FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Carol Harmon, The Columbus Foundation, 614/251-4000, ext. 113 or 614/738-2755 (cell)

The Columbus Foundation Awards $1.1 Million To Central Ohio Arts Organizations

Columbus, OH (July 29, 2011)—The Columbus Foundation recently announced $1,119,211 in competitive grants to support the work of central Ohio arts organizations.

2011 Grants for Major Arts Organizations—$945,711 to 15 organizations
The major arts category includes presenting and performing arts organizations with annual budgets of $350,000 or more. Grants recognize and encourage achievement in six areas: artistic quality, attendance, inclusion, financial stability, board leadership, and overall management. The grants support the work of the major arts organizations from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012.

Ballet Metropolitan, Inc.—$67,168 to provide general operating support for ballet performances and dance education programs.

CATCO-Phoenix, Inc.—$40,647 to provide general operating support for the production of professional and children’s theatre.

Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA)—$96,980 to provide general operating support for the presentation of music, dance, theatre, and film.

Columbus Children’s Theatre—$37,877 to provide general operating support for the production and presentation of theatre for children and their families.

Columbus Museum of Art—$119,468 to provide general operating support for the exhibition and collection of paintings, sculpture, and works of art, and for the presentation of arts education.

Columbus Symphony Orchestra—$74,519 to provide live classical music.

Community Arts Project, Inc. (dba Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing and Cultural Arts Complex)—$43,592 to provide general operating support for the presentation of African-American art.

Franklin County Historical Society (dba COSI)—$125,763 to promote understanding of science and industry through exhibits, demonstrations, and educational activities.

Friends of the Conservatory—$59,703 to support the presentation of arts, education, and botanical programs at Franklin Park Conservatory.

Jazz Arts Group of Columbus—$51,446 to provide general operating support for the presentation and promotion of big band jazz music through the professional jazz orchestra and jazz education activities.

Ohio Designer Craftsmen—$40,990 to support the exhibition of crafts, offer community and professional education programs, and to provide supportive services to craft artists in central Ohio.

Opera Association of Central Ohio (dba Opera Columbus)—$34,062 to provide general operating support for the production of professional opera for the residents of central Ohio.

ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Inc.—$38,797 to provide general operating support for the production and presentation of chamber music.

Thurber House, Incorporated—$34,964 to provide general operating support for the operation of the historic home of James Thurber, a literary center providing programming for writers, readers, adults, and youth.

Wexner Center for the Arts of The Ohio State University—$79,735 to provide general operating support for the presentation of multidisciplinary contemporary arts.

2011 Community Arts Fund Grants—$131,500 to 28 organizations
Through its Community Arts Fund (CAF), a field of interest fund, The Columbus Foundation supports small- and medium-sized arts organizations that offer education and performance opportunities for the community, but have limited access to private dollars. A total of $131,500 in grants will support 28 arts organizations with annual budgets of less than $350,000.

• Actors’ Theatre of Columbus—$5,634
• Available Light Theatre—$5,150
• Brass Band of Columbus—$3,050
• Carpe Diem—$5,503
• Chamber Music Columbus—$5,357
• CityMusic, Inc.—$5,152
• Columbus and Central Ohio Children’s Chorus Foundation
(dba Columbus Children’s Choirs)—$10,610
• Columbus Dance Theatre, Inc.—$9,863
• Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus—$9,968
• Columbus Women’s Chorus—$2,554
• Friends of Early Music, Inc.—$4,601
• Fuse Factory Electronic and Digital Arts Lab—$2,478
• Glass Axis—$6,559
• Jefferson Academy of Music—$4,258
• Little Theatre Off Broadway, Inc.—$3,830
• MADLAB—$4,516
• New Albany Symphony Orchestra—$4,251
• Ohio Art League—$4,660
• Ohio Dance—$3,915
• Roy G. Biv Gallery for Emerging Artists—$3,434
• Six String Concerts, Inc.—$3,163
• SNAP! Performance Productions—$2,941
• Thiossane Institute Incorporated.—$4,329
• Westerville Community Concert Band—$2,704
• Westerville Symphony at Otterbein College—$4,994
• Wild Goose Creative, Inc.—$2,887
• Women In Music-Columbus (dba The Women’s Music Club)—$2,546
• Worthington Chorus —$2,593

CAF was created in 1984 in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Expansion Arts Program. The Foundation received grants of $200,000 over four years from the NEA, which was to be matched with $100,000 each year from local sources. Funds raised by the Foundation created an endowment. Since then, the Foundation has continued making grants using available income from CAF supplemented by discretionary unrestricted funds.

Additional Arts Grants—$42,000 to four organizations
Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA)—$25,000 from the Charlotte R. Haller Fund to support the implementation of a five-year management agreement with the Opera Association of Central Ohio dba Opera Columbus. Under this agreement, CAPA will provide management, programming, and back-office services for the Opera.

Columbus Museum of Art—$10,000 from the Alfred L. Willson Charitable Fund to
support maintenance of the collection.

Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts Corporation—$3,500 to support art projects for the 2011-2012 season.

Peggy R. McConnell Worthington Center for the Arts—$3,500 to support
arts programming.

About The Columbus Foundation

The Columbus Foundation is the trusted philanthropic advisor to more than 1,800 individuals, families, and businesses who have created unique funds to make a difference in the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible. Serving the region for 67 years, The Columbus Foundation is one of the ten largest community foundations in the United States today. The Foundation’s online resource, PowerPhilanthropy®, makes it possible for everyone to access valuable information and support central Ohio nonprofits. For more information, visit www.columbusfoundation.org or call 614/251-4000.