FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007, 3 P.M. PDT

Sacramento, CA: The Sacramento Ballet is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a $325,000 grant through The James Irvine Foundation’s Arts Regional Initiative. The grant, which is the largest received in the 53-year history of the organization, will be used to develop a new strategic plan focusing on financial sustainability, growth capacity, and increasing audience participation, and will support creating new programs that will build on the solid foundation created by the past 53 years of the Ballet’s operations.

The Sacramento Ballet will see significant changes in the organization over the period of the grant. The groundwork has been laid for moving to a new facility that will support expanded educational programming and provide opportunities to interact with other arts organizations and the community. The Ballet will also soon realize the dream of opening a full school (Center for Dance Education) and training program that will engage the artists and audiences of the future.

“Co-Artistic Directors, Ron Cunningham and Carinne Binda, are energized about the future of the organization and the creation of a new Center for Dance Education where they can share their vision and knowledge of the art form with the greater Sacramento community,” said Kerri Warner, Executive Director of the organization. “This grant will help us to strategically plan for our growth over the next few years and will help us to develop programming that meets the needs of our diverse community.”
A total of $4.1 million in grants to 15 arts institutions in California’s Central Valley were awarded today by The James Irvine Foundation. All these institutions provide access to quality arts programming throughout the Central Valley and are well-poised to respond to rapidly changing demographic shifts within the valley. Through this initiative, the Irvine Foundation is funding the leadership institutions that can support a robust artistic environment throughout the Central Valley.
The organizations funded represent a mix of artistic disciplines, with four museums, four symphonies, three theaters, two opera companies, one dance organization and one performing arts center. The Sacramento area grantees in the Arts Regional Initiative include; Sacramento Opera Company, Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, Crocker Art Museum, Magic Circle Theater and The Sacramento Ballet.

###