Document 6536900

Board Officers
President
Marcia Wilson Hobbs
The Design Magazine
September 1, 2010
Chief Financial Officer
Brenda Barnes
KUSC
Ms. Grantmaker
Community Help Foundation
1234 Main Street
Any City, Any State 90000
Trustees
Sheila Bergman
UCLArts
Stacy Brightman, PhD
LA Opera
Laifun Chung
Dear Ms. Grantmaker:
Landscape Designer
Jack Groban
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) is a tuition-free, public arts
high school that serves 600 young artists from throughout Los Angeles County. At
this time, the Arts High Foundation is asking the Community Help Foundation to invite
its proposal for a grant in the amount of $25,000 to support its general operations.
M ission, History and Accom plishm ents
The Arts High Foundation was founded in 1984 in response to the near total
elimination of arts education in California’s public schools due to shifts in public
funding. Fearing the loss of entire generations of artists, the Foundation—established
by Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson—along with committed citizens and public officials
raised funds for the establishment and operation of a public arts high school in Los
Angeles County. In 1985, Arts High was opened on the campus of California State
University Los Angeles. The Foundation provides 30% to 45% of the school’s $2.2
million arts programs’ budget.
Jack Groban & Associates
Laurie Kaman
Producer
Vivian Rescalvo
LA County Board of
Supervisors, Third District
Dale Rosenbloom
Filmmaker
Christopher Sampson
USC School of Music
George Simpson
Arts High Principal
Drew Skelly
SmithBarney
Sheila Weisman
Civic Leader, Philanthropist
LACHSA has been recognized as a California Distinguished School of Excellence and
received awards from the Kennedy Center National Network of Creative Alliances for
the Arts, the Music Center of Los Angeles and the GRAMMY Foundation. In 20092010 alone, Arts High students won awards for outstanding merit in 38 separate local
and national competitions. In 2008, for the first time in the history of the Monterey
Jazz Festival’s National High School Jazz Competition, students from one school,
LACHSA, won first place in all three divisions! For the second year, it won First Place
in Berklee College’s High School Jazz Competition. For the third consecutive year,
the Shakespeare Festival at Cal Poly Pomona awarded LACHSA students First Place.
LACHSA senior dancers have been offered two of the only 20 openings at The
Juilliard School. One musician is a Finalist and nine other musicians and four visual
artists were named Semi-Finalists in the Music Center’s 2011Spotlight Awards.
LACHSA Program Description
The best and brightest from among the County’s aspiring performing and visual
artists are selected through a highly competitive process of juried auditions and
portfolio reviews. Those who are selected to attend are held to high standards of
academic and creative excellence.
Trustees for Life
Hal David
Song Lyricist
Dr. Edward Kantor
Otolaryngologist
Co-Founders
Michael Antonovich
Supervisor, L.A. County
Caroline Ahmanson
1918-2005
Staff
John Jackson
Executive Director
Kathleen Ulinski
Director of
Institutional Advancement
Holly Witham
Accounting Manager
Erica Kermani
Foundation Associate
Each day, students attend college-preparatory classes from 8:00a.m.- 12:35p.m. and
receive conservatory-style arts training from 1:30p.m.- 4:00p.m. LACHSA provides
four years of comprehensive training in four disciplines: dance, music, theatre, and
visual arts. Each discipline’s curriculum is aligned with the California Visual and
Performing Arts Standards and includes required coursework, designed to supply
Community Help Foundation
September 1, 2010
Page 2
students with a strong foundation in both theory and technique, along with elective classes that enrich
students’ experiences within their chosen discipline. Public performances and exhibitions are key elements in
the curriculum.
Current Program Need
Fortunately, the Foundation has succeeded in meeting its arts program revenue goal for the school this year.
However, securing funding to maintain its own expenses remains a challenge. This year, a robust plan has
been put in place to significantly augment its unrestricted funding. To increase and diversify its funding base,
the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and staff are taking the following measures:
•
•
•
•
•
Board of Trustees
o Increase the number of trustees from 13 to 35 and put a “give or get” policy in place for an annual
minimum gift of $2,500.
Planned Giving
o Create a program to give supporters an opportunity to establish a legacy for the school and
Foundation in perpetuity. Launching the legacy program will coincide with this year’s 25th
Anniversary.
Major Gifts
o Triple the number of proposals that are submitted to grant-making institutions.
o Continue to develop the new Honorary Trustee Society, which consists of leaders in the arts,
business and philanthropic communities. Thus far, 48 people have joined.
Annual Giving
o Continue to develop the new Guild Leadership Committee, which consists of socially connected
members that are strong believers in arts education and are willing to introduce people to the
Foundation through fundraisers and cultivation gatherings.
o Reach out to the larger community through direct mail and E-mail campaigns.
Earned-Revenue
o Begin to use entertainment contacts to explore potential for-profit collaborations.
Project Budget
Foundation General Operating Expenses
Salaries and Benefits
Accounting/Legal
Investment Management Fees
Development and Administrative Costs
Total
$350,246
$ 15,000
$ 30,000
$ 60,621
$455,867
A gift of $25,000 from the Community Help Foundation will satisfy the Arts High Foundation general
operations budget. I do hope you will strongly consider our case and invite us to submit a full proposal at this
time. By helping in this most considerate way, the Community Help Foundation will help sustain the efforts of
the Arts High Foundation as it works to capitalize its ability to help maintain LACHSA’s award-winning
programs for generations to come.
Thank you for your thoughtful review of this request.
Sincerely,
John R. Jackson, Executive Director
1149 South Hill St., Suite H-100, Los Angeles, CA 90015 I (213) 225-7586 I Fax (866) 242-2878 I www.artshigh.org
LOS ANGELES COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS FOUNDATION
FEDERAL ID #95-3938009