The Old Globe Receives Grant From Prebys Foundation

The Old Globe announced it has received a grant of $1 million from the Prebys Foundation as part of a $13.375 million investment in San Diego County's arts and culture sector. The funding will support the Globe's nationally recognized artistic and arts engagement programs.

The grant is part of the Prebys Foundation's 2025 Emergency Arts Investment, which includes $8.625 million in unrestricted operating support to 22 organizations and $4.75 million in funding for venues and spaces across 39 organizations. The investment responds to significant challenges facing the region's arts sector, including federal and state funding cuts, rising operational costs, and the need to preserve vital community spaces for creativity.

“This significant grant from the Prebys Foundation is a visionary act of philanthropy,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “The support will sustain the Globe's commitment to bringing theatre and theatre-related programming beyond our stages in Balboa Park and into the communities of San Diego, free of charge. Tens of thousands of San Diegans will engage with our work and experience firsthand the transformative power of the arts. The Old Globe is immensely grateful to the brilliant strategy of the Prebys Foundation not only for providing this funding, but also for recognizing the central role that our city's major cultural institutions play in shaping and maintaining an ecosystem of imagination, innovation, and achievement. The arts sector in San Diego is as robust and exciting as it is because of the civic-minded supporters whose generosity is its foundation. In making this important grant, the Prebys Foundation cements its already sterling reputation as the star in the firmament of arts funding in our region.”

The arts are a proven driver of economic vitality and community well-being in San Diego. They generate tourism, sustain jobs, and foster connection across diverse communities. The Prebys Foundation's urgent investment aims to protect these benefits and ensure a thriving creative ecosystem for years to come.

“Arts are not a luxury,” said Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation. “They are essential infrastructure for a thriving, equitable, and prosperous region. When we invest in the arts, we invest in jobs, innovation, understanding, and the shared spaces where our community's stories come alive.”