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City Center $50,000
New York, New York
Judith E. Daykin, Executive Director
Built in the 1920s as the Shriners national headquarters, City Center was purchased by the City of New
York in 1943 as a cultural center for all New Yorkers. Since then, it has become one of the premier
theaters for dance in the country, and the elegant and beloved home of several major American companies.
In addition to providing these companies with a beautiful performing space, City Center
supports them through joint marketing projects, public relations assistance, and other services. Along
with most arts organizations, City Center's public funding has been steeply reduced. The resident
companies have faced similar cuts, and are now hard pressed to afford their New York seasons, even
at City Center's discounted rental rates. City Center has responded to these straitened circumstances
with a concerted effort to raise the theater's visibility, boost ticket sales, and develop a base of
individual supporters. In addition, City Center has begun producing its own events designed to attract
new audiences, generate earned income, and keep the house active. Our grant will support a marketing
campaign designed to enhance City Center's visibility and increase ticket sales for the dance
companies and other performing arts groups that appear there.
City Lore
New York New York
Steve Zeitlin, Executive Director
$20,000
City Lore was founded ten years ago by folklorist Steve Zeitlin to document and promote the living
cultural heritages of New York City. The organization's mission is guided by the belief that the quality
of life of a city and a nation is tied to the vitality of the grassroots cultures of the neighborhoods
and communities in which we live. To preserve those cultures, it maintains a 100,000-image photo,
audio and video archive documenting New York's people and their histories and develops lasting interpretive
projects that reach large audiences. City Lore has also created a resource center at Bank Street
College for teachers wishing to introduce their students to the rich cultures of this city and the communities
that live here. Last year, in a move to help stabilize the institution financially, City Lore
developed the Culture Catalog, a mail order service for teachers and libraries that makes available the
best multi-media resources in oral history, folklore, and community studies. Our grant will help
launch this earned income project which both advances the mission of the organization and holds the
promise of providing a significant income stream to support its overall programs.