Balmer Foundation awards $155,000 to Spartanburg arts organizations
June 17, 2020
Chapman Cultural Center is pleased and honored to announce Spartanburg’s leading cultural organizations received $155,000 in emergency funding support from the Balmer Foundation. Through this gift, $130,000 went towards funding Chapman Cultural Center’s General Operating Support Grantees and $25,000 will be designated to cost of operating Chapman Cultural Center. The Balmer Foundation trustees presented each organization with their funds at a limited capacity ceremony on June 2nd to encourage social distancing.
Chapman Cultural Center, the leading Local Arts Agency in Spartanburg County, awards General Operating Support Grants (GOS) to cultural organizations each year that have been established as a 501(c)3 for 3 years or more, and must continue working to advance the mission of the organization. Grantees for GOS Grants are evaluated on the basis of merit, evidence of sound management and fiscal responsibility, and service to all of Spartanburg County. These awards support up to 20% of the grantees’ annual operating expenses.
The Balmer Foundation Board of Trustees offered the following statement in regards to their gift: “The current trustees of the Balmer Foundation, inspired by the historic and remarkable commitment of Hans and Lucia Balmer to proactively support the Spartanburg community, have chosen to assist key institutions in this unique time of stress and challenge. The Balmer’s loved animal education and the arts, as they did other key projects that are important to our lives (such as Spots of Pride). While the foundation does not encourage grant requests, it believes the Balmer’s would want the Foundation to commit to this contribution and thereby encourage your good work.”
In the last twenty-five years, through generous donations to the United Arts Fund, Chapman Cultural Center has awarded over $17 million in grants to strengthen, develop, and promote the cultural vibrancy in Spartanburg County in a sustainable way, and our community’s creative ecology is stronger because of it.
“We are very concerned about the financial stability of the arts during these uncertain times. Our General Operating Support Grant program is critically important to our grantees because it gives them a reliable funding source which allows them to plan strategically to expand programs, reach larger and more diverse audiences, and retain creative talent. We are beyond grateful for the support of generous donors such as the Balmer Foundation, who truly see the value the arts bring to a community, especially during the most difficult times,” said Jennifer Evins, President and CEO of Chapman Cultural Center.
Emergency funding by The Balmer Foundation was awarded to the following organizations:
Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg
Ballet Spartanburg
Hatcher Garden
Hub City Writers Project
Spartanburg Art Museum
Spartanburg County Historical Association
Spartanburg Philharmonic
Spartanburg Science Centre
Spartanburg Little Theatre and Spartanburg Youth Theatre
CCC’s Board Chairman, Bert Barre, stated “The cultural sector has grown since we first started providing these grants in 1995 and more demands are being placed on organizations as our community grows and prospers. We evaluate the grantees in a thorough process that includes thirteen volunteer grant reviewers representing our Board and members of the Spartanburg community. They conduct site visits, review applications and listen to presentations made by each organization. Together, these organizations serve over 143,000 people each year and the grants allow these organizations to continue to grow their collective impact.”
Through these unprecedented and trying times, Chapman Cultural Center is committed to providing cultural leadership and ensuring the arts and cultural community is able to recover and ultimately thrive.
