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 expertise spans diverse roles, from curating and educating to championing artistic practice and advocating for social justice through art.

As the founder of Third Streaming, a global strategic consultancy dedicated to imagination-powered change, Backer has significantly impacted capacity building and organizational development. Her consulting practice is renowned for guiding cultural leaders, nonprofits, individual artists, their estates, and philanthropists toward sustainable growth and broader societal impact. 

Backer’s deep commitment to artist legacies is rooted in her nine-year tenure at the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, where she supported artists and institutions beyond the mainstream. She has also consulted for artist-endowed foundations like the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, providing strategic guidance on legacy planning and estate management. Her dedication to artist legacies continues through her work with the Alvin Baltrop Trust, where she initiates and realizes legacy projects, including planning and curation.

Recently, Backer has expanded her focus to encompass global change and sustainability, leveraging visioning, biomimicry, and systems thinking to create holistic solutions. This includes co-producing the groundbreaking Visions2030: Earth Edition, A Festival of Eco-Consciousness presented through various artistic and experiential formats.

Backer holds a BA in Art History and Archaeology from Hunter College and an MA 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.