COCA Meet & Exceeds $5 Million Berges Family Foundation Challenge

COCA-Center of Creative Arts announced today that 83 community donors stepped up with just over $5.2 million raised to both meet and exceed a $5 million Challenge Gift pledged by the Berges Family Foundation. A $1.5 gift from The Monsanto Fund was the lead gift to the Challenge bringing the total raised for COCA's Create Our Future Campaign to just under $36 million towards a $40 million goal.

The Monsanto Fund's capital gift comes in addition to the award of a $25,000 grant from the Fund to support COCA's nationally recognized Pre-Professional Division.

Announced by COCA early in 2017, the $40 million Create Our Future Campaign will raise $27 million for the capital renovation and expansion of COCA's historic building in University City and $13 million to fund the organization's endowment and reserves. The Berges Family Foundation promised this past summer to match dollar for dollar gifts made to COCA's Campaign by September 30, 2017.

Other lead gifts to COCA's Campaign include $5 million from Alison and John Ferring, a $3 million lead corporate gift from Centene Charitable Foundation, $2 million from Cheryl Holman, David Joyner and Bill Lawton, and Carol and Michael Staenberg, and $1 million from Jennifer and Tom Hillman, Jane and Dave Peacock, and Edward Jones.