Rewriting the Script

Rewriting the Script is a monthly essay series examining how arts philanthropy must evolve to remain relevant, inclusive, and aligned with the creativity, equity, and empathy the arts themselves embody.

Drawing on historical context, contemporary practice, and lived experience in arts leadership, the series explores how inherited fundraising models—patronage, transaction, and exclusivity—continue to shape who feels invited into the philanthropic story of the arts, and what becomes possible when generosity is rooted in belonging rather than access.

Through essays that blend narrative, analysis, and field observation, Rewriting the Script considers the power dynamics embedded in traditional philanthropy and invites reflection, dialogue, and reimagining across the arts sector—reframing donors not as consumers of access, but as collaborators in impact.