Grants for performing arts centers

629 performing arts centers received at least $62.8 million in grants for the most recent fiscal year. This includes 1,682 grants made from 1,265 grantmaking organizations, with a median grant amount of $2,000. Of these 1,265 foundations, 85% made just a single grant to theater halls, and 2% made grants to four or more theater halls. This analysis is based on grantmakers that e-file their Form 990s, and likely is an undercount of grants.
$62,759,795
Total grant dollars given to performing arts centers
1,682
Number of grants made annually to performing arts centers
1,265
Number of grantmakers funding performing arts centers
$2,000
Median grant size to performing arts centers

Foundations that support performing arts centers

Out of all grants made to performing arts centers, 78% came from small foundations with less than $10 million in assets. The top 10 grantmakers accounted for 94% of the dollar-value of grants to theater halls. Foundations funding theater halls also made grants to theaters, art museums, colleges, arts and culture promoters, and universities.

Foundation size

Foundation size Number of grantmakers
Small
 
999
Medium
 
157
Large
 
109
Small foundations have <$10M in assets. Medium foundations have $10M to $50M in assets. Large foundations have >$50M in assets.

Foundation type

Foundation type Number of grantmakers
Community
 
39
Private
 
1,104
Corporate
 
67
Other
 
55

Grants made

Grants made to theater halls Number of grantmakers
1
 
1,078
2-3
 
160
4-10
 
20
11+
 
7

Top 10 foundations supporting performing arts centers

Grantmaker State Geographic focus Percent of grant dollars to theater halls Number of grants made to theater halls Median grant size
Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines IA State 0.1% 32 $1,500
JP Morgan Chase Foundation NY National 0.0% 29 $300
Seattle Foundation WA State 0.0% 26 $1,000
Baird Foundation WI National 0.5% 19 $500
Community Foundation of Collier County FL National 0.2% 17 $2,500
Chubb Charitable Foundation PA National 0.2% 13 $500
Harkness Foundation for Dance NY Metro 1.7% 11 $1,500
Arkansas Community Foundation AR State 0.0% 8 $1,295
Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region NY Metro 0.4% 7 $2,000
Shell Oil Company Foundation TX National 0.1% 7 $1,250

Performing arts centers grantees

Performing arts centers with more than $5 million in total revenues received 92% of all grant dollars. These larger organizations accounted for 56% of all theater halls.

Grant amounts

Size of grant Number of grants
<$10k
 
1,673
$10k-$25k
 
0
$25k-$100k
 
0
$100k+
 
9

Grant amount by grantee size

Grantee annual revenue Median grant size
<$100k
 
$2,000
$100k-$500k
 
$2,000
$500k-$1M
 
$2,000
$1M-$5M
 
$2,000
>$5M
 
$1,894

Grantee states

State of grantee Number of grants
New York
 
414
Florida
 
156
California
 
155
Ohio
 
86
Other
 
871

Grantee metros

Metro area of grantee Number of grants
New York City
 
379
Los Angeles
 
76
Miami
 
71
Naples
 
44
Other
 
920

Top 25 grants made to performing arts centers

Grantee Grant size Purpose Grantmaker
the Perelman Center (PACWTC) $15,000,000 General And/or Program Support - Donor Advised Funds Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia (JFGP)
La Jolla Music Society $10,000,000 Construction of Performing Arts Center The Conrad Prebys Foundation
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts $7,559,164 $6,399,800 of Loan Forgiveness To Support the Construction of the Ordway Center Concert Hall. $848,655 To Provide Operating Support for the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Use of the Performing Arts Facility, $35,464 for Joint Programs of the Supported Organizations at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Facility, and $35,180 To Provide Rent Subsidy for the Community Rentals for the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Additionally Received $240,064 To Keep Its Equipment and Facility Up To Date. These Purchases Are Agreed To in A Facilities Plan Reviewed By the Arts Partnership Each Year. Arts Partnership
The Actors Fund $6,187,338 Unrestricted Broadway Cares / Equity Fights Aids
The Actors Fund $6,006,582 Covid-19 Grant Support SAG-AFTRA Foundation
the Perelman Center (PACWTC) $5,000,000 The Perelman Performing Arts Center Starr Foundation
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts $3,225,000 Support for the Lincoln Center Theater's Productions During Fiscal Years 2021-2023 and Salary and Benefits of Lincoln Center Theater's Artistic Director and Resident Director During Fiscal Year 2020; General Operating Expenses at Lincoln Center Education; Support for A New Ballet Entitled Rotunda, the Creation of New Ballets, and General Operations at New York City Ballet; and General Operating Expenses at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. LuEsther T Mertz Charitable Trust
McKnight Center $3,007,997 Program Support Oklahoma State University Foundation
The Guild Theatre $3,000,000 Other Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF)
Robert W Woodruff Arts Center $5,000 Unrestricted General Mary W Covey Foundation
The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts $5,000 Expansion Project Rockwell Foundation
Gallo Center for the Arts $5,000 To Support Affordable Cultural Opportunities Designed To Appeal, and Be Accessible, To All. Norma and Wendell Reed Foundation
Bedford Playhouse $5,000 General Funds The Newcomer Family Foundation
Robert W Woodruff Arts Center $5,000 Civic & Cultural Cooper Carry Charitable Foundation
Playwrights Round Table $5,000 Support the Arts Violet and Harold Jaeke Foundation
Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) $5,000 Charitable Reed Foundation
Academy Center of the Arts $5,000 Performing Arts School Ainslie Foundation
Philly POPS $5,000 Assistance for Charitable Purpose Foundation for Individual Liberty
Performing Arts Fort Worth $5,000 Support Operations Med Family Benefits Private Foundation
Embassy Theatre Foundation $5,000 General Operating Harold and Rachel Mcmillen Foundation
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust $5,000 General & Unrestricted Glenlaurel Foundation
Community Hall Foundation $5,000 To Support the Revitalization of Public Life in Downtown Akron By Providing Funds To Allow the Akron Civic Theater To Complete Renovations Via This Knight Foundation Grant. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The Youngstown Playhouse $5,000 Youth Programming Senator Maurice and Florence Lipscher Char
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts $5,000 Support Kids Programs To Expose Kids To the Arts. InFaith Community Foundation (ICF)
Robert W Woodruff Arts Center $5,000 Unrestricted Akers Foundation
Methodology: To determine grants and grantees, Cause IQ analyzes electronically-filed Form 990, Form 990-EZ, and Form 990-PF financial disclosure documents, matching grantees to specific organizations using EINs and fuzzy matching logic. The "Performing arts centers" category for this page is determined by the "A61: Performing Arts Centers" National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) code. Cause IQ determines NTEEs for organizations by its own internally-developed secret-sauce algorithms.