AAACF Takes a Stand

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"Most of our sponsors have cut back significantly--corporate sponsorship and family sponsorship," says Mary Steffek Blaske, executive director of the eighty-one-year-old orchestra, which ended last season with a $73,000 deficit.

Faced with the prospect of canceling one of this year's family concerts to balance the books, Blaske turned to the AAACF. In the past, the thirty-six-year-old foundation didn't support ongoing programming--but this year the situation was so dire it made an exception.

"We like to say we are the community's savings account," explains Phil D'Anieri, the foundation's program director. "And like the family's savings account, we should only be used for unusual expenses and for special, onetime projects, like braces or a new roof. This year, however, with the economy the way it is, some organizations needed dollars to keep some programs going."

The foundation gave the symphony $20,000 for its family concert series. D'Anieri says the proposal was compelling "because the symphony plays a key part in the cultural life of the community, and the community highly values their family concerts." The grant, says Blaske, "buys us the bridge funding to make sure these concerts go on while I'm out looking for funding for the next season."