Scott Stover

Scott Stover is a philanthropy advisor specializing in arts and culture. He is known for his progressive venture philanthropy model and providing strategic planning and implementation services to cultural institutions, private art collectors, artists, foundations, and government and civic agencies. He is an art collector and a leading figure in international cultural conversation and arts media. Stover pursued a career as an investment banker The firm's approach to strategic planning is anchored in finance to develop sustainable non-profit and for-profit projects designed for long-term impact. Stover has led projects internationally and his clients include cultural institutions and private foundations, government organizations and civic agencies, private collectors and families, artists, and artist foundations. Stover has launched and managed several private foundations, including Centre Pompidou Foundation, Shulamit Nazarian Foundation and Cahiers d’Art Institute. In addition to establishing the financial and legal framework of private foundations, he manages the structuring of operations, board building, programming, and marketing, branding, and communications.

Stover advocates for a progressive venture philanthropy model that favors the sustainable philanthropy priorities of the millennial generation. This approach departs from traditional forms of venture capital finance and favors impact-driven projects focused on achieving economic sustainability and philanthropic goals. Stover is regularly involved in public discussions about the future of arts and culture and his ideas have been quoted in Le Figaro, Financial Times,

Before Stover was named Founding Executive Director, the Foundation had been inactive for over 10 years since the death of its original founder, Dominique de Menil. Now known as the American Friends of the Centre Pompidou, the Foundation is considered a model in sustainable, cross-border philanthropy. Central to the project, digital catalogues raisonnés will be "anchored" to the Blockchain—for the first time—and available to art professionals.

Shulamit Nazarian Foundation Between 2015 and 2017, Stover created a grant making U.S. non-profit for gallerist and philanthropist Shulamit Nazarian with a focus on Middle Eastern artists and projects. He also negotiated the Foundation's first major grant program, the creation of Dunya Contemporary Art Prize at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Recognition and awards

In 2013, Stover was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contribution to French arts and culture. He has served as a member of the Fine Art Commission of the City of Beverly Hills and on the advisory board of BASMOCA, the Basma Al Sulaiman Museum of Contemporary Art. Stover has been a panelist for major international talks and conferences, and art fair events discussing the future of philanthropy and the arts.