Arts Fund to award $1,000,000; Amping up the Arts at 20th Luncheon

December 3, 2015
 / 

Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Announces Grants for Small and Mid-sized Arts Organizations Throughout the Region

ATLANTA – Dec. 3, 2015 – Over 550 arts, business and philanthropic leaders will join together today at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead to “Amp up the Arts” at the Community Foundation’s 20th annual Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund luncheon. The Arts Fund will announce the 12 nonprofit arts organizations that will receive grants and support. The focus of the luncheon will highlight how the Atlanta region can sustain a strong, diverse and vibrant arts community through strategy and capitalization.

The event’s keynote speaker is Steven J. Tepper, a leading writer and scholar on U.S. cultural policy and creativity, who will discuss how artists and arts leaders are reshaping the relationship between art and the city. During his keynote he will empower listeners with his stories of how he has fostered national discussions around topics of cultural engagement, everyday creativity and the transformative possibilities of a 21st century creative campus.

“The Arts Fund luncheon is the only gathering of its kind in Atlanta, bringing together the arts, business and philanthropic community,” says Lisa Cremin, director of the Arts Fund. “It is an opportunity to acknowledge the work and impact of small and mid-sized nonprofit arts organizations that play a vital role in our region.”

The Arts Fund luncheon will enthrall guests via two original artistic performances. Following the fund’s practice of highlighting and celebrating artists, Atlanta puppeteers Damon and Diana Wright will capture the capitalization message in shadow story form. Their artistry, inspired by the hero’s journey, will be woven throughout the program in short chapters.

The second performance will feature the leaders of the Atlanta Intown Theatre Coalition. The goal of the coalition is to work together to leverage collective strength, share resources, expand audiences and talent, and increase the number of donors and volunteers. Using James Taylor’s classic song, “You’ve Got a Friend”, these leaders will add a dash of fun and verve to the program.

The 2015 Arts Fund Luncheon will include pre-luncheon seminars for registered attendees. Seminars will address audience development and capitalization, topics important to the arts community at this time. Beyond Audience Development will be led by Clyde Valentín, former executive director of the New York City-based Hip-Hop Theater Festival. He will explore case studies and best practices of organizations undergoing meaningful transformational shifts. Capitalization Think will be led by Terri Theisen, a leading local expert on nonprofit strategic planning. She will discuss the major challenges with developing effective and optimal capitalization strategies.

The million in investments will be announced to recent grant recipients – organizations where art happens. The recipients of the general operating support grants are:

  • Actor’s Express – $150,000 (over 2 years)
  • Arts Clayton, Inc. – $82,000 (over 2 years)
  • Atlanta Chamber Players Inc – $14,000
  • Atlanta Shakespeare Company – $75,000
  • Aurora Theatre, Inc. – $150,000 (over 2 years)
  • Gwinnett Council for the Arts – $60,000
  • Morgan County Foundation – $65,000
  • Moving in the Spirit – $75,000
  • Museum of Design Atlanta, Inc. – $150,000 (over 2 years)
  • Seven Stages, Inc. – $60,000
  • Synchronicity Performance Group, Inc. – $44,000
  • Theatrical Outfit – $75,000

“In order for Aurora Theatre to remain relevant for future generations, we must engage and include our community in significant ways,” said Anthony Rodriguez, its artistic director. “The Arts Fund grant provides Aurora with much needed resources to achieve these goals. It’s not just a grant. It’s a gift of freedom to take an artistic risk.”

About the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Since 1951, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has been connecting donors, nonprofits and community leaders to strengthen the 23-county Atlanta region through philanthropy. By uniting the passions of donors with the purposes donors strive to improve, the Community Foundation provides quality services and innovative leadership on community issues. In 2014 the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta received more than $80.5 million from donors and the Foundation distributed more than $106.1 million to support nonprofits throughout the region and beyond. For more information, visit: www.cfgreateratlanta.org.

For more information:
Erin Dreiling
Marketing and Communications Manager
404-588-3207