The Ford Foundation Challenge
Have you ever wondered what Opera Theatre will be like 25 years from now? Will today's mission be intact? Will our commitment to new works and young singers survive? Given the increasing popularity of opera nationwide and in St. Louis, can we cope with the growth of our audience and our programming while still retaining our signature intimacy?
Patricia Racette and Thomas Barrett in
Don Giovanni
Photo by Ken Howard
To help OTSL address issues like these and plan for the future, the Ford Foundation chose Opera Theatre (May, 2000) as one of the only two U.S. opera companies among 28 "exemplary arts organizations" for a $1.5 million matching grant. We didn't apply for the grant - we were invited to submit a proposal, based on the quality of our productions and management, the range of our education and young artist programs, and our visions for the future.

$1.5 million - the largest single matching gift in company history - is obviously a huge feather in our cap. But now what? By the end of fiscal year 2005 we have to match the grant 5 to 1, which means raising another $7.5 million in new and increased contributions (see chart below). Taking on a challenge of this magnitude means we must intensify our fundraising efforts, but the impact of the Ford Foundation Challenge Grant will be extraordinary. It will:

  • Strengthen our existing endowment
  • Build permanent capital for young artist and outreach programs
  • Launch a significant planned giving effort
  • Help formulate a coherent facilities plan
Doing the Numbers
The grant period is April 1, 2000 through September 30, 2005 and the plan for completing the challenge is as follows:
Ford Grant: $1,500,000    
         
  Goal Raised to Date Remaining
OTSL Match:        
Artistic endowment gifts (Individual)   $3,000,000 $3,153,319 $0
Deferred gift (Individual)   $3,000,000 $2,930,233 $69,767

Capital gifts
(Corporate/Foundations

   $1,500,000 $2,298,917 $0
       
Total:
(As of 08/04/2004)		   $7,500,000 $8,382,469 $69,767
 

In addition to endowment gifts and capital commitments, Opera Theatre has pledged to increase individual annual giving by 50% over the course of the Ford Challenge campaign.

For more information about how you can help us meet the Ford Challenge, please call the development department at (314) 961-0171 ext. 222 or 222@opera-stl.org