About the Preservation Grants Program

The Fox Gives Program's goal is to award funding for historic theatres in the state of Georgia. Grant projects are considered and prioritized when they provide significant economic and cultural impact to the communities they serve. Since 2008, the Fox Theatre has awarded $3.2 million in financial assistance to historic theatres in Georgia and the Southeast. Once awarded, our grantees may also receive operations expertise and guidance through seminars and other professional development opportunities.

The Fox Theatre will again offer 2024/2025 grants in the four categories when the new grant cycle begins in July 2024. We will host two grant workshops in Athens and Atlanta in June 2024, as well as one virtual session. More information about the grant workshops will be announced before June 2024. Our application deadline in the new cycle will be August 1, 2024, and we will be releasing updated information as it becomes available.

Online Grant Application


The 2023/2024 grant application is now closed. The 2024/2025 grant cycle’s guidelines and online application will be available in June 2024 and applications will be due by Thursday, August 1st at 11:59pm. All completed applications will be verified through our online grant application process.

PRESERVATION GRANT GUIDELINES & TIPS


QUESTIONS?

Please direct any application or technology questions to Maggie.Fuller@foxtheatre.org.

Please direct any grant requirement questions to Leigh.Burns@foxtheatre.org.

Guiding Criteria for All Applicants:

Applications should emphasize the following:

  • The historic significance of the property to be assisted and evidence of community support.
  • The need for funding and the urgency of the project or the long-term objectives or impact of the project.
  • Increased cultural and/or economic impact for the community.
  • Involvement of collaborations and partnerships that leverage additional public and private investment.
  • The adequacy of plans to meet the current needs and for the future care and maintenance of the theater or the continuation for the activity for which grant support is requested.

If grant support is awarded, the following conditions will apply:

  • Awardees are required to sign a contract agreeing to the conditions of the grant.
  • If matching funds are required:
    • Applicants must be capable of matching the grant amount dollar-for-dollar or more if there is potential to do so. Grant funds may be disbursed upon proof that matching funds have been secured or pledged formally.
    • Matching gifts may come from private or public sources, or from earned income (special events, fundraising activities, etc.)
    • Donated materials and services and organizational overhead costs can be eligible sources as matching funds if they directly underwrite the project budget and are the result of the Institute’s challenge grant.
    • Grant projects must begin within six months of award date – otherwise, the grant award is subject to review.
    • Periodic reports are required and specific to each form of grant support. These requirements will be detailed in the grant contract upon award notification.
    • A final report of the project and financial accounting of the expenditure of the grant must be submitted within the fiscal year of the grant disbursement date. If the project is not completed in accordance with the contract, the parties will need to negotiate continuing or returning grant funds.

Please note:

  • Organizations may submit applications for more than one Urgent or Emergency Needs grant per cycle.
  • Organizations may apply for support only once per grant cycle in the following categories:
    • Historic Structures Studies or Planning
    • Periodic Technical Assistance and Services
    • Preservation Grant
    • (Organizations may apply for Urgent or Emergency Needs grant support in addition to one of the categories listed above.)
  • The Fox Theatre grant program’s goal is to award funding for historic theatres in the state of Georgia. Grants will be awarded to projects designed to provide significant economic and cultural impact to the communities they serve. Grant award winners may also receive operations expertise and guidance through seminars, and strategic planning fostering professional development. Out-of-state applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate a substantial economic impact on the development of the community.

Special Thanks

We are grateful to the Southface Institute for their ongoing leveraging partnership with the Fox Gives through their GoodUse Program. This technical assistance and financial support have enabled numerous historic theatres in Georgia and in the Southeast attain improved sustainable energy practices. These potential financial savings can lead to a reinvestment of those funds into ongoing theatre preservation, programming, and educational opportunities.

 

Since 2021, the Southface Institute has awarded $323,000 in grant funding to nine historic theatres including the following:

 

Alabama Theatre & Lyric Theatre, Birmingham, AL

Douglass Theatre, Macon, GA

Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, Marietta, GA

Elba Theatre, Elba, AL

Grove Park Foundation, Atlanta, GA

Historic DeSoto Theatre, Rome, GA

Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, Decatur, AL

Sandersville School, Sandersville, GA

Southside Theatre Guild, Fairburn, GA

Balzer Theatre at Herren’s, Atlanta, GA

 

To learn more about the GoodUse Program and more of the impactful work of the Southface Institute, please visit https://www.southface.org/

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