The Fox Theatre has awarded $500,000 in financial support to help preserve historic theaters around the state.
According to a press release, these single-year grants were funded in two categories: Preservation & Facilities and Technical Assistance. The Fox Theatre, through its nonprofit partnerships program Fox Gives, provides grant funding to address financial deficiencies in theater preservation.
Since its inception in 2008, Fox Gives has expanded its philanthropic effort, more than doubling its financial commitment to preserving historic theaters in local communities across Georgia and the Southeast. Over the past 16 years, Fox Gives has awarded over $3.7 million to more than 70 historic theater organizations. The single-year grant program addresses emergency needs, historic structure studies or planning, technical assistance and preservation and facilities upgrades.
“Every year, we look forward to issuing these single-year grants to truly impact communities throughout Georgia,” said Leigh Burns, director of community partnerships for Fox Gives. “We see theatre preservation as more than just restoring buildings; it’s about enriching downtown areas in communities and creating vibrant performing arts spaces where people can gather, experience the arts and connect.”
2024 Grant Recipients
Fox Gives Preservation & Facilities Grant
Arts & Cultural Authority of Claxton and Evans County (Claxton, GA): $75,000
A third-time Fox Theatre grant recipient, the theater plans to use the funds to rehabilitate existing and provide replacement flooring, stage curtains and lighting systems. The auditorium is one area of a larger historic school building receiving a massive building rehabilitation.
Canton Theatre (Canton, GA): $20,000
A first-year grant recipient, Canton Theatre will use funds for exterior renovations, including paint, windows, doors, and trim. The theater will restore or replace signage, as well as repair marquee globe lighting.
Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre (Marietta, GA): $33,000
This third grant from Fox Gives will assist in tuckpointing the beautiful façade exterior, original marble walls and repairing roof areas for the marquee.
Festival Hall (Greensboro, GA): $25,000
This grant, one of three now for Festival Hall provides supports roof replacement, including removing and disposing of existing shingles and underlayment, inspecting, and repairing decking, installing water guard, metal drip edge flashing and more.
Marigold Auditorium (Winterville, GA): $58,000
This financial contribution will enable the purchase of a Marigold Auditorium sign, stage door/back of building and interior signage. It will also fund the purchase of front and rear stage sign lighting, a dance floor, front step railings, a new traveling proscenium curtain, rear-of-stage video projector and screen. This is the fourth grant and third matching grant from Fox Gives to this theater.
Ritz Theatre (Brunswick, GA): $50,000
This matching investment facilitates the purchase of a new and necessary HVAC system for the downtown landmark theater. Fox previously funded this theater Gives in 2010 and continues to work toward ongoing rehabilitation goals.
Royal Theatre (Hogansville, GA): $34,000
This fourth grant from Fox Gives for the Royal Theatre will assist in replacing missing historic features, specifically, the theater front doors and the exterior historic poster display cases. The theater has recently reopened and is now presenting amazing performing arts offerings in the west Georgia region.
Springer Opera House (Columbus, GA): $60,000
With its second grant from Fox Gives, the Springer Opera House plans to use this contribution to replace the second main building chiller and the restore original heart pine windows. The matching funds will also go toward upgrades to various equipment to meet ADA Safety Compliance, handrails for the balcony aisles, replacement of soft goods on historic stage and more.
The Arts Council (Gainesville, GA): $75,000
Another first-time grant recipient, The Arts Council will use funding for the restoration of the distinctive rose window and four lower tower windows on the front façade of the historic First United Methodist Church. The church complex is part of a multi-million-dollar project with many phases of rehabilitation in the heart of downtown Gainesville.
Tooga Theatre (Summerville, GA): $20,000
This second grant given for the Tooga Theatre rehabilitation project, these matching funds will support the removal of the existing curtains and an addition that closed off the original balcony from the lower area. The funding will also help repair existing walls, ceiling tiles, fixtures from the original balcony while opening and finishing the area that joins the Special Events Room.
Fox Gives Technical Assistance Grant
Georgia Historic Preservation Division (Atlanta): $25,000
This first-time grant to the Georgia Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Community Affairs will fund the Chitlin’ Circuit Theatre Context Project, partnered between Fox Gives, Georgia Historic Preservation Division and the Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAPHN). Funding will enable the initiation of a multi-year project to research, document, plan and propose the Chitlin’ Circuit Heritage Trail in Georgia.
Sautee Nacoochee Center (Sautee Nacoochee, GA): $25,000
The non-matching grant for the Sautee Nacoochee Center will enable a historic preservation specialist and preservation-based architect to study the feasibility and make architectural assessments needed for revitalizing the historic gymnasium. While SNC is a long time Georgia Presenter, this is the first Fox Gives grant awarded to the non-profit organization.
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