Eric Avner

In this week's My Soapbox, Eric Avner shares his thoughts about urban philanthropy in the Queen City. Avner oversees economic development grantmaking for the Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation and will be moderating Soapbox's Speaker Series this week.  

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Q: Cincinnati has a storied history of philanthropy - much of our iconic urban architecture like Music Hall and many of our flagship arts institutions such as the Symphony and Opera owe their lengthy existences to a core group of 19th century philanthropists. How do 21st century philanthropists maintain these early initiatives with an eye towards identifying the next century's initiatives?

A: Generations of philanthropic families created and then supported our region's legacy of fine arts.   However, it's no secret that philanthropy - especially in the arts - is changing rapidly.   Arts organizations are seeing that the next generation of those same families won't automatically be as supportive of local fine arts.  Maybe that's due to a programming disconnect with them and their children, or maybe that's because they don't yet believe that arts can "change the world".   The tough question is how traditional art forms can remain relevant to and ignite passion in the next generation of philanthropists. 

I love the great TED Talk by Benjamin Zander about how classical music can do this. It's happening locally too.  The Cincinnati Ballet has been broadening its appeal by presenting New Works.  We're seeing the growth of a new generation of local arts organizations like Know Theatre and the Clifton Cultural Arts Center that are finding new ways to connect with a new generation of patrons.  Most interesting to me has been the rapid growth of online giving platforms like Kickstarter.com or Unitedstatesartists.org that allow individuals to support "what's next."   A 21st century philanthropist has unlimited options for their giving.  What part of that investment goes to local, regional, national, or global causes will depend on the relevance of the organization or project, and how that cause ignites the passion of the donor.   

Q: Is there a distinction between 'urban philanthropy' and general philanthropy?

A: I guess that depends what you mean by "urban philanthropy."  Almost 10 years ago, I was part of an informal network of city-minded people in leadership positions who came together around an "Urbanist" set of principles.  Essentially, these folks believed - and hopefully still believe - in a strong Greater Cincinnati region built around a vibrant, diversely populated urban core.  If it were up to them, philanthropic (and public and private) investments would be targeted to repopulating the City, especially urban neighborhoods like Over-the-Rhine, by building a vibrant, diverse pedestrian community attractive to young professionals, empty nesters, immigrants, African American legacy households and the Creative Class.   By that definition, I suppose an "Urbanist Philanthropist" would make proactive investments in those things that support the urban core and that build on our region's assets (such as regional growth, a solid tax base, colleges and universities, arts and culture organizations, strong neighborhoods, distinctive architecture, downtown housing, etc.).  This would be rather than taking a traditional philanthropic path that constantly reacts and responds to seemingly endless problems.   We are seeing more foundations starting to do both of these (proactive and reactive philanthropy) which I see as a good sign for the future of our region. 

Q: What are some of the most important urban philanthropic investments in our community in the past ten years?

A: That's a tough one. Here's a list, in no particular order: 
• Lois and Richard Rosenthal and others who contributed to build the iconic Contemporary Arts Center building
• Donors to Artworks' Muralworks program which has trained hundreds of student artists and brightened neighborhoods all over the region
• KnowledgeWorks support of the Strive Partnership to improve urban education
• Corporate philanthropy via 3CDC to remake Fountain Square and revitalize OTR
• Donors to the Cincinnati Parks Foundation to support the International Friendship Park and the Central Riverfront Park, both of which have a major role in spurring additional development. 

Q: As someone who cultivates and nurtures new ideas with funding, what do you envision are the most important ideas or core parts that could be invested in Cincinnati in the next ten?

A: In addition to continued investments in urban neighborhood revitalization, I am currently preoccupied with how philanthropy can encourage greater innovation and entrepreneurship in our region.   At the Haile/US Bank Foundation, we made early investments to support initiatives like The Brandery, CincinnatiInnovates.com , InOneWeekend, TEDx, and Soapbox itself.   We also support organizations like CincyTech, Greater Cincinnati Venture Association, and The Circuit.  However, I'm always on the lookout for ways that organized philanthropy can do more. 

We have a deep pool of talent in this region.  How can philanthropy encourage more of them to consider starting their own business?   I'm not just thinking about high-tech, web-based companies.  With the hope of engaging and retaining the creative talent in our region, we'll soon be announcing an initiative to encourage the formation of artisan retail enterprises.  I'm also thinking about how to leverage the talent coming out of Midwest Culinary Institute, specifically looking at how other cities with culinary schools are able to create a robust local restaurant culture.   Maybe that last one is a little selfish, knowing how much I enjoy distinctive local restaurants.

Q: How much of urban philanthropy is about creating partnerships, whether that's public/private, or corporate/non-profit? 

A: It's pretty clear that no foundation, no matter how large, has all the resources necessary to effect change singlehandedly.   Therefore, urban philanthropy - or any philanthropy - must have strong partnerships in the community.   The shape, makeup, and duration of those partnerships may change depending on the need.   However, if you want to hear more about philanthropic partnerships, straight from the people who are in the trenches making a difference in the community, you should come to the Soapbox Speaker Series event on Wednesday.   We'll be spending some time discussing that exact topic - among other things.

Q: There's a perception that it takes a significant gift of philanthropy to make a difference, but we've seen the rise of less grand scale funders like Fuel Cincinnati.  So what makes an effective philanthropic investment?

A: Every day there seems to be a new book, blog, or consultant practice that claims to have the answer to what makes an "effective investment".   The short (non)answer is that it depends on what the donor is hoping to achieve.    If you want to cure cancer or reverse climate change, I hope you have a pretty big checkbook, and a lot of friends with big checkbooks.   There was an article in the January/February 2011 issue of Harvard Business Review that gives a good framework for effective large-scale philanthropy.  However, if the goal is to landscape your neighborhood park, support an artist, or provide food for those in need, you can accomplish a lot with small amounts of money.   No matter how large or how modest the contribution, it's possible to be effective.  

Photography by Scott Beseler.