Cal Poly Arts Endowment

The purpose of the Endowment Fund is to enhance Cal Poly Arts' capacity to serve the Central Coast as a diverse, high-quality arts presenter.

The Current Situation

Cal Poly Arts' endowment fund currently stands at approximately $635,000.

When it was established in 1987, the fund represented 50% of our annual budget. By the time the Performing Arts Center opened in 1996, the endowment fund had dwindled to 8% of the budget. Today, thanks to recent gifts, and despite a five-fold growth in income, it represents 10% of our $2 million budget.

The endowment fund is designed to generate a reliable source of income to Cal Poly Arts.  Currently, income from the fund provides the organization with $17,000 annually. Overall, our revenue comes from ticket sales (58%), private contributions, including our endowment fund (17%), and Cal Poly (25%).

What Needs to be Done

Cal Poly Arts needs to build its endowment fund back to the level it enjoyed when the fund was first established, approximately 50% of its annual operating budget, or $1,000,000.

By its nature, arts funding is volatile. It is highly susceptible to revenue swings because it relies on discretionary consumer spending. A weak economy can result in a precipitous drop in both contributed and earned revenue, putting vulnerable programming at risk.

A strong endowment fund protects the least commercial programming: classical music, dance, and theatre; family programming; jazz; and emerging artists.  In an economic downturn, events such as these would be the first to be cut because they require the largest subsidy.

To secure its long-term future and the integrity of its mission, Cal Poly Arts must do more to protect its non-commercial programming through the growth of its endowment fund.

Significance

In the community at large, Cal Poly Arts is relied upon to continue to provide a rich, professional performing arts experience for the people of the Central Coast. The University relies upon Cal Poly Arts support the campus' educational mission, and to support the Performing Arts Center in the form of remitting rental charges, technical support fees, and Ticket Office revenue.

Gifts

Cal Poly Arts seeks endowment fund gifts of cash or assets through major contributions or bequests. Gifts may be payable in five annual installments. For more information, contact the Cal Poly Arts Director at 805/756-6556.

Youth Arts Education Endowment

The purpose of the Youth Arts Education Endowment is to provide a consistent source of income to Poly Arts for Youth, Cal Poly Arts' youth outreach program.

Poly Arts for Youth (PAFY)

PAFY is designed to increase student participation in the arts.  PAFY programs include a student matinees series, in-school arts education activities, and student rush discounts.

Cal Poly Arts offers a series of low cost weekday student matinee performances for K-12 school children and their chaperones. Designed for students at varying grade levels, student matinees are typically 50-60 minutes in length and feature leading professional artists from the performing arts series.

Some artists are engaged for extended residencies by Cal Poly Arts. In addition to student matinees and public performances, artists may also perform in-school educational activities such as lecture-demonstrations, master classses, and workshops.

Student Rush discounts are designed to enable and encourage students to attend available programming.  $8 "Rush" tickets are offered to any K-12 and college student on many classical dance, theatre, and music events, as well as some jazz, folk, and world music concerts.

Significance

In an age of dwindling school support for the arts, Cal Poly Arts must reach out to students to expose them to the arts, nurture their artistic abilities, and develop future audiences.