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July 28, 2009
Contact: Marilyn LeFeber,
810.238.5651,
mlefeber@mott.org
Mott Foundation grants $3.4 million for Flint Cultural assets
FLINT, Mich. – Keeping the entertainment, education and excitement of the local arts community at center stage is the focus of three grants totaling $3.4 million from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to institutions on the Flint Cultural Center campus.
The one-year, general operating grants include:
The institutions will use the funds where they are most needed, including support of core programs and day-to-day operations. The grants are expected to make other resources available for launching new initiatives, expanding educational opportunities and reaching audiences throughout the community, including low-income families.
“By introducing world-class art and cultural programs, the Flint Cultural Center institutions spark new ideas, perspectives and conversations,” said William S. White, Mott Foundation president. “They greatly add to the quality of life in Genesee County and are important components of the community’s revitalization.”
Cindy Ornstein, president and CEO of the FCCC, notes that general operating support is key to the long-term vitality and sustainability of the Cultural Center institutions.
“Without these grants, we would be hard-pressed to maintain all our existing programs, much less develop new or innovative projects. It’s through the support of Mott and the entire Flint community that arts and culture will remain vibrant and strong in Genesee County.”
Paul Torre, FIM president, agrees. FIM offers the region a wide range of musical, dance and performance activities throughout the year.
“Many non-profits, including those in arts and culture, depend on general operating funds to maintain the quality, breadth and number of their programs,” Torre said. “These grants will help us to take our work a step further and explore new opportunities to inform, teach and entertain the greater Flint community.”
John B. Henry III, FIA’s director, notes that the Mott grants will also play a role in helping the community define itself and its future.
In 2006, the FIA completed –- with the support of Mott -– a $20-million building renovation and expansion, which improved the FIA’s public spaces, increased the capacity of its art school, and grew its ability to display both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
“The Flint community has many important assets, including its arts and cultural resources,” said Henry. “By embracing our potential to create and sustain such assets, we may also recognize that, together, we can move Genesee County forward.”
Approximately 590,000 adults and children participated in events and activities made available by the campus and its outreach programs during the 2008-09 season.
The new grants mark a seventh consecutive year of operating support -- totaling $18 million -- by Mott to the FCCC, FIA and FIM. The Foundation’s grantmaking to the Cultural Center and its member institutions has totaled $85 million since 1928.
The Mott Foundation, established in 1926 by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the U.S. and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area and Pathways Out of Poverty. Besides Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg (South Africa) and London. The Foundation, with 2012 year-end assets of $2.28 billion, made 439 grants totaling $91 million. For more information, visit www.mott.org.
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