Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund

Overview | Eligibility & Process | Grant Recipients | FAQs | External Resources

2006 Recipients:

Actors Express Theatre
Atlanta Shakespeare Company
Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde
Cobb Symphony Orchestra
The Georgia Ballet
Gwinnett Philharmonic Association
Horizon Theatre Company
Out of Hand Theater
Synchronicity Performance Group
True Colors Theatre Company

Click here for a listing of recipients from other years.

Actors Express (Link)
Since 1988, Actor’s Express has jump-started the career of a number of emerging playwrights while pushing the boundaries of theatre in Atlanta. As the recipient of a 2005 Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award, the group completed an organizational assessment and identified its most pressing challenges. They found that while Actor’s Express presents at least five mainstage productions of world, regional, or city premieres each year, the organization needed to find better ways to reach potential patrons, many of whom are web-savvy and short on free time. To this end, Actor’s Express is building a new, robust Website that will go far beyond online ticket sales – maximizing other Web capabilities such as podcasts, artist blogs, and streaming video. The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will provide an award of $48,000 to fund the development of an online marketing campaign and a part-time Webmaster staff position.

^ Back To Listing ^

Atlanta Shakespeare Company (Link)
Last year was an exciting time of change for the Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC) – from its selection as one of only 22 companies nationwide to participate in the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Shakespeare for a New Generation”
program, to the commissioning of a new building façade that is an accurate representation of the Globe Theater. Because of these new projects and the sheer number of audience members – more than 27,000 students and 52,000 patrons – the ASC has added new marketing, education, and box office staff, as well as a new customer relationship management system. Eliminating a good portion of the debt they have incurred in construction cost overruns and the increased fuel prices for school field trips will stabilize the organization. A one-time debt-reduction award of $40,000 by the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will help the ASC continue its artistry and outreach, while ensuring financial stability.

^ Back To Listing ^

Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde (Link)
Over the past 30 years, Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde (AYSC) has changed the lives of nearly 1,700 children and families, helping youth become community-focused, disciplined, artistic adults. More than a simple choral program, AYSC provides a challenging learning environment that inspires music literacy, artistic creativity, and personal growth. Singers come from 85 public and private school environments across metro Atlanta with up to 200 youth ages 8-18 accepted each year into one of seven AYSC choirs. The organization’s greatest challenge has been in staffing – specifically the creation of a full-time staff position that will focus on the recruitment of singers and the management of a strong group of volunteers. An award of $58,000 from the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will finance this new staff position for two years, bolstering the AYSC’s infrastructure.

^ Back To Listing ^

Cobb Symphony Orchestra (Link)
The Cobb Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is a unique organization made up of a core orchestra of 21 paid professional musicians and complemented by a group of 50+ volunteer musicians. With a history of over 55 years serving the Cobb area, including a number of targeted undeserved populations, the CSO has soared in recent audience growth – from 8,000 patrons in 2003, to over 15,000 this past year. This phenomenal growth is impressive, but has taxed the small, hard-working staff including the executive director who manages day-to-day CSO operations with no administrative assistance. The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is providing the CSO with an award of $45,000 to establish an executive staff position for two years, affording the executive director the necessary time to focus on strategic initiatives such as fundraising, audience development, volunteer management, and soliciting corporate sponsorships.

^ Back To Listing ^

The Georgia Ballet (Link)
The Georgia Ballet is not only a professional ballet company with a diverse annual audience of over 17,000 patrons and 14,000 students, but also an active dance school for students of all ages. In 2004, The Georgia Ballet purchased a permanent facility for the organization, and began the challenge of a three-year $1.6 million capital campaign. The Georgia Ballet was awarded an Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award in 2005, and through the help of a fundraising consultant, the organization began to understand it was in critical need of a leader to drive the capital campaign, schedule meetings with prospective donors, and create and maintain a consistent fundraising plan. Marketing and fundraising are currently the responsibility of one, part-time Ballet staff member, but the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is awarding The Georgia Ballet a two-year grant of $60,000 to create and maintain a full-time development staff position.

^ Back To Listing ^

Gwinnett Philharmonic Association (Link)
The Gwinnett Philharmonic Association (GPA) presents up to seven fully professional concerts annually at the Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center, while also performing at no charge in a number of local high schools and at an outdoor Independence Day celebration. With an 11-year reputation of musical excellence, GPA performs for nearly 8,000 audience members each year. The organization’s leadership feels it is time to invest in an aggressive marketing campaign to reach new audiences and broaden support for GPA, looking to collaborate on several countywide events and to gain more exposure in the community through targeted advertising. With an award of $30,000, the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will support a part-time marketing staff position for two years. The new staff position will develop new audiences so that other staff may concentrate on fundraising and collaboration initiatives.

^ Back To Listing ^

Horizon Theatre Company (Link)
Located in Little Five Points, Horizon Theatre has a 22-year tradition of bringing new plays and playwrights to the metro Atlanta area. With up to seven mainstage productions each year, and the success of the New South Play Festival, Horizon has become an important regional incubator for new work from the American South. The organization’s leadership feels that the next step in achieving financial stability at Horizon is the creation of a new chief operating officer (COO) position, thereby freeing the Co-Artistic/Producing Director from day-to-day administrative demands so that she can focus on strategic issues – developing new sources of earned and contributed income and providing lasting stability for the theatre. Horizon Theatre will make use of a $100,000 award from the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund to support this new COO staff position for two years, building the stable business infrastructure needed to sustain the theatre as it grows and develops toward fulfilling a long-term vision.

^ Back To Listing ^

Out of Hand Theater (Link)
This organization was featured in American Theatre Magazineas one of the hottest young companies in the country, creating high-energy physical theater events throughout Atlanta. Founded in 2001, Out of Hand has quickly taken Atlanta by storm, staging 19 theatrical productions – nine of which were original creations. Last year, Out of Hand received an Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award for strategic planning which has led to a solid business plan for the organization’s growth. The Toolbox Award helped the organization’s leadership understand that if they wanted to focus their energies on creating theatre for the city’s youth – specifically audiences in the 18 to 35-year-old range – they had to bring in a general manager to concentrate on the administrative and business side of the theater. A Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund award of $21,000 will go toward funding a general manager staff position for Out of Hand, freeing staff and board members to work more directly on fundraising and development.

^ Back To Listing ^

Synchronicity Performance Group (Link)
Since 2000, Synchronicity has grown from a company that produced one play per year on a minimal budget to a respected theatre producing five plays annually, while also garnering annual audiences of nearly 7,000 and managing a successful community outreach program. Synchronicity focuses primarily on plays written by women – a vital agenda considering a recent survey by the New York State Arts Council which showed that nationwide, plays written by women are produced only 16% of the time. To meet the goals set forth in a recent strategic plan, Synchronicity’s three co-producing artistic directors (Co-PADs) need to work toward full-time employment with the theatre and spend more of their time and energy on administrative and business matters to allow Synchronicity to continue growing into a more mature and stable company. The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is awarding Synchronicity a grant of $48,000 to fund the enhancement of the current Co-PAD positions.

^ Back To Listing ^

True Colors Theatre Company (Link)
When the leaders of True Colors Theatre Company teamed up in 2002, they envisioned a new kind of inclusive theatre – putting Negro American classics at its core and branching out with bold interpretations of world drama. This past year True Colors staged four productions in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The recipient of a 2005 Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award for strategic planning, True Colors was able to form a sound set of long-term goals for artistic and business growth. They found that the greatest challenge they faced was developing an operational infrastructure that would support the artistic vision they imagined. Toward this end, an award of $50,000 by the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will be used to fund marketing and development staff positions for two years so that True Colors can increase both earned and contributed revenue.

^ Back To Listing ^

Learn More About Grants:

Grants Overview
Eligibility & Process
Frequently Asked Questions
External Resources


	Overview \| Eligibility & Process \| Grant Recipients \| FAQs \| External Resources 2006 Recipients: Actors Express Theatre Atlanta Shakespeare Company Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde Cobb Symphony Orchestra The Georgia Ballet Gwinnett Philharmonic Association Horizon Theatre Company Out of Hand Theater Synchronicity Performance Group True Colors Theatre Company Click here for a listing of recipients from other years. Actors Express (Link) Since 1988, Actor’s Express has jump-started the career of a number of emerging playwrights while pushing the boundaries of theatre in Atlanta. As the recipient of a 2005 Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award, the group completed an organizational assessment and identified its most pressing challenges. They found that while Actor’s Express presents at least five mainstage productions of world, regional, or city premieres each year, the organization needed to find better ways to reach potential patrons, many of whom are web-savvy and short on free time. To this end, Actor’s Express is building a new, robust Website that will go far beyond online ticket sales – maximizing other Web capabilities such as podcasts, artist blogs, and streaming video. The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will provide an award of $48,000 to fund the development of an online marketing campaign and a part-time Webmaster staff position. ^ Back To Listing ^ Atlanta Shakespeare Company (Link) Last year was an exciting time of change for the Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC) – from its selection as one of only 22 companies nationwide to participate in the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Shakespeare for a New Generation” program, to the commissioning of a new building façade that is an accurate representation of the Globe Theater. Because of these new projects and the sheer number of audience members – more than 27,000 students and 52,000 patrons – the ASC has added new marketing, education, and box office staff, as well as a new customer relationship management system. Eliminating a good portion of the debt they have incurred in construction cost overruns and the increased fuel prices for school field trips will stabilize the organization. A one-time debt-reduction award of $40,000 by the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will help the ASC continue its artistry and outreach, while ensuring financial stability. ^ Back To Listing ^ Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde (Link) Over the past 30 years, Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde (AYSC) has changed the lives of nearly 1,700 children and families, helping youth become community-focused, disciplined, artistic adults. More than a simple choral program, AYSC provides a challenging learning environment that inspires music literacy, artistic creativity, and personal growth. Singers come from 85 public and private school environments across metro Atlanta with up to 200 youth ages 8-18 accepted each year into one of seven AYSC choirs. The organization’s greatest challenge has been in staffing – specifically the creation of a full-time staff position that will focus on the recruitment of singers and the management of a strong group of volunteers. An award of $58,000 from the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will finance this new staff position for two years, bolstering the AYSC’s infrastructure. ^ Back To Listing ^ Cobb Symphony Orchestra (Link) The Cobb Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is a unique organization made up of a core orchestra of 21 paid professional musicians and complemented by a group of 50+ volunteer musicians. With a history of over 55 years serving the Cobb area, including a number of targeted undeserved populations, the CSO has soared in recent audience growth – from 8,000 patrons in 2003, to over 15,000 this past year. This phenomenal growth is impressive, but has taxed the small, hard-working staff including the executive director who manages day-to-day CSO operations with no administrative assistance. The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is providing the CSO with an award of $45,000 to establish an executive staff position for two years, affording the executive director the necessary time to focus on strategic initiatives such as fundraising, audience development, volunteer management, and soliciting corporate sponsorships. ^ Back To Listing ^ The Georgia Ballet (Link) The Georgia Ballet is not only a professional ballet company with a diverse annual audience of over 17,000 patrons and 14,000 students, but also an active dance school for students of all ages. In 2004, The Georgia Ballet purchased a permanent facility for the organization, and began the challenge of a three-year $1.6 million capital campaign. The Georgia Ballet was awarded an Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award in 2005, and through the help of a fundraising consultant, the organization began to understand it was in critical need of a leader to drive the capital campaign, schedule meetings with prospective donors, and create and maintain a consistent fundraising plan. Marketing and fundraising are currently the responsibility of one, part-time Ballet staff member, but the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is awarding The Georgia Ballet a two-year grant of $60,000 to create and maintain a full-time development staff position. ^ Back To Listing ^ Gwinnett Philharmonic Association (Link) The Gwinnett Philharmonic Association (GPA) presents up to seven fully professional concerts annually at the Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center, while also performing at no charge in a number of local high schools and at an outdoor Independence Day celebration. With an 11-year reputation of musical excellence, GPA performs for nearly 8,000 audience members each year. The organization’s leadership feels it is time to invest in an aggressive marketing campaign to reach new audiences and broaden support for GPA, looking to collaborate on several countywide events and to gain more exposure in the community through targeted advertising. With an award of $30,000, the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will support a part-time marketing staff position for two years. The new staff position will develop new audiences so that other staff may concentrate on fundraising and collaboration initiatives. ^ Back To Listing ^ Horizon Theatre Company (Link) Located in Little Five Points, Horizon Theatre has a 22-year tradition of bringing new plays and playwrights to the metro Atlanta area. With up to seven mainstage productions each year, and the success of the New South Play Festival, Horizon has become an important regional incubator for new work from the American South. The organization’s leadership feels that the next step in achieving financial stability at Horizon is the creation of a new chief operating officer (COO) position, thereby freeing the Co-Artistic/Producing Director from day-to-day administrative demands so that she can focus on strategic issues – developing new sources of earned and contributed income and providing lasting stability for the theatre. Horizon Theatre will make use of a $100,000 award from the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund to support this new COO staff position for two years, building the stable business infrastructure needed to sustain the theatre as it grows and develops toward fulfilling a long-term vision. ^ Back To Listing ^ Out of Hand Theater (Link) This organization was featured in American Theatre Magazineas one of the hottest young companies in the country, creating high-energy physical theater events throughout Atlanta. Founded in 2001, Out of Hand has quickly taken Atlanta by storm, staging 19 theatrical productions – nine of which were original creations. Last year, Out of Hand received an Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award for strategic planning which has led to a solid business plan for the organization’s growth. The Toolbox Award helped the organization’s leadership understand that if they wanted to focus their energies on creating theatre for the city’s youth – specifically audiences in the 18 to 35-year-old range – they had to bring in a general manager to concentrate on the administrative and business side of the theater. A Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund award of $21,000 will go toward funding a general manager staff position for Out of Hand, freeing staff and board members to work more directly on fundraising and development. ^ Back To Listing ^ Synchronicity Performance Group (Link) Since 2000, Synchronicity has grown from a company that produced one play per year on a minimal budget to a respected theatre producing five plays annually, while also garnering annual audiences of nearly 7,000 and managing a successful community outreach program. Synchronicity focuses primarily on plays written by women – a vital agenda considering a recent survey by the New York State Arts Council which showed that nationwide, plays written by women are produced only 16% of the time. To meet the goals set forth in a recent strategic plan, Synchronicity’s three co-producing artistic directors (Co-PADs) need to work toward full-time employment with the theatre and spend more of their time and energy on administrative and business matters to allow Synchronicity to continue growing into a more mature and stable company. The Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund is awarding Synchronicity a grant of $48,000 to fund the enhancement of the current Co-PAD positions. ^ Back To Listing ^ True Colors Theatre Company (Link) When the leaders of True Colors Theatre Company teamed up in 2002, they envisioned a new kind of inclusive theatre – putting Negro American classics at its core and branching out with bold interpretations of world drama. This past year True Colors staged four productions in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The recipient of a 2005 Arts Stabilization Toolbox Award for strategic planning, True Colors was able to form a sound set of long-term goals for artistic and business growth. They found that the greatest challenge they faced was developing an operational infrastructure that would support the artistic vision they imagined. Toward this end, an award of $50,000 by the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund will be used to fund marketing and development staff positions for two years so that True Colors can increase both earned and contributed revenue. ^ Back To Listing ^ Learn More About Grants: Grants Overview Eligibility & Process Frequently Asked Questions External Resources
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