Los Angeles Ballet Receives $2.4 Million Grant From Perenchio Foundation

Los Angeles Ballet has received a $2.4 million grant from the Perenchio Foundation, according to the company. The award represents a significant infusion of philanthropic support for the organization.

'Permanence in the arts is not an accident. It is the result of organizations that have built real governance, real financial discipline, and real community trust — over years, sometimes decades — often without the kind of sustained investment that would make any of it easier,' said Perenchio Foundation CEO, Stephania Ramirez. 'What we are investing in is not a program or a season. It is the infrastructure behind the work — the staffing, the systems, the reserves that allow an organization to absorb a hard year without losing what took twenty years to build. That is what multi-year unrestricted support makes possible, and it is the only kind of investment the Foundation believes is worth making.'

'We are deeply honored and humbled by this prestigious award,' said Los Angeles Ballet Board Chair Jennifer Bellah Maguire. 'It is both an extraordinary recognition that we have set our sights high and a message to continue on our way.'

LAB Executive Director Julia Rivera said, 'Over the last twenty years, Los Angeles Ballet has worked tirelessly building a professional ballet company that Los Angeles can be proud of, where dancers, dance makers and other artists can grow and explore the art form, and where people can connect with the art itself. As we begin our third decade, and are hitting a stride, addressing the tremendous challenges of keeping a performing arts organization fiscally sound is still a daily priority. This generous grant from Perenchio Foundation will allow us to exhale and focus on thoughtfully planning for the future.'

ABOUT LOS ANGELES BALLET

Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) is the leading ballet company in Los Angeles known for staging classical, contemporary, romantic, and neoclassical ballets, for pioneering new works, and for presenting relevant dance pieces by many of today's most innovative dance-makers. LAB's original production of The Nutcracker is an annual holiday favorite for Los Angeles residents and regional, national, and international visitors.

Led by Artistic Director Melissa Barak and Executive Director Julia Rivera, LAB performs in theater venues in LA County including Royce Hall at UCLA, The Wallis in Beverly Hills, The Music Center's Ahmanson Theatre, and Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

As part of its mission to expand people's knowledge of and nurture a love for ballet, LAB gives access to performances to the widest audiences possible by providing free tickets for thousands of residents in underserved communities in Los Angeles County through its arts education program, Power of Performance (POP!). In 2012, LAB launched a hands-on outreach program called A Chance to Dance (ACTD) providing free ballet and movement instruction for dance lovers of all ages. Los Angeles Ballet was founded in 2004 by Artistic Directors, Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, and Executive Director, Julie Whittaker.

ABOUT PERENCHIO FOUNDATION

Established by the late A. Jerrold 'Jerry' Perenchio, the Perenchio Foundation believes the arts are essential to how communities see themselves, sustain themselves, and grow. The Foundation is committed to creating lasting impact in Los Angeles by investing in arts organizations that embody quality, accessibility, and permanence. Learn more at perenchiofoundation.org