell? Send your story to [email protected] or share it on Twitter using #ArtsandBiz.
Americans for the Arts News
 Upcoming: BCA 10 Businesses in Action Webinar
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 from 3:00pm to 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
At this webinar, presented by Americans for the Arts, you can hear directly from this year’s BCA 10 honorees, including GE's FirstBuild, NV Energy, and others about why they partner with the arts, and learn how to create successful arts and business partnerships in your community. Register now. Read a recap of this year’s BCA 10 event on ARTSblog. Americans for the Arts' Award Winners Featured in November’s Chronicle of Philanthropy, Politico, and others
Americans for the Arts is proud to feature the recipients of our BCA 10 Awards, National Arts Awards, Annual Leadership Awards, and our Public Leadership in the Arts Awards in this month’s Nonprofit Times, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Roll Call, Politico, The Hill, Nonprofit Quarterly, and a dozen other publications. See the ad. Americans for the Arts featured in The New York Times
The New York Times recently featured a story on arts fundraising in New York, including some of the businesses that help the arts thrive and research from Americans for the Arts' BCA National Survey of Business Support for the Arts. Read the article. Photo: U.S. Bank President and Chief Executive Officer discusses U.S. Bank's arts and business partnerships at the 2015 BCA 10 gala. Photo by Rana Faure.
From the Private Sector Network The Private Sector Network of Americans for the Arts is comprised of local arts organizations that work to foster arts partnerships with businesses. Learn more.
Wells Fargo Partners with Arts and Education Council
In St. Louis, Wells Fargo (a 2005 BCA 10 company) recently donated $50,000 in scholarship assistance to a new Arts and Education fund, managed by the local Arts and Education Council. This contribution is part of a larger $100,000 gift that will serve programs aiming to improve access to creative expression and arts opportunities for youth in underserved areas throughout the region. Learn more. Attracting Skills-Based Arts Volunteers in the Age of Options
On ARTSblog, Robin Hanson, program manager for Business Volunteers for the Arts at Arizona Citizens for the Arts and former Prudential Financial employee, discusses how the process of connecting business volunteers with opportunities to serve nonprofits in their communities is evolving. Learn more.
Facts & Figures
Executive Perspectives of Arts Engagement & Workforce Skills
Theatre Forward recently released findings from its commissioned survey, Unmasking Business Success, conducted by Shugoll Research (a two time BCA 10 honoree). The survey measured the impact arts engagement has on the development of skills which executives believe are essential for success in a competitive global marketplace. Americans for the Arts partnered on this survey. See the results. Aflac Survey Finds Corporate Responsibility Impresses
American consumers value companies they believe demonstrate a commitment to corporate social responsibility, according to a new survey by the insurance company Aflac.
- 75 percent of consumers said they would be happier to work for a company with a strong corporate social-responsibility program.
- 92 percent of millennials are more likely to purchase from an ethical company.
- 66 percent of millennial respondents said they are likely to invest in a company well-known for its corporate social-responsibility program, compared with 48 percent of adults older than 34.
How can the arts help? Read how partnering with the arts can help businesses recruit talent and engage employees.
 “Our employees have become even more engaged in the community as a result of our investments in the arts. They get behind the scenes looks at exhibitions, they get to interact with Broadway actors that are in town, and as a result, they feel far more a part of the city and the community and all of the great things that are happening there. Our employees appreciate being part of a company that allows them to have that kind of engagement.”
—Stick Williams, Foundation President, Duke Energy (2015 BCA Hall of Fame honoree)
Photo: Stick Williams discusses Duke Energy's arts and business partnerships at the 2015 BCA 10 gala. Photo by Rana Faure. 
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