Laili has worked in the Bay Area arts community for over 10 years as a fundraiser, operations manager, board member, and grants panelist. She is passionate about increasing equity and access in the arts field and is committed to pushing funders to acknowledge and dismantle white supremacy in philanthropy. Laili uses her creative writing background and deep understanding of Bay Area communities to craft proposals that transform an organization’s or individual artist’s vision and impact into writing.
She has written successful grant proposals to:
The Akonadi Foundation, Alameda County Arts Commission, Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation, Bernard Osher Foundation, Berkeley Public Schools Fund, California Arts Council, Center for Cultural Innovation, the City of Berkeley, City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program, Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, The Clorox Company Foundation, D’Addario Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation’s Fund for Artists, The Fleishhacker Foundation, Ford Foundation, The Horizon Foundation, The Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Kinder Morgan Foundation, League of American Orchestras, The National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, New Music USA, Ross McKee Foundation, The San Francisco Arts Commission, The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, The Walter and Elise Haas Fund, The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy, Union Bank Foundation, and Zellerbach Family Foundation.
Areas of expertise:
- BIPOC individual artists and organizations
- Performing arts organizations, especially symphonies and dance companies
- Arts education programs, including those with standards-based curriculum
- Commissions and new work, especially those addressing social justice
- Familiarity navigating application and compliance processes with government funders in the East Bay, the California Arts Council, and National Endowment for the Arts
Laili Gohartaj 