Arts Participation Leadership Initiative

The Wallace Foundation and the Washington State Arts Commission are undertaking an innovative, four-year arts funding partnership designed to develop the skills and expertise of leaders of arts organizations to build arts participation.

Nine Seattle arts organizations will receive $6.1 million in grants from the Foundation, and the Washington State Arts Commission will receive $1.6 million to provide services.

In recognition of their commitment to community and participation building activities, the Foundation is giving its prestigious Wallace Excellence Awards to Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, One Reel, On the Boards, Pacific Northwest Ballet Association, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Opera, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Youth Symphony, and SIFF (Cinema Seattle). Each of these organizations will receive four-year grants ranging from $500,000 to $750,000.

In addition to giving the Excellence Award grants to nine arts organizations, the Foundation is partnering with the Washington State Arts Commission over the next four years (2009-2012) to create a learning network for Puget Sound arts organizations and to foster arts engagement to inform and support the participation-building work of many arts organizations.

"This generous and visionary support by The Wallace Foundation is an investment in the future of arts organizations in the region," said Kris Tucker, executive director of the Washington State Arts Commission. "We are honored to be working with the Foundation to maximize this opportunity to benefit arts organizations and communities in Seattle and throughout the region."