McCarter Theatre Center is delighted to announce a significant grant from the James E. and Diane W. Burke Foundation (Burke Foundation) which will launch a new phase of growth for McCarter's Education and Engagement programs and by doing so will bring the transformative power of the arts to more people in our community. This three-year $300,000 grant is one of the largest in support of educational initiatives that McCarter has ever received.
McCarter Trustee and Burke Foundation Officer James Burke said, "We're so pleased to support McCarter in this way. The arts have such meaning for me, and for the Foundation, and have a larger role to play in the development of tomorrow's citizens and leaders. The Burke Foundation is excited to partner with McCarter Theatre's Education and Engagement programs to bring the richness of the theatrical experience to children who would otherwise not be able to enjoy the magic of theater."
McCarter Theatre Artistic Director Emily Mann said, "We salute the vision and the investment the Burke Foundation has made in the community and in McCarter. The support of the arts offered by this grant means that over the three year period thousands of young people in the area will be able to have meaningful participation in the performing arts."
The grant period's first year will include an increase in support for initiatives offering arts access and participation to thousands of underserved students across the state. Responding to an ever-growing need for arts organizations to fulfill essential core curriculum standards, funding will be allocated to strengthen McCarter's existing in-school programs across the region including those at Trenton Central High School, New Brunswick Regional Schools, Middlesex County Vocational Technical High School, Princeton Public Schools, and Trenton's Grace Dunn Middle School, among others.
The funding will also allow McCarter to substantially increase the number of fully-subsidized tickets to student matinees and provide bus funding to schools for whom transportation cost is the primary barrier to arts access. While McCarter has long been committed to offering financial aid for after school theatre classes and summer theatre camps, the Burke Foundation gift will also significantly increase the pool of available scholarship funds for qualifying families.
In addition, this grant will enable McCarter to create new programming in partnership with community organizations including Eden Autism Services, Homefront, and Princeton Community Housing. By the end of the first year alone, thousands of additional residents and families could potentially be positively impacted by this expansion.
McCarter Theatre Center, the largest arts organization in the greater Princeton area, launched a major reorganization of its education and engagement programming efforts in the fall of 2013, with a strong focus on community impact and access. Through after-school classes, in-school residencies (now reaching a dozen local schools from Trenton to New Brunswick), adult education classes, community partnerships and more, McCarter is dedicated to bringing the benefits of high-quality arts education to the region. This significant grant by the Burke Foundation continues significant growth for McCarter's mission with regards to education and engagement in the community.
According to Erica Nagel, Director of Education and Engagement for
McCarter Theatre Center, "Theatre education increases creativity, collaboration, and artistry among participants, and we are thrilled that so many more young people from diverse economic backgrounds will have the chance to experience the kind of learning and growth our programs are designed to provide. Through transportation funding, ticket subsidies, expanded in-school programs, new community partnerships, and increased scholarship money, the generosity and vision of the Burke Foundation has made it possible to address the areas identified as the most significant barriers to youth arts participation and access in our community."
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