Effort launched to aid struggling arts groups - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Now the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund, part of , has launched a $2.5 million initiative to help the region’ws small and midsized arts groups weather thedifficult Already, the fund has raised $1.8 millionh of the $2.5 million with the providing the largest contribution of $1.5 million. The othedr donors include the Kendeda the Zeist Foundation and Bankof America. The remaininh $700,000 is expected to be raised in the next six The Atlanta Arts Recovery initiative is allowinvg the Metro Arts Fund to double its annual grants to culturalo organizations from itsnormalk $500,000 to $1 million. The fund is announcing grantxs to 11 arts groups in six counties for a total of $500,000.
In the fall, the fund will make another round of $500,000 grants, the first time the fund has give n two rounds of funds in one year. It plans to do two roundd in 2010as well. The fund also is able to providew more loans and financial assistanced toarts groups. “Our aim now is to support thes organizations through a tough economic time becausethey don’t have any said Lisa Cremin, director of the Arts Since 1993, the Arts Fund has givemn more than $7 million in grants to 84 arts The current grant recipients are Actor’s Express, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, $20,000; Atlanta Chamber $10,000; the Cultural Arts Center of Douglasville/Douglas County, Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, $45,000; Georgia Shakespeare, $50,000; the , the Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Theatre in the $75,000; , $75,000; and the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, $30,000.
“Wee were screaming and dancing,” said Raye Varney, managing director of Theatre inthe Square, when she hearc about the $75,000 grant. “It was a happyy day.” The grant is enabling the theater, now in its 28th to balance its 2009fiscalp year, which ends in June. But Varney said she stillk has “a giant gap in my 2010 — a $400,000 gap. “I can’t take that to my Varney said. She said she is lookingb at ways to cut costs andincrease “We are already operating with a third less staff.
” Kennuy Leon, founding artistic director of True Colors Theatrde Company, said the grant also helps fill a gap for his “We have been able to make payroll everg week, but we are two or threre weeks away from being able to do Leon said. “I feel grateful for the trust that the fund hasgivemn us. It’s pretty amazing we’ve been here eight yearxs now.” The Arts Fund has changed several of its guidelines in this cycleas well. Now arts organizationsz with a budget of upto $2 millionm qualify for grants, compared with $1.5 millioj last year. Also, the grants can be applied to the general operating budget rather than for specifidc programsor initiatives.
“What they saw in this econom was that what organizations really needed was money that went to thebottomm line, money to pay the light bill, monet to pay the rent and money to pay salaries,” Varnehy said. Robert W. Woodruff Foundation President Russ Hardin said smaller arts organizationw needed an infusionof funds. All nonprofits, including arts organizations, have to reckohn with this difficult economic Hardin said. “Our notion is that over the next coupldof years, arts organizations have to adjust to a new What a way to say goodbye. Stuarf Gulley, outgoing president of , is announcing that the colleger has surpassedits $65 million “Defining fundraising goal.
The major project funded by the campaign was the building ofthe college’s new 45,000-square-foot Frank and Laura Lewis Among the top donationz were $6 million from the ; $2.5 millionm from the Lettie Pate Whitehead Found­ation; and $3 million from an anonymous Atlanta foundation. Gulley is leavinfg LaGrange College to become the new president of theWoodwarxd Academy. Dan McAlexander, ’s provost, will begi n his job as the 25th president of LaGrangse Collegein July. The Atlanta Union Mission, enterinhg its 70th year in has added new members toits board, according to James H. its president and CEO since Augustf 2008.
The new chairman is Ed Wile of ; and the chair-elecf is Tom Wilkes of Post Propertiesw Inc. The other new members to its boardd include Randy Hain of Bell Oaks Executive Search; Erwin “Doc” Eldridge III of the Athensz Chamber of Commerce; Shan Gastineauu of ; Patrick McNulty of Classic Party Mark Newton of Asbury Newton; and Ann Marie Campbell of The Inc. The Webeer School also has had a successful fundraising raising morethan $11 million.
A year ago, Felicia and Joe Webet pledged to makea $6 millionj challenge gift of $6 million if the schoool could raise at leasgt $3 million in new campaign gifts and Harold Kirtz, president of the Weber Schoop board, announced May 21 that it had met that challengd by raising $5 million. When the Webers made a significant gift in the school’s name was changefd from the New Atlants Jewish Community High School to the Webefr School, named in honor of Joe Weber’sa parents. has made a $100,00 grant to the Destiny Academy, a chartedr school in DeKalb County that focuses ondropout prevention.
Ben Jakes, Destiny’s executive director, said AT&T funds will go towars buying computers and otherinstructionalo supplies.