New Rep recieves $65,000 Grant From Boston Foundation

New Repertory Theatre announced today that they have received a grant of $65,000 to enhance the 22 year-old organization's fundraising capacity in order to increase support for its current and future programming.

"This is an exciting and pivotal time for New Rep. It is the end of our second season at the new Arsenal Center for the Arts, but it is also the beginning of a new cycle in which we are ready to look beyond the vital year-to-year, mission-driven activities for which New Rep is known and respected. We are now poised to take full advantage of an excited, engaged group of stakeholders, and to leverage the programming opportunities that our new home at the Arsenal Center for the Arts has to offer," said Producing Artistic Director Rick Lombardo. 
 
"New Repertory Theatre is making a serious effort to increase its fundraising capacity. The company recently underwent an independent Nonprofit Business Analysis, conducted by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. They have also engaged Copley Harris Company, Inc., an independent consulting firm, to conduct an assessment and create a plan to achieve the organization's fundraising goals," according to press notes.
 
"The Boston Foundation, one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations, has an endowment of close to $770 million. Last year, the Foundation made grants of $63.9 million to non-profit organizations and received gifts of $73.6 million. The Boston Foundation is made up of 750 separate charitable funds, which have been established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Foundation also serves as a civic leader, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives designed to build community."
 
"New Rep annually mounts thought-provoking productions that honor writers, engage an audience of over 36,000, and feature more than 240 highly-skilled professional actors, designers, and directors. New Rep has produced more than 110 plays, including more than forty Boston Area Premieres and six World Premieres. Along the way, New Rep and its artists have received twelve Elliot Norton Awards, and the company just received eighteen nominations from the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards for its work in 2006. Recognizing the importance of the performing arts in the community, New Rep makes theatre affordable and accessible to underserved audiences through a multitude of community, educational, and audience outreach programs, including student matinees, after-school and summer youth programs, a school touring program, discounts for students and seniors, and American Sign Language, transliteration and audio description services. New Rep's flagship educational outreach program, New Rep On Tour, will perform to over 14,000 students in 45 schools this season alone."
 
For more information about New Repertory Theatre and its programs, visit www.newrep.org, or call 617-923-8487.  For more information about the Boston Foundation and its grant-making, visit www.tbf.org, or call 617-338-1700.