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For More Information:
Eric Gurevich
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502.582.0132
Fund for the Arts Campaign Kickoff Emphasizes Expanded Focus on Community Impact and Access
Fund for the Arts celebrates 2018 Campaign Kickoff with Arts Showcase
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (February 7, 2018) – Fund for the Arts today kicked off its 2018 campaign, increasing the focus on impact across the community as well as improving access to the arts across Greater Louisville.
At its annual event at Mellwood Arts Center, hundreds of volunteers, civic leaders and arts patrons engaged in interactive experiences and performances with numerous arts groups like the Louisville Ballet and Louisville Visual Art. The regional nonprofit celebrated arts impact and announced the continuation of initiatives such as Imagine Greater Louisville 2020, ArtsMatch, 2018 Awards in the Arts and the 2018 Cultural Pass presented by Churchill Downs, as part of the Valentine’s-themed event.
The 2018 campaign aims to build upon the brilliance of Greater Louisville’s creative successes while also looking ahead to the future, with a renewed emphasis on impact – leveraging the power of the arts to help engage and educate children, enliven neighborhoods, create social change, attract visitors, talent and new businesses to the region. With this campaign, the focus is not merely on raising funds, but also on raising and mobilizing a community of arts supporters to drive cultural richness, power economic development, education, and an increased quality of life. With the rollout of the community cultural plan, Imagine Greater Louisville 2020, Fund for the Arts has become a significant driver of leveraging the arts to elevate the region’s national brand to attract visitors, top talent, and new business through new partnerships with the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Greater Louisville Inc..
The arts play a vital role in the community’s goal to insure every student graduates college and career ready. Communities where students have high participation in the arts boast better grade point averages, higher scores in standardized tests in reading and math and lower student dropout rates. “I am immensely honored to serve as chair for the Fund for the Arts Campaign, which provides essential support to the arts,” said Tammy York-Day, Louisville Healthcare CEO Council President. “I personally want to encourage everyone to become engaged in the arts so that our profound work benefits the community through education, culture, and philanthropy. Our community wins when everyone is a stakeholder in the arts.”
Fund for the Arts and Tammy York-Day seek to capitalize on a landmark year that saw significant increases from the previous fiscal year in:
- Invested in total grants (563 to 605);
- Schools, community centers and special care providers served (232 to 280);
- Delivered experiences in Counties impacted (29 to 49);
- Provided support to 103 arts organizations, 38 artists or creatives
In 2018, Fund for the Arts will continue its evolution as a driver of collective action and impact throughout Greater Louisville. There are 24 arts and culture projects now underway as part of Imagine Greater Louisville 2020: An Arts and Culture Vision to Transform the Region, which impact each of Metro Louisville’s 26 districts thanks to Metro Council and new regional initiatives set to launch thanks to the Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund at the Fund for the Arts. Additionally, ArtsMatch, an online crowdfunding platform supported by LG&E and KU Energy and the Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund at the Fund for the Arts, will match dollar-for-dollar funds raised via the platform for selected projects that address one or more of the priorities laid out in Imagine Greater Louisville 2020.
“Greater Louisville needs your creativity and your support,” said Christen Boone, Fund for the Arts President and CEO. “In a community where arts and culture generate $462.5 million in economic activity and supports 17,529 jobs annually, the arts industry isn’t just a ‘nice to have,’ it’s a ‘must-have.’ I am delighted to work alongside Tammy to expand and deepen our reach, to build greater capacity for the entire sector, as well as create new opportunities to bring the power of the arts to everyone in Greater Louisville.”
The morning also included a short program with moving stories of transformation through the arts and performances by Kentucky Opera, Western Middle School for the Arts and Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School. Under the leadership of Paul W. Thompson, 2017 Campaign Chair and president and COO of LG&E and KU Energy, the 2017 campaign raised a total of $8.5 million to create arts experience across the region plus an additional $700,000+, which includes supplementary funds pledged for future campaigns and in-kind contributions.
Fund for the Arts conducts the third strongest united arts campaign in the country and Greater Louisville’s per capita giving to the arts is three times the national average according to a December 2017 United Arts Fund report from Americans for the Arts. The regional arts agency fuels a world-class arts scene that offers an unparalleled breadth and depth of offerings as compared to Greater Louisville’s peer cities; and the Fund is fueled each year by nearly 20,000 donors, more than 400 corporate partners, 200 workplace campaigns, and more than 1,100 campaign volunteers.
About Fund for the Arts
Fund for the Arts is a regional nonprofit with the mission to maximize the arts to drive economic development, education, and quality of life in our community. The Fund conducts one of the oldest united arts campaigns in the country and supports world-class institutions, community organizations, and arts in education. Fund for the Arts leads collective action across the arts and cultural sector to deliver greater impact in our community. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org.
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