Press Release: October 3, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: 614/251-4000, Carol Harmon x113, charmon@columbusfoundation.org
THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION COMPLETES ARTS CHALLENGE FUND INITIATIVE ON A HIGH NOTE
Fund will invest $1.2 M in Progress Plan for
15 major arts organizations in central Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 3, 2009)—The Columbus Foundation today announced the successful completion of the Arts Challenge Fund Initiative, which raised $600,000 to support the arts, and matched $500,000 of funds similarly committed to the arts earlier this year. In just nine days, the effort leveraged contributions primarily from individual donors for 15 arts and cultural organizations in exchange for the agreement of the achievement of eight key points of progress.
“This effort to raise much needed funds for the Arts Challenge Fund was an astounding success. Clearly, our case for support and progress was well received. Thanks to the sixty donors to this fund, our arts community is on a course to become stronger and more prepared for what is ahead in the short-term and long-term,” said Douglas F. Kridler, president and CEO of The Columbus Foundation.
The Arts Challenge Fund Initiative was announced on September 22 and offered donors a comprehensive investment program comprised of 15 organizations that are part of the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium (CCLC), an advocacy group. Two matching opportunities provided those giving the first $250,000 a three-to-one leverage on their contributions, and an additional $50,000 in one-to-one match was also provided and matched.
The Columbus Foundation offered a dollar-to-dollar match of up to $250,000, which when combined with the Foundation’s $250,000, was used to match the remaining $500,000 of county matching funds that the Franklin County Commissioners designated earlier this year. (CCLC had raised $100,000 that qualified for the county match.) Once $250,000 was raised, the three-to one match was completed because all of the county matching gift dollars had been committed. The Foundation continued to offer a one-to-one match on gifts, up to $50,000. All matching funds were exhausted at 5:00 pm on October 1.
The campaign focused on increasing support for the arts before the end of their fiscal years (June 30), and included a key component: a eight-point Progress Plan that the 15 organizations are to complete prior to receiving the full distribution of funds. The Progress Plan was discussed at length with members of the CCLC in early September; among the agreements were mandates for collaboration, efficiency through shared services, three-year budget preparation, consideration of an enhanced funding models, and the completion of the community’s cultural plan.
The organizations that are eligible for support after completing the progress plan are: BalletMet, CAPA, CATCO, Children’s Theatre, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, COSI, Franklin Park Conservatory, Jazz Arts Group, King Arts Complex, Opera Columbus, Phoenix Theatre Circle, ProMusica, Thurber House, and the Wexner Center for the Arts. The Greater Columbus Arts Council may also receive funds as the fiscal agent for the completion of the cultural plan.
Full details of the Arts Challenge Fund Initiative, along with the Progress Plan, are available on The Columbus Foundation’s website, www.columbusfoundation.org.
Contributions to the Arts Challenge Fund Initiative can still be made online. However, the matching opportunities ended on October 1 when the matching funds were exhausted.
About The Columbus Foundation
A longstanding funder of arts and culture in central Ohio, The Columbus Foundation provides support for local arts and cultural organizations through its annual competitive grants awarded to major, mid-sized, and grass roots groups. In January 2009, the Foundation awarded its highest total of arts giving through competitive grants in its 66-year history—$1.1 million in grants to 16 major arts organizations and 26 mid-sized and grass roots groups.
The Columbus Foundation is the trusted philanthropic advisor to 1,700 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 66 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 donors and the public to access valuable information about central Ohio nonprofits from anywhere, at anytime. For more information, visit www.columbusfoundation.org or call 614/251-4000.