A $90,000 grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will sponsor two San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra concerts in their up-coming 89th season.
“Since ancient times we have expressed ourselves through a culture of giving. Today, San Manuel is able to answer the call of Yawa’ (Serrano word meaning “to act on one’s beliefs”) through partnerships with charitable organizations.”
I thought this served as a potential counter point to the previous article I posted. Here, we have an organization representing a minority group, contributing to support culture, but that does not necessarily represent their culture in a specific way. The mission and vision of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians (https://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov) does mention promoting culture, but the language suggests that they are primarily focused on preserving their native culture. They do mention supporting other groups, however, as a way of supporting the “relationship with the land and all who share it.”
In the context of readings from class, this shows a significant way in which cultural traditions of charity and giving continue beyond explicit attempts to fulfill social justice goals. Their website also states that educational programs for the local community are a high priority for their giving, and supporting these concerts does provide educational opportunities for the students involved.
From the institutional standpoint of the San Bernardino Symphony, this partnership seems to support a consistent portion of their program offerings. Increasing the capacity for educational performances also increases the ability to fulfill their mission of making classical music more accessible to their community.
As discussed in class, building the relationship with donors and determining their goals and interests in giving is an important part of a fundraising attempt. This combination of using support for educational programming to also support public performances is a great example of doing exactly that.