Arts and Culture

Ford Foundation Commits $15 Million to Renovation of Lincoln Center

NEW YORK, 12 June 2006 — The Ford Foundation today announced a $15 million gift to Lincoln Center to help kick-off the first project of a major renovation of the landmark performing arts institution that will make it more inviting and accessible to millions of visitors, artists, and students.

This major grant reaffirms the Ford Foundation's support of Lincoln Center as a national cultural treasure. The foundation first provided funding in 1957 for the center's initial design and construction.

Ford funds will support the renovation of Lincoln Center along West 65th Street, a corridor that connects The Julliard School, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and the Lincoln Center Theater. The transformation of West 65th Street is the inaugural project in a series of capital initiatives being planned by Lincoln Center over the next decade.

This first project, designed by the acclaimed architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with FX Fowle Architects, dramatically opens the site to encourage the interaction of artists, teachers, students, and the public. The project includes major expansion and enhancement of facilities, including Alice Tully Hall; the transformation of the North Plaza, one of the most important public spaces on the campus; and the complete redesign of West 65th Street.

"This project will open up Lincoln Center for a whole new generation of artists and visitors," said Ford Foundation President Susan V. Berresford. "We hope this new investment will signal to other funders the enduring importance of this national institution. It's been almost fifty years since we gave our first gift to Lincoln Center, and we are proud to be part of its exciting new future."

In addition to its critical role in developing and showcasing the nation's performing artists, Lincoln Center acts as a vital economic engine. Every year it spurs over $1.5 billion in economic activity and employs over 15,000 people.

In addition to its original capital grant, the Ford Foundation provided support for Lincoln Center's early operations. With subsequent gifts, the foundation has supported various resident performance companies as well as Jazz at Lincoln Center.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.