Margaret Southerland

Consultant to Arts Organizations and Arts Funders

Principal, Strategic Philanthropy Advisors, LLC

415.567.5494
www.spadvisors.com
margaret(at)spadvisors(dot)com

Margaret is an active consultant in the arts after a long career working in the arts in a variety of capacities. As the California Program Officer for the J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation for 10 years, she funded hundreds of arts organizations and arts education programs after evaluating applicants’ organizational, financial, and program capacities. She is active in the California philanthropic and nonprofit communities, and has served in a variety of capacities with the following entities:

• Northern California Community Loan Fund’s Nonprofit Space Capital Fund Performing Arts Program;
• Arts Loan Fund;
• Emergency Loan Fund;
• Northern California Grantmakers;
• Arts for All Pooled Fund in Los Angeles;
• Association of Fundraising Professionals-Golden Gate Chapter;
• Bay Area Corporate Volunteer Council;
• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Corporate Partnership Committee;
• University of Southern California Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy;
• Autry National Center Acquisition Committee; and
• Arts Education Funders Collaborative in San Francisco.

She has also presented at Grantmakers in the Arts and provided training to participants of the Center for Cultural Initiatives’ Business of Art™ program in San Jose on financing options for individual artists.

Margaret has served as the Interim Program Officer for Northern California Grantmaker’s Arts Loan Fund and Emergency Loan Funds, reviewing applications for loans and technical assistance from nonprofit organizations and individual artists.

Prior to her work in the philanthropic sector, Margaret was a commercial banker. Her prior financial experience as a commercial lending officer informs her ability to help arts organizations strengthen their financial capacity, create budgets and dashboard indicators for Board members and senior staff, and undergo strategic planning and program assessments.

Consulting Services

• Create strategic plans and implement agendas;
• Grant research and grant writing;
• Analyze program operations and develop new programs;
• Assess financial and organizational capacity;
• Creation of dashboard indicators, budgets, and other financial toolkits;
• Facility assessment related to the operations and management of cultural facilities;
• Mange leadership transitions and serve as Interim Executive Director; and
• Help with Board recruitment, development and training.

Recent Clients

• City of San Francisco Grants for the Arts/Hotel Tax Fund;
• Center for Cultural Innovation;
• Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA);
• City of San Jose – Office of Cultural Affairs;
• SoundVision Productions;
• Northern California Community Loan Fund’s Nonprofit Space Capital Fund Performing Arts Program; and
• Northern California Grantmaker’s Arts Loan Fund and Emergency Loan Fund.

Special Offer for Arts Organizations
Your organization may be eligible for a Creative Capacity Fund Professional Development grant. Financial technical assistance consulting services offered for the $1,000 Professional Development grants:

• Cash Flow Projection Toolkit and consultation
• Dashboard Indicators and Financial Overview Toolkit with consultation
• Eight hours of financial technical assistance consultation on issues of importance to the Executive Director or Board of Directors
• Eight hours of grant research
  

Strategic Philanthropy Advisors, LLC
Margaret is a founder and Principal of Strategic Philanthropy Advisors, LLC, a seven-person consulting firm providing services to the philanthropic sector with offices in San Francisco and New York. Please visit www.spadvisors.com for more information on our consulting practice and the range of our consulting services.