MISSION: The mission of Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA) is to harness the aggregate resources of our cultural organizations to position arts, culture, and creativity as critical community assets and priority areas for public and private investment and engagement. VISION: The Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA) envisions a community that values arts and culture and the integral role they will play in our region’s future. ASI works closely with GBCA in fostering and promoting advocacy efforts on behalf of Western New York’s arts and cultural organizations.

MISSION: The Cultural Alliance of Niagara (CAN) is a member-powered collaborative that positions Niagara County’s flourishing arts and cultural sector as a vital regional asset and visitor destination, essential to the region’s economic success and quality of life. HISTORY: CAN was formed in the mid-1980s when cultural tourism was taking shape in Niagara County. An early advocate of this important economic development strategy, CAN quickly became a critical partnership between the region’s arts, cultural, and heritage organizations to raise awareness of its destinations and to secure funding and support. During the 1990s, CAN collected data to demonstrate the remarkable economic impact of Niagara County’s arts, heritage, and cultural sites and shared the information at an annual reception for state and county public officials. The group later coordinated “training days” for Leadership Niagara, highlighting Niagara County’s cultural profile, and continues to update and distribute the data through a collaborative marketing brochure. Today, CAN’s goal is to increase familiarity and foster partnerships among business, community, and civic leaders in Niagara County and to integrate the sector into the life of its residents. ASI works closely with CAN by providing administrative support and guidance. Check out Arts Niagara, CAN’s new events calendar highlighting the exciting arts and cultural activities in Niagara County.

Frontline Arts Buffalo seeks to support frontline arts and cultural organizations in Buffalo in their transition from conditions of precarity to viability. They are a collaboration of artists, arts administrators, engaged citizens, justice advocates, and policy researchers. They work to call attention to the work that frontline arts institutions have done in the past and continue to do today. They maintain communities, contribute to society, and create culture, often with very limited resources and public recognition. FAB wants to engage the public in conversations about how to support these organizations and advocate for the importance of funding them in an equitable and sustainable way.

Arts Partners for Learning (APL) takes best practices from around the country to build capacity for arts education in the eight counties of Western New York. APL was formed with the support of the Fund for the Arts, John R. Oishei Foundation, and Young Audiences, Inc. with the vision to expand the capacity of arts organizations and educational institutions in Western New York. Young Audiences of Western New York coordinates this community-wide initiative. Its goals include improving educational attainment of the region’s young people; providing access to underserved children, artists, and arts organizations; providing services to the area’s cultural assets; and ensuring future audiences and supporters of the arts. APL follows the priorities of educators such as “one stop shopping” arts education services, providing consistent and centralized management, and performing further evaluation and research. ASI provides administrative and advocacy support to this program and serves on its leadership team.

“Many stages, one vision” MISSION: The Theatre Alliance of Buffalo (TAB) is a consortium of professional theater companies dedicated to promoting the welfare of its member organizations and appreciation of the art of theater. Goals of the organization:

• Strengthen and enhance marketing efforts
• Develop and invigorate communication and coordination among its members
• Provide opportunities to stabilize and strengthen TAB members as a cultural and regional asset

ASI has worked with TAB on an internal efficiency study and currently shares its resources and opportunities with the theater collective and community.