Dramatists Guild Foundation Announces $2M Grant From Seller-Lehrer Family Foundation

The Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) announced today that it has received a $2 million commitment from the Seller-Lehrer Family Foundation, Inc. (SLFF). The DGF is an established non-profit organization that fuels the future of American theater by supporting the writers who create it. DGF fosters playwrights, composers, lyricists, and book writers at all stages of their careers. DGF creates educational programs; provides awards, grants, and stipends; offers free space to create new works; and gives emergency aid to writers in need.

The SLFF grant will provide operational and endowment support for the Fellows Program and DGF's Emergency Grants. The Fellows program is a selective, year-long intensive for playwrights, composers, lyricists, and book writers. The program pairs talented writers with accomplished professional mentors, who help them hone their process, find their unique voice, and offer them continued development support for their plays and musicals. This program increases the likelihood that Fellows will be able to turn their passion and talent into a successful career, impacting audiences around the globe. The Fellows program supports 10-12 aspiring playwrights/composers/lyricists each year.

DGF's Emergency Grants support playwrights experiencing financial stress. The Foundation awards stipends of $1,000 to $5,000 to artists dealing with unpaid medical bills, child-care issues, extended unemployment, and other unforeseen emergencies. The SLFF grant will allow the DGF to support up to 100 aspiring artists each year, more than in any other year of DGF's history.

The Seller-Lehrer Family Foundation, Inc. (SLFF) was founded by Broadway Producer, Jeffrey Seller and his partner, Josh Lehrer a prominent photographer and documentarist. The SLFF mission is to fund dynamic educational, cultural and environmental organizations and initiatives.

"This incredibly generous grant from SLFF comes at an important time in DGF's history," said DGF president, Andrew Lippa. "DGF is growing and serving more artists than ever before. With this support from SLFF we are now able to serve more artists, help those in dire situations and contribute to a lasting endowment that will help serve future generations" added Lippa.

"My life without playwrights would be unimaginable. My life with playwrights has been rewarding beyond my wildest dreams. We are thrilled that our family will continue to nurture artists creating the future of the American theatre," said Jeffrey Seller, the producer of Tony Award-winning musicals Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, In The Heights, and this season's The Cher Show.

The $2 million grant, which will be distributed over five years, includes funds that will be set aside to establish an endowment to support future fellows.

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