Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music awarded James Irvine Foundation Grant
Third Phase of Irvine Foundation’s Arts Regional Initiative Continues Commitment to Leading Regional Arts Institutions
Contacts:
Ray Delgado
Communications Manager, The James Irvine Foundation
415.777.2244 or 415.290.1143 (cell)
RDelgado@irvine.org
Ellen Primack
Executive Director, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
831.426.6966
ellen@cabrillomusic.org
SANTA CRUZ, CA — On October 8, 2008 The James Irvine Foundation awarded $3.8 million in grants to 14 arts institutions along California’s Central Coast that are committed to broadening and diversifying their audiences and strengthening their financial sustainability. As part of the Arts Regional Initiative, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music has been selected for a grant of $225,000, disbursed over a 3-year period.
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music plans to use this grant for the development of its digital and Internet capabilities, for fundraising outreach to communities beyond Santa Cruz County, for staff development, and to continue its role in commissioning new works. “We’re thrilled with the incentive this award gives to so many important initiatives, and the vote of confidence in the leadership role the Festival is beginning to have in our industry,” said Ellen Primack, Executive Director of the Cabrillo Festival. “It challenges us to not only secure the Festival’s long-term organizational health, but to make significant advances in the field of modern symphonic music during the grant period.”
“We are excited to support these institutions because they are producing high-quality arts programming and are ready to continue deepening and diversifying their audience base as the Central Coast becomes increasingly diverse,” noted James E. Canales, the Irvine Foundation’s President and CEO.
The organizations represent a mix of artistic disciplines, including music, dance, opera, literary arts, theater, visual arts and multidisciplinary arts. The grants will be awarded over three years and grantees will share resources, best practices and lessons learned. Grantees will also develop common goals focused on leadership development, operations, marketing, fundraising, technology and audience development.
The first phase of the Arts Regional Initiative in 2006 focused on organizations in the Inland Empire and Orange and San Diego counties. The second phase in 2007 focused on organizations in the Central Valley.
The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grant-making foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. The Foundation’s grant-making is organized around three program areas: Arts, Youth and California Perspectives, which focuses on improving decision making on significant state issues. Since 1937 the Foundation has provided over $1 billion in grants to more than 3,000 nonprofit organizations throughout California. With current assets of over $1.8 billion, the Foundation expects to make grants of $81 million in 2008 for the people of California.
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