Buffalo Theatre Ensemble Receives $20,000 Grant from The DuPage Foundation

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE) was one of 26 not-for-profit organizations to receive a grant at the DuPage Foundation's Holiday Open House held on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Foundation's office in Downers Grove. The DuPage Foundation awarded more than $207,000 in grants to organizations working in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education and the Environment as part of its Fall Community Needs Grant Cycle.

The $20,000 grant received by BTE is for the reinstatement and continued operation of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble in its 30th anniversary season, and will provide support for the upcoming productions of "Good People" by David Lindsay-Abaire (Feb. 2 - March 4), "Improbable Fiction" (May 4-June 4); plus a fall 2017 production to be announced at a later date.

Said BTE Artistic Director Connie Canaday Howard, "We're thrilled to receive this much needed support from the DuPage Foundation. In addition to the assist to our bottom line, it is an endorsement of our place as a valued member of our community and the greater Chicago area."

BTE Company members and visiting artists are a vital part of both the College of DuPage's educational mission and the fabric of the community. Programming includes producing a three-show season beginning with the 2016-2017 season, creating master classes for students, presenting demonstrations of theater arts, hosting performance talk backs and subscriber nights, and participating in community outreach.

Since 1986 BTE has staged more than 110 shows. In 2013, BTE went on hiatus, following the College of DuPage's decision to not house BTE. This past April, following a strong more than two-year campaign by BTE supporters, the COD board reconsidered and BTE has returned for its 30th anniversary season as a 501(c)3 theatre. For more information about BTE visit BTEChicago.com.

"Our Community Needs Grant Program supports local not-for-profit organizations that are dedicated to enriching DuPage County," said Barb Szczepaniak, Foundation vice president for programs. "We are very thankful to the many local not-for-profit board members, staff and volunteers who manage and administer the impactful programs that contribute to helping make our community strong, vibrant, and culturally- and environmentally-rich. In addition, we would like to thank our donors who have invested in the Foundation. It is their generosity that makes our support possible."

Community Needs grants are primarily awarded based on earnings from the Foundation's unrestricted and field-of-interest funds. Additionally, during the selection process, the Foundation offers representatives of its donor-advised funds the opportunity to review the grant applications that it receives through its Community Needs Grant Program. It does this to inform local donors about the needs in the community, introduce them to the many organizations that apply to the Foundation, and to engage them in helping the Foundation increase the level of grant support that it provides through the grant process.

The DuPage Foundation seeks to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County by fostering philanthropy, connecting donors to area needs and building community partnerships. Based on the American virtues of volunteerism and philanthropy, the Foundation fosters a legacy of support for the people of DuPage County by making grants to not-for-profit organizations working in the areas of Arts and Culture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Human Services. Since its inception, the Foundation has built its endowment to more than $65 million and awarded nearly $30 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond.

Currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary, the DuPage Foundation was established in 1986 and is a publicly-supported 501(c)(3) organization to which contributions are tax deductible. It was created to benefit the people of DuPage County and receives contributions and bequests into a permanent endowment from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations wishing to make lasting contributions to the people of DuPage. The earnings on these funds are then used, in accordance with donor wishes, for the Foundation's grant making and community leadership activities.

Pictured: Marilyn Gaston, Foundation Trustee, BTE Artistic Director Connie Canaday Howard, BTE Board Treasurer John K. Rutledge and BTE Board Vice President Peggy Connolly. Photo courtesy of the DuPage Foundation.

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