OPERA America Awards $180,000 in Civic Practice Grants to Seven Professional Company Members

OPERA America has awarded $180,000 in Civic Practice Grants to seven opera companies. The grants are designed to support company initiatives that align with and support civic priorities in their communities; develop robust, reciprocal relationships with other arts and non-arts organizations; and deliver greater public value through authentic, mutually beneficial partnerships.

The recipients of the 2025 Civic Practice Grants are:

• Boston Lyric Opera (Boston, MA)
• LA Opera (Los Angeles, CA)
• Opera Parallèle (San Francisco, CA)
• Pacific Opera Victoria (Victoria, BC)
• San Diego Opera (San Diego, CA)
• Volcano Theatre (Volcano, CA)
• White Snake Projects (Boston, MA)

See below for a description of each project.

Civic practice, as defined in OPERA America’s 2018 report An Introduction to Civic Practice, draws on opera’s authentic creative assets to address public priorities and community needs. This work requires an examination of what it means for opera companies to be engaged cultural citizens in their communities as the basis for building long-term trust and appreciation for companies and the art form.

Applications to the Civic Practice Grants were reviewed by an independent panel that included Lee Bynum, adjunct professor, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University; Carlton Ford, managing director, Diaz Inclusion Consulting; and Carmen Morgan, founder and executive director, artEquity.

Civic Practice Grants are funded by OPERA America’s Opera Fund, an endowment dedicated to supporting the creation and production of new operas and related audience development strategies. The Opera Fund was launched with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the Helen F. Whitaker Fund, Lee Day Gillespie, Lloyd and Mary Ann Gerlach, the Mellon Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

More information about OPERA America’s grant and award programs is available at operaamerica.org/Grants.