The Aspen Institute

Christine J. Vincent is Project Director for the Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative within the Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation. Her work advising private foundations and nonprofit arts and educational institutions draws on more than two decades’ experience developing and leading philanthropic and cultural programs, policies, and organizations. She formerly served as President of the Maine College of Art where she led a comprehensive strategic planning and institutional development campaign to raise the profile and increase the enrollment of one of New England’s oldest independent colleges of art and design. Previously she served as Deputy Director, Media, Arts and Culture at the Ford Foundation where she designed and directed large-scale national grant programs, including initiatives supporting international collaborations among artists in the US and those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and assisting cultural institutions to produce new performances and exhibitions engaging audiences in the critical issues of our times. Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, Vincent organized and directed the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s National Cultural Facilities Study (1989-1992), the first research effort to examine development of capital projects by cultural organizations.