The Shubert Foundation has donated a record-breaking $37.6 million in unrestricted grants to 609 arts organizations, including not-for-profit theatres, dance companies, academic theatre training programs, and related service agencies.
The Foundation has also made two $1 million gifts to create endowed scholarships for theatre students at historically Black institutions of higher learning, Spelman College and Morehouse College.
Morehouse College, a private, liberal arts institution founded in Atlanta in 1867, is the largest men’s college in the United States and the only college with a mission to educate Black men. Founded in 1881, Atlanta's Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent.
“We are delighted to increase both our funding and the number of our grantees this year,” says Shubert Foundation President Diana Phillips. “While it has been exciting to see life return to the performing arts, COVID has dealt a terrible blow, and there remains enormous need everywhere. Responding to this need, and committed as we are to broadening access and eliminating barriers, we welcomed smaller budgeted first-time applicants without requiring audited financial statements this past year. I am pleased to announce that 18 of the 50 new grant recipients were added to our roster because of this change.”
“The Shubert Foundation has long supported education in the performing arts, both through our relationship with The New York City Public Schools and our Shubert Scholars Program at colleges and universities,” adds Chairman and 2022 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award recipient Robert E. Wankel. “This year, to further expand opportunities for college students of color to gain broad experiences in the performing arts, our board approved two $1M endowments for scholarships at two HBCUs.”
In acknowledging the gift from The Shubert Foundation, Spelman College President Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell said in a statement, “Spelman College is honored to receive such a generous endowment gift from The Shubert Foundation in support of the developing theatre artistry of women of color. With the College's expansion and renewal of our theatres and performing spaces underway, the support of our promising young students is the perfect complement."
Morehouse College President Dr. David A. Thomas stated, “Creativity is the most important talent the world will need in the future. This gift will ensure that men of color are able to use their unique artistic talents to communicate ideas, bridge cultural barriers, problem-solve, and serve as catalysts for motivation, excitement, reflection, and introspection. Leadership in the arts is one of the most critical fulfillments of the Morehouse mission.”
The Shubert Foundation was established in 1945 by Lee and J.J. Shubert in memory of their brother Sam. Today, the Foundation is the nation’s largest funder of unrestricted aid for not-for-profit theatre and dance companies. Since the establishment of The Shubert Foundation grants program in 1977, more than $575 million has been awarded to not-for-profit arts organizations throughout the United States. Visit ShubertFoundation.org.
