Dramatists Guild Foundation Receives $1M Gift from Roe Green Foundation

Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) today announced a $1 million leadership gift from the Roe Green Foundation, led by longtime DGF supporter and arts philanthropist Roe Green. The Foundation has pledged this gift in support of DGF and its work on behalf of theater writers nationwide. In recognition of the commitment, DGF Executive Director Rachel Routh will immediately assume the title of The Roe Green Executive Director, which the position will carry for the duration of the Foundation's ten-year commitment. 

Often called the “Fairy Godmother of the Arts” for her decades of philanthropy, Green has been a longtime champion of DGF and the writers it serves. One of DGF’s first Board members from outside the theater-writing community, Green later made a $125,000 matching gift that enabled the filming of DGF: Legacy Project Volume III. At the time, it was the largest individual gift in DGF’s history. Green’s support has continued alongside DGF’s growth from an organization operating on approximately $600,000 annually to one with an annual operating budget of approximately $3 million today. 

“Theater has been one of the great loves of my life, and I have always believed that we have to support the people who create it,” said Roe Green, Chief Executive Officer of the Roe Green Foundation. “Writers give us stories that make us laugh, think, question, and understand one another. I have watched DGF grow tremendously over the years, and through the Roe Green Foundation, I am proud to make this commitment so that Rachel and her team can continue giving theater writers the support they need to create.” 

“The future of theater depends, in no small part, on the generosity of individuals and foundations who believe in its writers. Roe Green is one of those extraordinary individuals who has stepped up for dramatists again and again,” said Rachel Routh, The Roe Green Executive Director of Dramatists Guild Foundation. “Roe’s belief in DGF helped start a remarkable period of growth, and this commitment from the Roe Green Foundation gives us stability to focus on how best to help the creators of the American Theater in this pivotal moment.” 

“Roe doesn’t simply support theater; she understands what it takes for theater to exist in the first place,” said Andrew Lippa, President of the Board of Dramatists Guild Foundation. “This extraordinary commitment from the Roe Green Foundation is an investment in the people whose words, music, and stories become the theater of tomorrow. To have Roe’s name connected to DGF’s executive leadership is a fitting recognition of the role she has played in helping this organization grow into what it is today.” 

Green is CEO of the Roe Green Foundation and a nationally recognized arts patron whose philanthropy has supported theaters, universities, artists and cultural institutions across the country. A theater practitioner herself, she holds degrees in theater and communications from the University of Colorado Boulder and in theater from Kent State University and has worked in stage and business management. Her philanthropic investments include major support for theater facilities, artist residencies, endowed positions and new theatrical work. 

For more information about Dramatists Guild Foundation and its programs supporting theater writers, visit DGF.org. 

About Roe Green 

Roe Green is a distinguished arts patron, philanthropist, and Chief Executive Officer of the Roe Green Foundation whose support of theater, education, and healthcare has helped artists and institutions thrive across the country. A lifelong champion of the arts, Green holds a master's degree in Theatre and an honorary doctorate from Kent State University and began her career working in stage and business management. Her philanthropic investments include the Roe Green Theater Center at the Chautauqua Institution; the Roe Green Endowed Chair for Artistic Disease at University Hospitals; endowed scholarships and programs at the University of Colorado Boulder and Kent State University; and extensive support for theaters and cultural institutions nationwide. Green's philosophy of philanthropy is simple: “If I have five oranges, I eat one, I save one, and I give away the other three.” 

About DGF 

Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) is a national charity that fuels the future of American theater by supporting the writers who create it. DGF fosters playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists at all stages of their careers through educational programs, awards, grants, stipends, free space to create new works, and emergency aid. Since 2020, DGF has distributed more than $5 million to dramatists across the country. DGF is a 2024 recipient of a Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre. By supporting and nurturing the creators of today, we protect the stories of tomorrow. Andrew Lippa serves as DGF’s President, with Rachel Routh as Executive Director.