Financial Management and Strategic Planning for Cultural Organizations and Creative Enterprises  

25 years experience working with non-profit arts organizations and creative enterprises across a range of management, finance, communications, operations and development roles.   

Since 2014, Sophie Henderson has been working as an Independent Consultant to Cultural Organizations and Creative Enterprises in the Hudson Valley and Greater New York City Area, focused on strategic planning and project management, including financial planning and management, economic development initiatives, fund development, community engagement and outreach, and organizational management and operations, including interim executive management.

Select current and recent projects include NYS economic development management and compliance with the Crescent Building Redevelopment project (Hudson, NY), GarageWORKS Studios (Beacon, NY), the Village of Catskill NY, Red Barn Hudson/Catskill Gateway/Kaz Redevelopment Project (Hudson and Catskill NY), and Scenic Hudson (Poughkeepsie, NY); interim executive leadership and financial management with CREATE Council on the Arts (Catskill, NY), Art Omi (Ghent, NY), and Basilica Hudson (Hudson, NY); and strategic planning and financial management with Petronio Residency Center (Round Top, NY) and The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (Ridgefield, CT), among other projects. 

Prior roles include Museum of Arts and Design, VP External Affairs, 2012-2015; Creative Capital Foundation, Director External Affairs, 2009-2012; Resnicow + Associates, VP (and prior positions) 1993-2008.

Economic and Community Development 

Recent projects have included extensive work in economic development funding and government grants, including relationship building and stewardship with state agencies and funding partners, grant applications and grant compliance for grants awarded.  Altogether, I have written 18 successful New York State economic development grants totaling $16.5M, with funding awarded from NYSERDA (Building Cleaner Communities Competition, Carbon Neutral Community Economic Development Program and NetZero program), and Empire State Development (Market NY, capital grants), among others.

Grant applications are a group effort that first and foremost require a compelling project or program to be successful, and it has been my privilege to work with visionary entrepreneurs at multiple Hudson Valley organizations to lead the grant application process and help build support for many exciting projects and programs. 

Top, left to right: Crescent Building, Hudson; GarageWORKS Studios, Beacon; Kaz Warehouses, Hudson
Middle, left to right: Northside Hub, Poughkeepsie; Catskill Gateway, Catskill; Basilica Hudson, Hudson
Bottom: Red Barn Hudson, Hudson