gary steuer
philanthropy | nonprofit | arts & culture
Philanthropy, nonprofit management and leadership development are how I strive to make a positive difference in the world. I have launched an independent consulting practice and am now taking on a small number of clients who share a commitment to advancing society through philanthropy and engagement.
I have written, lectured, facilitated high-level conversations and spearheaded innovative collaborations around funding and policy—with significant emphasis in arts and culture. Additionally, through my foundation leadership, extensive service on boards, advisory groups and funding panels I offer both broad perspective and deep knowledge of philanthropy.
Are you a philanthropist who could benefit from advisement, helping you to maximize your impact? An arts group that needs to assess its strategy, funding and impact? A government entity looking to strengthen or reimagine its cultural agency and strategy to better serve your constituents? Let’s connect. Reach out via the "Contact" page and I will be in touch!
philanthropy
I recently concluded a 12-year tenure as President and CEO of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation in Denver, Colorado, where I advanced arts and culture in local communities and at the national level. This included dramatic diversifying of funding to support more groups in historically marginalized communities, creating the Arts in Society collaborative grant program, launching a major shift towards impact investing of our assets, and leading a collective funder response to the COVID crisis.
Previously, I served as Chief Cultural Officer for the City of Philadelphia overseeing cultural grantmaking; as President of the Arts & Business Council of New York specializing in marketing and cultural tourism, and at the New York State Council on the Arts directing capital project grantmaking programs.
I am actively engaged with national and thought leadership through writing, public speaking, and board participation, including past service on the Grantmakers in the Arts Board and as Chair of Philanthropy Colorado. I currently serve on the board of The Stanley Partnership for Arts, Culture and Education (SPACE); the Denver Civic Arts Foundation (DCAF) and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.
nonprofit LEADERSHIP
While my deepest experience is in the cultural sector, I also have worn many hats in the larger nonprofit space.
I have served on the Board of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, been active in Independent Sector, served on board and in advocacy roles around issues like childcare and alternative transportation. Within the arts I have advanced the values of equity and justice and the connection between the arts and the wide array of other critical social areas, such as youth, health, public safety, and the environment.
At Bonfils-Stanton Foundation we operated the renowned Livingston Fellowship Program which advanced the leadership of a wide array of Colorado nonprofit leaders, affording engagement with the entire nonprofit spectrum.
arts & culture
As an arts omnivore, my experience in the cultural sector is broad and deep, spanning across multiple art forms.
In addition to my more recent leadership roles, very early in my career, I worked at the Museum of Modern Art, managed the cabaret/musical theatre program at one of the major Off Broadway theatres, the Chelsea Theatre Center, ran the Vineyard Theatre (which also presented at the time opera, chamber music, jazz, and children’s programs) - including leading the construction of their current home. I was later the Executive Director of Broadway’s National Actors Theatre founded by Tony Randall.
I deeply believe that arts and culture are critical to a healthy fulfilling community and life, to forging understanding across difference and across borders. Too often the arts are seen as a “nice to have, but not a need to have” and I believe this misses the critical importance of our humanity, our souls, our inner life, our curiosity, our joy.
