The Kenneth Rainin Foundation welcomes Pamela Mattera as its first Arts Program Fellow. Mattera will play an integral role in the Foundation’s work to help visionary artists thrive and lead systemic change toward a more resilient and equitable ecosystem. This one-year position was developed to offer experiential learning opportunities and professional development in philanthropy.
“Pamela is a creative thinker, committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and excited about pursuing a career in philanthropy,” said Ted Russell, Director, Arts Strategy & Ventures. “Her commitment to DEI is bolstered by training by Race Forward, her role as a founding member of the Brooklyn Museum’s staff diversity, equity, inclusion and access (DEIA) committee, and as a member of the museum’s pay equity and wage transparency committee.”
“Pamela is a creative thinker, committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion and excited about pursuing a career in philanthropy.”
Ted Russell, Director, Arts Strategy & Ventures
The Arts Program Fellow will support the grantmaking process as well as research, data analysis and communications to enhance learning, program outcomes and transparency.
“The Rainin Foundation’s commitment to equity and its desire to innovate the field of philanthropy are especially inspiring,” Mattera noted. “I’m honored to serve as the Foundation’s inaugural Arts Program Fellow and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the important work the team is leading in the sector.”
Building Community And Supporting Visionary Artists
Mattera joins the Foundation with 15 years of experience in the nonprofit arts sector. Most recently she was Director of Membership and Annual Fund at the Brooklyn Museum where she built the membership base to its highest record to date. Her efforts also encompassed DEIA initiatives including pilots for six-month and community-based membership programs.
Her nonprofit career began at the Tenement Museum where she grew to love the community-building aspect of membership programs. At the Chinati Foundation, an artist-founded museum in Marfa, Texas, she orchestrated fundraising initiatives and re-envisioned its membership program. Chinati’s artist-in-residence program gave Pamela a window into the creative process for artists. She also held membership positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New Museum.
“I’m excited to spend the next year learning about how the Foundation’s approach to experimentation, risk-taking and systems change ensures that diverse and visionary artists thrive in the Bay Area and beyond.”
Pamela Mattera, Arts Program Fellow
Mattera’s arts background and experience will benefit the Foundation’s work around systems change to advance equity in the arts. She has participated in the Community-Centric Fundraising movement, which is led by fundraisers of color and grounded in racial and economic justice. This movement prioritizes the collective community and nonprofit interdependence.
“I’m excited to spend the next year learning about how the Foundation’s approach to experimentation, risk-taking and systems change ensures that diverse and visionary artists thrive in the Bay Area and beyond,” said Mattera.
