Queridos,

I’m thrilled to share the great news that Marianna Schaffer will be joining Creative Capital as our Director of Artist Initiatives. The new position will serve a key role in cultivating and creating relationships, strategies, outreach, and programs to serve the needs of artists. Marianna will direct both awardee services and professional development programs, which are at the core of Creative Capital’s mission to support artists in realizing their creative visions.

We’ve been talking to artists around the country, and we keep hearing that there is a clear need for comprehensive artist-driven funding and advisory services. Marianna is the perfect leader to further develop our award and professional development efforts into an integrated program that will have a positive impact on artists and communities across the nation. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Marianna to the Creative Capital team.

Read more about Marianna’s experience below, and don’t forget applications for the Creative Capital Award are now open through February 28!

Saludos,

Susan R. Delvalle
President & Executive Director

About Marianna Schaffer
Marianna Schaffer has spent over a decade as a leader in the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors, most recently in support of American artists and arts institutions dedicated to positive social change. She served as a Program Officer at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, where she helped to empower individual artists and small arts organizations working across the country at the intersection of arts and social justice, primarily through pioneering initiatives such as the Artist as Activist Fellowship and SEED program. During her tenure, she also managed the partnership with the Sundance Institute New Climate Initiative to uncover and support films and emerging media projects that address the environment, conservation, and climate change.

Before joining Rauschenberg, Marianna worked as a member of David Rockefeller’s philanthropic team for 11 years, rising to become the Director of Programs at the David Rockefeller Fund, where she was responsible for day-to-day operations and grant-making focused on arts access and engagement, criminal justice reform, and climate change advocacy in New York City.

Marianna has a strong international background; she is Brazilian on her mother’s side and speaks both Portuguese and French fluently. She is a Master of International Education from New York University, a B.A. in Social & Global Studies from Antioch College, and is a veteran of AmeriCorps, where she volunteered for two years in the Learn & Serve Corps based at the University of Denver.

Outside of her professional activities, Marianna serves on the Board of Directors of Placeful, a community-investment nonprofit, as the Chair of the Local Arts Advisory Council of the Special 125th Street District in Manhattan, and recently completed a term on the Young Partners Board of the Public Theater. She is active in her Harlem community, serving on the steering committee of the North Star Neighborhood Association and as a member of the Garden of Love community garden.