The Wallis Receives Two Visionary Endowment Gifts Totaling $1 Million

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts launches 2021 with the announcement of two visionary endowment gifts totaling $1 million. The Walter and Peggy Grauman Endowment Fund, which establishes The Walter and Peggy Grauman Fellowship in Music, and The Steven D. Cochran Memorial Fund will provide ongoing funding to support emerging talent through GRoW @ The Wallis' education and outreach programs. GRoW @ The Wallis, an umbrella for the robust mix of education and outreach programs at The Wallis, uses the power of the arts to address important social issues and respond to critical needs in the greater community through arts leadership, learning, collaboration and partnership. Overseen by Director of Education, Mark Slavkin, long recognized as a dedicated advocate for children, families and the arts, GRoW has continued to thrive even during the pandemic and The Wallis' campus closure.

The Walter and Peggy Grauman Endowment Fund and the establishment of The Walter and Peggy Grauman Fellowship in Music are made possible by the generosity of performing arts philanthropist and Wallis Ambassador Peggy Parker Grauman and her late husband, Walter Grauman. The Grauman Fellowship in Music, the first-ever fellowship program at The Wallis and the first of its type in Los Angeles County, will provide an annual Fellowship Award of $15,000 to advance the career of an exceptionally talented emerging classical pianist or strings player based in Los Angeles. The program is intended to support the Fellow during the transition from formal education training to the professional world with the notion that building a career as a classical musician requires a skill set that extends far beyond exceptional talent as a performer. In addition to receiving a $15,000 fellowship award, the Grauman Fellow will receive mentorship from The Wallis, including live performance opportunities, guidance related to successful auditioning, and exposure to career-readiness opportunities, among other experiences. Fellows will also be asked to plan and implement a community-based project designed to promote awareness and appreciation of classical music among new audiences in Los Angeles County, including younger audiences and those who lack regular access to the arts. The Wallis will announce the selection of the Grauman Fellow annually at the beginning of the organization's Season.

According to Slavkin, "I have personally witnessed Peggy and Walter Grauman's passion for supporting talented young artists over our more than twenty-year friendship, and I find it humbling that Peggy, who could have chosen to partner with any number of Los Angeles area institutions, is making this investment in GRoW @ The Wallis. I believe it speaks to her belief in The Wallis as a creative and innovative institution, and it is a huge boost of confidence in our work."

"Walter and I have made a special effort over the last 50 years to help advance the training and talent opportunities of so many outstanding young musicians here in Los Angeles County," says Mrs. Grauman. "One of Walter's proudest accomplishments was in 1988 when he created the nationally recognized scholarship and arts training program at the Music Center known as The Spotlight Awards. I am excited that now The Wallis will have the ability to provide opportunities to talented, young string musicians and pianists through a mix of performance and professional learning opportunities during their fellowship year at The Wallis."

The Steven D. Cochran Memorial Fund, committed to inspiring and encouraging young people's love for the performing arts, is made possible by the generosity of Wallis Ambassador Dan Clivner, husband of the late Steve Cochran, a former Wallis Board member and long-time Wallis supporter, and their friends and family. A transformational investment in the youngest members of The Wallis' community, it is the first endowed fund of its kind at The Wallis and is dedicated to supporting education, arts learning, and community engagement initiatives embodied through GRoW @ The Wallis in perpetuity.

Adds Slavkin, "Steve Cochran chaired The Wallis Board's Education Committee and continued to attend Board meetings and GRoW performances as often as he could during his illness. This includes the appearances of Steven's Puppets that Steve and Dan sponsored, so that their shows on the Promenade Terrace of The Wallis were free for all children and families who attended. It was a huge source of joy to him to see our theatres filled with kids. We are deeply moved that Dan and many friends and family members came together to make such a significant gift, and it is an honor for us at The Wallis to steward Steve's legacy in this way."

"The Wallis is the cultural heart of Beverly Hills and the greater Los Angeles region," says Clivner, "and these funds will help bring youthful vitality to The Wallis and ensure the beat goes on for a long, long time."

"Philanthropic investments of this magnitude speak to the dedication of our Wallis Family members and the priority they give The Wallis as a cornerstone institution of our community and a bright hope for our future," says Rachel Fine, The Wallis' Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. "These two tremendous and significant funds, the first endowment gifts we have received since before The Wallis's 2013 opening, fortify our mission and vision, as well as underscore our core values at a critical moment in time. During the pandemic and the extended closure of our campus and theaters, our GRoW @ The Wallis programs have proved indispensable in terms of reaching a vast community of arts learners and maintaining their connection to the performing arts when that connection is needed most. We are exceedingly grateful for and inspired by the generosity of Peggy Grauman and Dan Clivner."

For more information about the Walter and Peggy Grauman Endowment Fund, the Grauman Fellowship in Music, and The Steven D. Cochran Memorial Fund, please visit http://thewallisgrowblog.org/the-walter-and-peggy-grauman-fellowship-in-music/ and http://thewallisgrowblog.org/the-steven-d-cochran-memorial-fund/. For information on endowment giving at The Wallis, please contact Rachel Fine, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, at rfine@thewallis.org or (310) 246-3800.