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Logo for The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network.

In the for-profit world, like-minded businesses generally become competitors for consumer dollars. Nonprofit organizations have a unique ability to recognize commonalities within organizational missions and combine efforts, leverage connections, and provide deeper resources and stronger outcomes than one organization could accomplish on their own. Perhaps it is the creative nature of the arts that inspires these connections and partnerships within arts organizations, or maybe it comes from the nonprofit need to make every dollar do the job of two or more.

A great example of arts organizations combining resources to increase their collective impact would be the recent partnership between The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) and the Americans for the Arts State Arts Action Network (SAAN). The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network is a coalition of statewide nonprofit Alliances for Arts Education working in partnership with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to support policies, practices, programs, and partnerships that ensure the arts are an essential part of American K-12 education. The State Arts Action Network serves as the meeting place for statewide multidisciplinary arts service or advocacy organizations to gather and discuss common issues.

As the newest affiliate members of SAAN, the Kennedy Center affiliate have increased resources and networking opportunities, while offering expertise and partnerships. The initial idea for connecting these two powerful networks came when Arts Education Manager for Americans for the Arts John Abodeely began connecting the networks through resources, meetings, and people. He quickly recognized the power of collaboration and set into motion opportunities for staff and leaders of the two networks to talk and share ideas. Each KCAAEN organization became a dues-paying affiliate member of  SAAN and a webinar has been scheduled to share information and engage individuals about resources and expertise found in each network.

By partnering with SAAN, KCAAEN provides its organizations with increased access to resources, information, and tools to support the arts and arts education in their states. The collaborative nature of the partnership provides a connection for the two state organizations that might not otherwise occurred. As this collaboration grows, it is hoped that the work of both statewide arts organizations can build upon each others strengths and resources. Both organizations working together to support arts education will increase the volume of voices through combined messaging. For states like Ohio, the advocacy impact of two statewide organizations working together is powerful. Executive Director of Ohio Alliance for Arts Education and Ohio Citizens for the Arts Donna Collins understands the power of advocates when they share messaging and work collaboratively to support arts education and public funding for the arts. Most states have separate executive directors for each organization, so the partnership with SAAN has created a dialogue and collaboration between organizations garnering support their mutual goal of advocating for the arts and arts education. In these historic economic times it is essential to work with like-minded partners who together are more powerful than acting alone.