In Saturday’s (8/29) Detroit Free Press, Mark Stryker reports, “Last week’s Community Foundation Challenge, an online fund-raising effort for the arts, funneled $4.8 million to 75 local groups, according to figures released Friday. That’s nearly $2 million more than the original $3 million goal of the Aug. 18 matching-grant initiative spearheaded by the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan. The foundation matched each dollar donated with an additional 50 cents. Gifts of up to $10,000 were matched. Top winners were the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at $596,000 and Detroit Institute of Arts at $586,000, but smaller groups made hay too. … The final tally reflects an outpouring of public support that surpassed the expectations of even optimistic predictions, but also mea-culpa measures by the foundation after technical snafus crashed its system. Some donors were stuck online for hours, some had credit cards charged multiple times and some were unable to contribute. The foundation ultimately added $600,000 in new matching funds to its original $1 million commitment to accommodate donors otherwise shut out.”
Photo of Music Director Leonard Slatkin courtesy of Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Posted August 31, 2009
