Steppenwolf Receives 3-Year, $300,000 Challenge Grant From Elizabeth Morse

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Board of Trustees announced today the award of a three-year, $300,000 challenge grant from The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust. The grant will enable the theater to leverage new and increased support of its productions from major individual supporters.
During the next three seasons at Steppenwolf, The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust will annually match up to $100,000 of all individual production sponsorship gifts, with a particular emphasis on those who increase their contributions or pledge major multi-year production support.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this partnership with The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust," comments Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. "Our hope is that this initiative will encourage more individuals to make personal commitments to support our plays. We have found that individual gifts not only provide much needed funding for our work, but also offer a unique opportunity for a group of donors to get to know our artists and understand the impact of our work on audiences," adds Lavey.
Individual sponsors at Steppenwolf are provided unique access to the rehearsal and performance process. Major supporters have the opportunity to witness the development of all aspects of the play, from the costumes and sets to the direction of actors. In addition, they are recognized at opening night celebrations and invited to visit privately backstage with the artists during the run of their show.

This challenge grant will provide individuals with a unique opportunity to use their personal commitment to leverage additional support for Steppenwolf.

"In this challenging economic climate, we are especially fortunate to have partners like The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust and its Co-trustees, JPMorgan Chase, N.A. and James L. Alexander," comments Steppenwolf Executive Director David Hawkanson. "More than ever, we are looking to expand our base of individual donors. We hope that this partnership will inspire a broader community of donors to step forward in support of our work," adds Hawkanson.
For more information on Individual Sponsorships, please contact Brooke Walters, Director of Major Gifts, at (312) 654-5601.

ABOUT STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY
Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of 42 artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation. For additional information, visit www.steppenwolf.org.

Established in 1992, The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust focuses on programs that encourage self-reliance, relieve human suffering, assist youth with troubled childhoods and emotional disorders, respond to the concerns of the elderly, foster individual self-worth and dignity, promote the arts, develop physical health and spiritual well-being, and promote world peace and understanding through the improvement of national and international travel. The Trust honors the memory of Elizabeth Morse, the daughter of industrialist, land developer, and philanthropist Charles Hosmer Morse.

A supporter of Steppenwolf Theatre Company since 1996, the Trust funds multiple initiatives such as: the Arts Exchange Program, implementation of Tessitura, and the current production sponsorship challenge grant.

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