Alonzo King LINES Ballet Receives $5 Million Gift From Philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett
This gift, the largest in LINES Ballet's 40-year history, will be used to solidify the organization, sustain its artmaking, and extend its groundbreaking collaborations.
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Alonzo King LINES Ballet, the San Francisco-based, internationally celebrated contemporary ballet company, is pleased to announce it has received a $5 million gift from philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett.
This gift, the largest in LINES Ballet's 40-year history, will be used to solidify the organization, sustain its artmaking, and extend its groundbreaking collaborations. It will also allow LINES Ballet to deepen its service to the local and global community through its educational programs.
"We are deeply grateful to MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett for this incredible gift, for investing in our organization, and recognizing the value of the arts," said LINES Ballet Founder & Artistic Director Alonzo King. "Art produces thinkers, lovers, examiners, and excavators. It allows people to see new worlds for themselves and to see their own world new. I think the gift of art is a glimpse into the answer to the questions that everyone is asking: Why am I here? Where am I going? Who am I?"
The gift to LINES Ballet was part of Ms. Scott and Mr. Jewett's recent $2.74 billion awarded to high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked. It comes at a critical time for LINES Ballet, after the organization had to shut its physical doors in March 2020 and transition all of its programs to the virtual space. The organization is just beginning to reopen its local studies, while returning to global stages.
"This gift will be truly transformative," said LINES Ballet Founder & Executive Director Robert Rosenwasser. "The arts provide common ground, reminding us of that which connects us in a shared humanity. This gift will support our ongoing work and mission to touch hearts and stir minds through art."
In her recent blog post Ms. Scott wrote, "Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health, so we evaluated smaller arts organizations creating these benefits with artists and audiences from culturally rich regions and identity groups that donors often overlook."
Alonzo King LINES Ballet is honored to be selected as one of these cultural institutions.
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