COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS COMMUNITY SUPPORT GRANT TO OHIO THEATRE RENOVATIONS

To aid the next phase of renovation to the historic theater

Madison, IN – The Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County, Inc. (CFMJC) has selected the Friends of the Ohio Theatre (FOTOT) to receive nearly all of a $750,000 Community Support Grant to aid the next phase of renovation to the historic theater. The Community Support Grant is made possible by the GIFT IX initiative of Lilly Endowment Inc.

GIFT IX’s Community Support Grant component is meant to provide flexible funding to enhance each community foundation’s grantmaking capacity to address in the manner it sees fit compelling, near-term needs in its county.

“Our Board of Directors reviewed and analyzed a four-year period of grant data from various local grant funders and saw gaps in funding geared toward the arts,” stated CFMJC Board Chair Jenny Darnold. “This large of a grant will help the Friends of the Ohio Theatre make key renovations and attract additional support from the community for this multi-use venue.”

“We are thankful for more than 10 years of support and guidance from Bill Barnes and the Community Foundation,” said FOTOT Board President Elizabeth Auxier. “Our board members are thrilled that this grant will move us closer to our goal of finishing auditorium renovations and improving accessibility for all attendees.”

In addition to using grant dollars to complete these items, CFMJC President & CEO Bill Barnes will join the FOTOT Board to help provide organizational guidance. Barnes has extensive experience leading and working with nonprofit organizations throughout his career and personal life.

Established in 1991 by a group of local volunteers, the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County fulfills the mission of building a strong, vibrant community by helping donors provide perpetual funding for the people, projects, and passions of Jefferson County.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion. While the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States on an invitational basis to support these causes, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

For more information about the Friends of the Ohio Theatre, visit www.ohiotheatremadison.org, contact Elizabeth Auxier at 812-
624-1938, or email info@ohiotheatremadison.org

For more information about the Community Foundation, visit www.cfmjc.org, contact Bill Barnes at 812-274-0241, or email 
bill@cfmjc.org