The La Jolla Playhouse received a $1 million challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation on Dec. 4, 2002, in support of its “”Capital Campaign.”” Funds raised from the campaign will be used to construct a new building complex for the playhouse and to promote artistic growth within the community.
The challenge grant is the first ever awarded to the La Jolla Playhouse from The Kresge Foundation, and is the largest grant from a national foundation in the La Jolla Playhouse’s history. The grant is also one of the largest ever awarded by The Kresge Foundation to an American nonprofit regional theater and to an organization situated in San Diego, La Jolla Playhouse spokespeople said.
The Kresge Foundation is an independent, private foundation that supports a wide range of organizations in the nonprofit sector. Through its challenge grants, the foundation hopes to help organizations broaden their base of support from the private sector and attract volunteers and local efforts in the fundraising process.
“”I’m very grateful that we received a grant from this particular organization in this amount. It’s a testimonial to the high regard in which the playhouse is held,”” said Joel Holliday, chairman of the La Jolla Playhouse Board of Trustees. “”This is one of the most discriminating foundations, and we must be doing something right to have received the grant.””
To receive the $1 million grant, the playhouse must meet the foundation’s challenge to complete a $41 million Capital Campaign.
The Capital Campaign has three aspects: the new building, to be completed in May 2004; endowments; and annual operating support. Another requirement of the grant is that the funds raised to meet the Kresge Foundation’s challenge must support the campaign’s endowment aspect.
“”The vision represented by the Capital Campaign is about building a theater in so many ways — building physically, building artistically and building community,”” said Ted Cranston, co-chair of the Capital Campaign.
Like most typical major campaigns, the last phase of the playhouse’s campaign involves reaching out to the community to generate funds and to seek increased capital support from its current base of donors.
“”The Kresge Foundation has worked out a formula for the challenge grant,”” Holliday said. “”They know that the toughest part of a capital campaign is the latter part, when the community thinks the campaign is done. So they’ve developed a model for the challenge grant for institutions like the Playhouse to help push them to get over the goal line.””
The campaign has already raised $800,000 more that its original goal of $36 million, so the playhouse needs to raise the remaining $4.2 million by July 1 to receive the grant.
“”We are guardedly optimistic,”” said La Jolla Playhouse Managing Director Terry Dwyer. “”We are aware that it’s an economically challenging time. We need to reach out to thousands of donors to meet the Kresge challenge.””
As part of its strategy to meet the foundation’s goal, the playhouse has started a paver program through which patrons can purchase engraved paver stones that will be integrated into the new theater complex plaza.
According to Dwyer, the Playhouse board is also contributing more money and looking to recruit new board members.
“”Our entire fundraising operation is dedicated to meeting the challenge. Every component of our organization is creating programs to cultivate our audiences better,”” Dwyer said.
The La Jolla Playhouse is dedicated to advancing theater as an art form at the local and national level. It commissions three to five plays per year.
“”We believe that we are a leader in the adoption of new plays. It’s about supporting the development of great new plays and artists,”” Dwyer said.
