Between hundreds of free concerts returning to Levitt communities, the start of the Levitt National Tour featuring GRAMMY-nominated act The War & Treaty, and the launch of brand-new programs like Levitt VIBE and Levitt BLOC, spring and early summer have been a joyously busy time for the Levitt network.

And yet, building community through free, live concerts hasn’t been the only thing on our to-do lists: During these months, Levitt grantee partners participated in and presented at conferences and field-building events spanning numerous sectors—including urban planning, placemaking, and general philanthropy. Sharing their perspectives as community organizers, these nonprofit leaders spearheaded conversations covering a breadth of topics: the role of outdoor public spaces in fostering belonging; the power of arts investments as a tool for revitalization; navigating the implications of a foundation’s spend-down from the grantee standpoint; and more.

Keep reading to learn more about these illuminating speaking engagements featuring a few of our dedicated Levitt changemakers!

MainStreet Now 2024, presented by MainStreet America

In early May, thousands of placemaking professionals convened in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference: the largest national convening of local leaders working to advance economic opportunity in their communities.

Presented by Levitt partner MainStreet America (a national nonprofit leading the movement to re-energize older and historic downtown districts to strengthen communities) and supported by the Levitt Foundation, this year’s MainStreet Now conference comprised over 140 educational sessions.

The Levitt network panel, entitled “Belonging in Public Spaces Through Live Music,” featured Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Executive Director Andrea Dono (of the Levitt AMP Harrisonburg Music Series), Gallup MainStreet Arts & Cultural District Executive Director Michael Bulloch (of the Levitt AMP Gallup Music Series), and Tina Betz, the director of Wilmington, Delaware’s Office of Cultural Affairs (of the Levitt AMP Wilmington Music Series), in addition to moderation from Levitt Foundation Vice President of Programs Victoria Bridenstine.

Reflecting one of the conference’s motifs, “Connectivity through Civic Infrastructure,” the panel explored how MainStreet organizations can play a powerful role in combatting America’s loneliness epidemic by developing inclusive programs and activities that bring communities together. Each panelist shared their own case studies detailing how their nonprofits incorporate inclusive placemaking strategies into their respective outdoor concert series.

Levitt Foundation Vice President of Programs Victoria Bridenstine moderated the Levitt network panel “Belonging in Public Spaces Through Live Music” at this year’s exciting MainStreet Now conference.

One major takeaway from the panel was the importance of nurturing belonging through cross-sector partnerships. For instance, Bulloch detailed how Levitt AMP Gallup features trusted community leaders within the town’s sizable Tribal populations—such as the Miss Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Queen—as guest emcees, which he explained lends authentic voices to the series, shows respect to cultural communities within the locale, and demonstrates Levitt AMP’s commitment to inclusion. Likewise, Dono spoke to Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance’s approach to cross-collaboration, noting that the Levitt AMP Harrisonburg Music Series has built social capital in the community by uplifting other local nonprofits—notably, offering these organizations free opportunities to fundraise on the Levitt lawn, encouraging audience engagement and deepening awareness of community resources.

In addition to presenting a panel, Levitt also supported MainStreet Now’s first-ever live musical performance. Showcasing the power of music to bring people together in real-time, the concert, featuring the award-winning group Empire Strikes Brass—whose bold, resonant sound has delighted many a Levitt audience—beckoned attendees to their feet with brassy expressions of funk and rock sounds!

CNU 32 presented by the Congress for the New Urbanism

Also in May, the Levitt Foundation participated in the 32nd annual CNU conference. Presented by the Congress for the New Urbanism, a national nonprofit on a mission to champion walkable urbanism, CNU is the leading convening for over 1,600 changemakers across numerous fields to champion the power of building places communities love. Sessions at CNU 32 include speaker panels, immersive workshops, and collaborative peer-to-peer projects.

The Levitt network panel—featuring Levitt Pavilion Dayton Executive Director Lisa Wagner, Levitt nonprofit partner Big Car Collaborative Cofounder Shauta Marsh, and Levitt VIBE Indianapolis organizer and Big Car Collaborative Executive Director Jim Walker—was entitled “Leveraging Arts Investments for Restorative Urbanism.” This interactive discussion dived into the ways three creative placemaking initiatives supported by the Levitt Foundation have deepened social cohesion, catalyzed restorative urban redevelopment, and boosted pride of place by activating once-underused places—namely, Dave Hall Plaza in downtown Dayton, Ohio, and Monument Circle and Terri Sisson Sculpture Park in Indianapolis.

Following an inspiring introduction by Levitt Foundation President and CEO Sharon Yazowski, attendees heard from Wagner, who shared insights into how free outdoor concerts at Levitt Pavilion Dayton (located in a once-underused public park, Dave Hall Plaza) have propelled further investment in the downtown area, dubbed the “Nine” by locals in reference to the nine blocks comprising downtown Dayton. Revitalization efforts such as the Dayton Arcade—a previously underused historical site that has now been transformed into a mixed-used destination comprising retail shops, offices, event spaces, and housing—have already come to life. Other projects are also underway, such as the nearby Fire Blocks District, which is a neighborhood adjacent to Levitt Dayton slated to include residential lofts, creative office spaces, and a variety of dining establishments. Levitt Dayton boosted the local economy by nearly $2 million in 2023 alone, due to concert attendees investing in local businesses and vendors on concert evenings.

At CNU 32 presented by the Congress for the New Urbanism, Levitt Pavilion Dayton Executive Director Lisa Wagner discussed how Dayton’s local Levitt catalyzed numerous revitalization projects in downtown Dayton—evidencing the power of free, live music to foster economic development.

Walker spoke of a similar chain of change unfolding in the areas surrounding two of Indianapolis’ outdoor public spaces, one of which was the historical Monument Circle Located in the heart of the city, the site is a circular brick-paved street in the center of the city’s downtown, characterized by the awesome Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument and beautiful fountains. Lined with a variety of retail shops, workplaces, and even a theater (the Hilbert Circle Theater, home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra), the civic plaza had always been a popular public gathering space for Indy residents, yet community leaders knew the public place had yet to reach its full potential, lacking opportunities for social connection.

That changed with SPARK on the Circle, which, since 2015, has infused joy and vibrancy into Monument Circle through free programming like interactive art, music, history experiences, yoga, guided walks, and play opportunities for people of all ages. Nearly a decade into the SPARK creative placemaking project, Monument Circle still comes to life each June to November from noon to dusk, seven days a week—both nurturing connection and creativity amongst Indy community members while also “sparking” economic opportunities for business owners in the surrounding area. In recent years, SPARK programming has annually reached over 12,000 community members with more than 165 programs.

GEO National Conference 2024 presented by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

Closing out the month, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations—an international community of over 6,000 grantmakers advocating for nonprofit-centered funding practices—presented its 2024 National Conference in downtown Los Angeles. Every other year, the gathering brings together over 800 grantmakers committed to moving philanthropy forward through peer-to-peer collaboration and learning, and, as a longtime member organization, the Levitt Foundation was proud to shine a light on our participation in the growing spend-down movement with our panel “Setting the Stage for Exponent Impact: The Journey to Becoming a Spend Down Foundation.”

Echoing GEO’s grantee-first ethos, the panel explored the power of providing grantees a seat at the spend-down table—aka involving them in the strategic planning of a spend-down to drive greater impact and position grantees for long-term sustainability after a funder’s sunset. Sharing their unique perspectives as Levitt nonprofit leaders were Lisa Wagner, executive director of Levitt Pavilion Dayton, and Michelle Truett, organizer of the Levitt AMP Utica Music Series in New York, presented by community nonprofit Utica Monday Nite.

(L-R) Levitt Pavilion Dayton Executive Director Lisa Wagner, Levitt AMP Utica Music Series organizer Michelle Truett, and Levitt Foundation President and CEO Sharon Yazowski

Moderated by Yazowski, the panel discussion was followed by two peer-to-peer learning opportunities. In addition to having the opportunity to hear Truett and Wagner’s stories as grantees, conference participants broke into small groups to discuss a variety of spend-down-related topics, including: the potential impact of spending down; how philanthropies can message spending down; strategies for centering the role of grantees as agents of change; and equipping grantees with resources for long-term sustainability.

Looking back on her experience at GEO, Wager explained that the opportunity to represent Levitt Dayton and the wider network of Levitt grantee partners was particularly impactful. “I always appreciate the opportunity to highlight the impact and importance of our work, especially at a conference for grantmakers,” Wagner reflected in an email to the Levitt Foundation. “I think it is important to challenge the thinking of long-standing foundations to shifting to the potential impact that they could affect if they were to spend down their assets at a faster pace.”

The Levitt network is proud to participate in conferences and field-building events that contribute to building more equitable, healthy, and thriving communities. Stay tuned for more on the Levitt Now blog!