Prebys Foundation awards $13.37 million to dozens of arts programs

The Prebys Foundation is awarding $13.37 million to arts programs across San Diego County.

Facing funding cuts and a shaky economic landscape, concerns about losing community programs are rising among arts organizations. The foundation, officials said, is attempting to help, offering “emergency grants” to offset cuts. 

“With the devastating budget cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, museums such as ours are facing not only financial uncertainty, but also an existential challenge,” said Micah Parzen, CEO of the Museum of Us in Balboa Park. “This funding is a critical vote of confidence in the importance of values-based work by cultural institutions throughout San Diego County during this tenuous time of historical erasure.”

The Museum of Us received $500,000 in rapid response grant funds. 

According to the San Diego-based foundation, funds will be allocated across 61 San Diego arts and cultural organizations.

Organizations including the La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Symphony and The Old Globe will share $8.62 million for unrestricted operating support.

The remaining $4.75 million will fund venue and space at 39 organizations in order to “preserve and enhance affordable, accessible places for creativity and connection,” the foundation said in a news release. 

“As San Diego’s last remaining independent art-house cinema, the Digital Gym Cinema is a vital cultural hub where the community can come together to experience film,” said Ethan Van Thillo, executive director and founder of Media Arts Center San Diego. “At a time when all cinemas face tremendous challenges to sustain themselves, this support allows us to expand our programming and provide more opportunities for community connection.” 

Overall, awards ranged from $25,000 to $1 million.

According to the foundation, organizations were chosen on the basis of their leadership, broad reach, community impact and accessibility. Special consideration was given to groups facing funding cuts and those that represented a diverse range of disciplines and geography.

“The arts are not luxury. They are essential infrastructure for a thriving, equitable and prosperous region,” Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation, said. “When we invest in the arts, we invest in jobs, innovation, understanding and the shared spaces where our community’s stories and healing come alive.”

The foundation began in 2020 to carry on the mission of Conrad Prebys, who died in 2016. A property developer based in San Diego, Prebys was dedicated to giving back to the community.

Early on, the foundation focused on offering aid amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Today the foundation aims to impact healthcare, medical research, the visual and performing arts, higher education, youth development and more in San Diego, according to its website.