The Sphinx Organization marked it’s 20th anniversary in 2017 and in that time our organization has grown steadily and sustainably to an annual budget of $5 million.  The growth and sustainability of Sphinx’s bottom line can be primarily attributed to planning, partnerships, and trends in philanthropy.

  • Planning: The forward-funding schedule and model allows Sphinx to plan ahead for any unanticipated shortfalls or surpluses and adjust our operations and programming accordingly.
  • Partnerships:  In 2017, through increased investment and multi-year commitments from Sphinx’s foundation partners, we were able to increase our foundation and government support by 35%.
  • Trends in Philanthropy: Sphinx, as a culturally-specific arts non-profit, has at times had a hard and narrow fit within the larger trends of arts funding and the priorities of arts grantmakers. However, in the past 3 to 5 years Sphinx has been able to capitalize on the trend of increased investment and funding towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the arts.

Read the full article about planning, partnerships and philanthropy by Stephanee Strasbur at SMU National Center Arts Research.