Founded by Yona Backer, Third Streaming has over twenty-five years experience working at the intersection of the arts, philanthropy, and social justice. Backer has built a compelling track record for her capacity building work with nonprofit organizations; providing strategic guidance and implementation plans, assessing and designing programs, coaching nonprofit leaders, and managing complex planning efforts to affect change and achieve mutually agreed upon goals. Third Streaming meets organizations where they are and help clients improve performance, remain relevant in the larger ecosystem, and deepen their impact while putting sustainable practices in place. Whether it is to help move an organization from start-up to the growth stage, or generate a turnaround after going through a period of decline, Third Streaming is known for creating lasting organizational change.

Backer has developed a unique, global perspective in her practice. Her approach is collaborative, practical, and hands-on, and rooted in an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the arts and culture fields. To address shifts in funding practices in an increasingly global economy, she works with funders and organizations to increase visibility, streamline practices, and identify practical, integrated solutions, which are realistic to achieve. Third Streaming also works with individual artists and their families to develop, design, and create their own foundations including grantmaking, legacy planning, and other programs.

Yona Backer

Yona Backer (she/her) is a creative strategist, cultural producer, imagination activist, and a leading figure in nonprofit management.

With over three decades of experience in the global arts and culture sector, Backer’s professional expertise is rooted in a relationships-based approach to the evolution of society through contemporary artistic practice. With an understanding that rewarding and reciprocal relational dynamics are the bedrock of lasting social change, her commitment to artist legacies centers on a people-driven union of imagination and action.

Backer’s background includes a nine-year tenure at the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, where she developed a capacity-building program for small- to midsize arts organizations and supported artists and institutions beyond the mainstream. Following that Backer’s work as a founder, collaborative curator and mentor—during Third Streaming’s first iteration as an experimental art space—contributed to the early career development of several highly regarded artists and curators who are now transformational cultural pioneers.

As the founder of the global strategic consultancy Third Streaming, Backer’s prioritization of imagination-powered change has significantly impacted capacity building and organizational development across a range of organizations and businesses—guiding cultural leaders, nonprofits, individual artists, their estates, and philanthropists toward sustainable growth and broader societal impact.

Backer has consulted the artist-endowed Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, providing strategic guidance on legacy planning and estate management, and oversees the Alvin Baltrop Trust, where she initiates and realizes legacy projects, including planning and curation. She was instrumental in the development of three monographs on Baltrop: Dreams into Glass (The Contemporary Art Museum, Houston), Alvin Baltrop: The Piers (TF Editores), and The Life & Times of Alvin Baltrop (Skira). She has also initiated collaborations with several institutions and curatorial initiatives to further cement Baltrop’s legacy and expand public engagement with his work.

She has worked for over a decade with Denniston Hill—a residency co-founded by artist Julie Mehretu, Paul Pfeiffer, and Lawrence Chua—tripling the organization’s budget, building operational capacity, and guiding the residency toward a sustainable, long-term future. More recently, Backer’s skill set has been utilized for a social entrepreneur-driven project, where she co-produced the groundbreaking Visions2030: Earth Edition, A Festival of Eco-Consciousness presented through various artistic and experiential formats. She has also served clients such as Independent Curators International, Art Production Fund, Creative Capital, and ICA LA on strategy and development.

Backer holds a BA in Art History and History from Hunter College and an MA in Art History and Archaeology  from Columbia University. She is also an Aspen Institute-certified specialist in the Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative (AEFI). Beyond her consultancy work, she teaches at the School of Visual Arts and serves on the boards of various cultural organizations.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica; raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and now residing in Brooklyn, NY, Backer’s international background informs her multifaceted approach to arts and activism. Her mission is to merge creativity with pioneering thought, catalyzing imagination to guide communities toward a hopeful and flourishing future.