What if supporting the arts could be more than making a donation?
What if it could mean discovering a new artist, getting a behind-the-scenes look at a local cultural organization, meeting people who share your interests, volunteering alongside passionate community leaders and helping shape the future of the arts in Broward County?
That is the idea behind Funding Arts Broward (FAB).
For more than two decades, FAB has brought together people who believe that a vibrant arts community makes Broward County a better place to live. Founded in 2003 by philanthropist Francie Bishop Good and 74 visionary arts supporters, FAB has invested more than $5.4 million in Broward County’s cultural community.
But FAB is not a traditional foundation where a small group of people makes decisions behind closed doors. It is a community of volunteers who pool their philanthropic resources, roll up their sleeves and become personally involved in strengthening the arts.
And there has never been a more exciting time to become part of it.
Your membership makes a difference
During its most recent grant cycle, FAB awarded $387,000 to 37 Broward County arts organizations, achieving a 97 percent funding rate, the highest funding level per grantee in the organization’s 23-year history.
Those grants support an extraordinarily diverse cultural ecosystem, including performing arts, visual arts, public art, arts education, community theater, music, dance, multicultural programming and LGBTQ+ arts initiatives.
The impact extends well beyond the organizations receiving the grants. FAB-supported programs give children opportunities to experience the arts, provide artists with platforms to create and perform, bring families together and make cultural experiences accessible to people throughout our community.
When you become a FAB member, your contribution becomes part of that collective investment.
But membership is about more than giving
One of the most rewarding things about FAB is that members don’t have to sit on the sidelines.
More than 50 FAB members actively participate in reviewing and screening grant applications each season. Volunteers conduct site visits, learn about the organizations seeking support and help evaluate how proposed programs will serve the community.
It is an opportunity to see firsthand the breadth and creativity of Broward’s arts community.
You might discover an organization you have never encountered. You might meet an artist whose work changes your perspective. You might find yourself advocating for a program because you have seen its impact firsthand.
In the process, you become more than a donor. You become an informed champion for the arts.
Come for the arts. Stay for the people.
There is another important reason to join FAB: community.
As Broward County continues to grow, finding meaningful ways to connect with others matters. FAB brings together people from different professions, neighborhoods and generations who share an appreciation for creativity and culture.
Membership provides opportunities to make new friends, build relationships and spend time with people who are equally curious about the arts and passionate about Broward County.
Being active and engaged can bring a sense of purpose and belonging, and FAB offers plenty of opportunities to do just that.
This season, FAB is creating even more ways for members to experience the arts together, go behind the scenes, discover Broward’s cultural community and introduce new friends to FAB.
And there is more to come.
The FAB Program Committee, chaired by board member Judy Feldman and including David Feldman, Elissa Mogilefsky, Ellen Fischer, Jude Paskoski and Eleanore Levy, is developing a special FAB Film Event at Savor in February 2027. Details are still taking shape, but the committee is thinking big.
That spirit of discovery is part of what makes FAB membership so much fun.
A front-row seat to Broward’s cultural future
FAB has always understood that philanthropy must evolve alongside the community it serves.
Through initiatives such as Arts Access, developed in partnership with the Community Foundation of Broward, FAB helps address barriers that can keep children from participating in arts education. Through its grantmaking, it supports both established cultural institutions and emerging organizations, recognizing that a healthy arts ecosystem needs both.
Under Executive Director Katiuska "Kat" Brigian Sierra, who joined FAB as its first employee in 2019, the organization has evolved from a volunteer-operated organization into a sustainable nonprofit with professional infrastructure while maintaining the volunteer spirit at its core.
Board Chair Dr. Denise St. Patrick Bell has continued that focus on engagement, transparency and sustainability through initiatives including Board Briefs, member focus groups, expanded strategic planning and the Just One membership campaign.
The goal is simple: create more opportunities for members to understand where their contributions go, participate in the process and help shape what comes next.
An invitation to become part of the story
The Association of Fundraising Professionals Broward County Chapter recently recognized FAB as its 2026 Outstanding Foundation of the Year, honoring more than 20 years of volunteer leadership, innovative philanthropy, responsible stewardship and commitment to strengthening Broward County through the arts.
The recognition is meaningful, but the real measure of FAB’s success is what happens after the grants are awarded.
It is the child who discovers a love of music.
The student who finds confidence through theater.
The artist who gets an opportunity to create.
The family that experiences something together.
The neighborhood that gathers around a cultural event.
And the community members who decide they want to be part of making all of that possible.
That is why joining FAB is about more than supporting the arts. It is about investing in the kind of community we want Broward County to be.
Whether you are a longtime arts enthusiast or simply curious about discovering more of what Broward has to offer, there is a place for you at FAB.
Come experience the arts. Meet the people behind them. Get involved. Make new friends. And help ensure Broward’s creative community continues to thrive.
Become a member of Funding Arts Broward and be part of the collective philanthropy that is helping shape Broward County’s cultural future.
Learn more at FundingArtsBroward.org or email [email protected].
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