The Fund for the Arts Receives $75,988
Challenge Grant from the Kentucky Arts Council

Representative Darryl Owens Presented Check to Fund for the Arts President & CEO, Allan Cowen; Grant Signifies State’s Commitment to Line Item Funding for the Arts

Louisville, KY— The Fund for the Arts is pleased to announce that it has received a first-time FY2007 Challenge Grant from the State of Kentucky. Both Senator Gerald Neal and Representative Darryl Owens were on hand to present Allan Cowen, Fund for the Arts President and CEO, with a check for $75,988 from the Kentucky Arts Council , a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet.

(L-R) Kentucky Arts Council Executive Director Lori Meadows,

Fund for the Arts President & CEO Allan Cowen, Kentucky State Representative Darryl Owens

and Executive Director of the Office of Arts and Cultural Heritage of the Commerce Cabinet Lindy Casebier.

"The Fund for the Arts’ ability to leverage private funding and increase revenues for arts organizations has enabled Louisville to be one of the preeminent art centers in the nation,” said Senator Gerald Neal, who represents the Fund for the Arts in the Kentucky Senate.

Representative Darryl Owens concurred: “The Fund for the Arts is a model for the nation, in terms of how to raise private funding to make an art-rich city.”

Challenge grants from the Kentucky Arts Council provide operating funds to Arts organizations based on their ability to raise contributed revenue from individual, corporate and other non-governmental sources. Goals of the Challenge Grant Program include helping to build an efficient Arts delivery system across the state, increasing Arts participation statewide, and promoting a diverse Arts culture.

“We feel that this funding is a significant step forward for the State of Kentucky in providing ongoing, line-item public funding for the Arts in our vibrant community,” said Allan Cowen. “With grants such as this, the Fund for the Arts can continue to support significant arts programming, lead innovation and generate additional financial support for its twenty-four member groups and programs throughout the greater Louisville community,”

The Fund for the Arts began its 2007 Campaign “Every 1 Plays” on January 30 with a free kick-off event at the Brown Theatre. With the 2006 Fund for the Arts campaign nearing $8 million in total funds raised, indicators point to a 2007 campaign that may exceed $8 million. The campaign will run through June 30, 2007 or the close of the Fund for the Arts fiscal year. The 2007 Fund for the Arts campaign is being chaired by Ronald J. Murphy, Founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of The Glenview Trust Company. For more information on the campaign or to make a donation, call (502) 582-0100 or visit www.fundforthearts.com.

Fund for the Arts
Celebrating 30 Years of Employee/Workplace Giving to the Arts! The Fund for the Arts provides programming and administrative support to twenty-four member groups and programs, including grants to nearly 200 community organizations and schools, throughout the Louisville, Kentucky region. The Fund for the Arts is the oldest united arts fund in the country and has raised over $125 million in the community since its establishment in 1949. The Fund for the Arts receives partial funding from the Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.