Impact Report

IMPACT REPORT TACOMA’S HISTORIC THEATER DISTRICT PANTAGES THEATER RIALTO THEATER THEATER ON THE SQUARE TACOMA ARMORY

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since 2006, our regional non-profit organization, now known as Tacoma Arts Live, has been striving to exceed the scope and quality of the services traditionally offered by performing arts centers. We have been “pushing the envelope” toward a reinvention of the performing arts center as a community connector focused on access and equity for everyone within its reach - a center of civic life. After 12 years of earnest effort, it is time for Tacoma Arts Live to provide a thorough impact report on the results of our work. We’ve come a long way.

As part of our Board of Trustee’s multi-year strategic plan, Tacoma Arts Live hired an independent assessor to evaluate our work and contextualize progress on a regional and national platform. Our Strategy Committee oversaw the Request for Proposals process, interviewed respondents, and ultimately selected KO Projects to conduct the formal assessment, the results of which are incorporated into this report.

Photo courtesy of BCRA Overall, the assessment team “found Tacoma Arts Live to be exceptionally well-managed, leading the field in community engagement, service to youth, and support of the South Sound arts sector.” We continue to be careful stewards of the city-owned facilities we occupy, and have been instrumental in bringing new assets from the private sector to bolster the funding for programs and vital capital improvement projects.

The full assessment report is published at TacomaArtsLive.org. The following pages share data primarily drawn from fiscal year 2017-18, but also include reports on important milestones before and after that period.

Among our biggest achievements since the completion of Fiscal Year ’18: • Renovation of the interior of the Pantages Theater ♦♦ After years of careful planning - and mindful of funding realities - this historic architectural gem, the crown jewel of Tacoma’s public venues, finally saw nearly $9.03MM of renovations, including a complete facelift to its interior, full plaster and paint restoration, new seats, seismic improvements, a restored center aisle, new production equipment, improved acoustics and other costs, all accomplished with only six months of closure impact.

• Broadway Center for the Performing Arts became Tacoma Arts Live ♦♦ After strategic consideration and following the direction of our Board of Trustees, we retained a nationally recognized marketing and branding firm, ThoughtMatter, to help evaluate, test, and propose a new brand, mark, and strategic communication program. With the goal of using the Pantages Theater renewal as a springboard, this communications work was intentionally part of the comprehensive Centennial Capital Campaign.

The following Impact Report provides details on all of the strategic business units of Tacoma Arts Live: Education, Live Events, Support of the Performing Arts Sector, Stewarding and Preserving Historic Venues, Financial Results and Visitors Served, and Philanthropic Giving, as well as our plans for the future.

We hope this report inspires you to engage with Tacoma Arts Live and support: • Our Mission: Energize Community Through Live Performance • Our Vision: A South Sound Community That Honors All Cultures and Enjoys Shared Prosperity.

Thank you for your kind consideration. Should you have any questions about this Impact Report, or the work Tacoma Arts Live, please contact David Fischer, Executive Director at davidf@tacomaartslive.org.

Respectfully submitted, Mark Pinto

David Fischer

Tacoma Arts Live, Board of Trustees, President

Tacoma Arts Live, Executive Director

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Special thanks to the great professionals at ThoughtMatter and KO Projects (Katie Oman, supported by Joe McIalwain) for their contributions.

EDUCATION

Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

EDUCATION

THROUGH THE ARTS

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EDUCATION THROUGH THE ARTS Tacoma Arts Live intentionally begins this report with Education Through the Arts, among our most important service impact areas. Our Education Team works to serve the whole child, as a member of our whole society, teaching: • Social emotional learning • Respect for others • Self-expression • Cultural identity and expression • Negotiation • Civic engagement • Standing up for others through civil rights education Creative citizens make for a more resilient community. By investing in Tacoma Arts Live education programs, we are investing in our youth and their ability to become more engaged citizens in a fast-changing world.

EDUCATION

Independent Assessment

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Our goal is more than creating a nation of actors, dancers, or musicians; rather to help build an enlightened, creative, discerning citizenry that is critical to a pluralistic democracy in a fiercely competitive, global economy.

Creativity is the single most valuable skill of the 21st Century.

We teach these lessons using the arts as a conduit for learning, not solely teaching arts for art’s sake, but leveraging the power of how we communicate, using different modes of connecting.

Why? Because the performing arts teach by activating all the varied learning styles: • Visual • Auditory • Verbal • Kinesthetic

The performing arts uniquely activate each of these learning modalities while calling on students to collaborate with one another in order to succeed. This methodology helps us connect more deeply with students and keeps our work vital. Our eyes are on the future of our youth, as we work to strengthen social cohesion and develop more engaged and responsible citizens.

Tacoma Arts Live is recognized for our leadership in providing some of the most impactful, diverse, and well-rounded education programs in the nation. A rich blend of programs engage 55,000+ students, teachers, and families throughout more than a dozen school districts with compelling programs, in and out of school, year round.

In the category of arts education programs, Tacoma Arts Live is truly a regional and national leader. Few, if any, performing arts centers across the country are investing as much financially (more than $800,000/year), or reaching the same number of students (nearly 55,000+ annually), or providing the same level of quality in their education programs as Tacoma Arts Live. Most notably, and of significant importance and impact are Tacoma Arts Live’s Learning Empathy, Negotiation and Self (LENS) program and its Civil Rights Legacy Tour program. These resultsoriented education programs are more than 10 years in practice. Many of the programs have been independently and professionally evaluated to ensure the highest possible quality and effectiveness. However, of equal importance, the sustained, in-depth training for students offered by Tacoma Arts Live through its Conservatory Program is unique and unmatched among peer venues.

Participation in Tacoma Arts Live education programs is fee-based and never excludes students who need support from scholarship funds. We are consistently meeting our promise that no student will ever be turned away from our programs due to financial need.

Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

Education Programs

The LENS Project: Learn Empathy, Negotiation, and Sense of Self After-school social emotional learning and cultural immersion program Civil Rights Legacy Tours Four original, commissioned and self-produced touring productions that honor the legacy of civil rights leaders and inspire the audience to stand up for what is right Creative Forces: LENS Project for Military Families Supporting military youth and their families through social emotional skill development and strengthening of the family unit Education Matinees Welcoming 10,000+ students and teachers to world-class performances, including curriculum support before and after each event Conservatory In-depth conservatory training featuring Ballet Folklรณrico, world drumming, and theater with a focus on music, dance, acting and technical production; offered after-school, both on-campus and in our theaters Play At Your School In-school programs that expand learning and support whole child development, with theater activities that support literacy skills

Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

In-School Residencies School-based in-depth arts learning during the school day and after school; the Beatrice Hermann Fellowship Awards provide small group music lessons for promising musicians who do not have the financial resources for private, professional lessons. We concentrate our inschool residency programs to significantly engage students of color and in circumstances of poverty.

EDUCATION

Teacher Workshops Empowering K-12 teachers to use the arts everyday in support of their pedagogical goals and the core curriculum

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EDUCATION

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Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

Student Population

Here is a snapshot of the students participating within our in-school residency programs: • 28% - Latino or Hispanic • 21% - African American or Black • 17% - Asian or Pacific Islander • 18% - White • 2% - Indigenous Americans • 14% - Other or mixed reporting • • • •

20% - Special needs (IEPs, etc.)

14% - Refugees and Immigrants 8% - Homeless 79% - Low income

Tacoma Arts Live education staff evaluates every program with rigor, using best-practice youth impact measures, independent assessors, and direct surveys of teachers, parents and students.

Two summers ago, two sisters were living with their mother in a local shelter. The girls were struggling with the social challenges of an unstable housing situation. Recognizing the girls’ passion for performance, their mother applied for scholarships to our Summer Conservatory Program.

Impressed by mom’s advocacy on behalf of her daughters, the Tacoma Rescue Mission funded a portion of the girls’ tuition. Tacoma Arts Live scholarship program covered the remaining expense. Our Conservatory Program provided the girls a place for creative expression and belonging.

It also allowed mom the opportunity to continue her community college courses while the girls were engaged in full-day rehearsals. Two summers in, both girls are more vibrant, cheerful, and confident.

EDUCATION

The Sisters.

An Unfinished Story.

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LIVE EVENTS

LIVE EVENTS

Photo by Jesse Gardner

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LIVE EVENTS Tacoma Arts Live believes in the power of bringing people together – physically in a theater, intellectually through ideas, or emotionally by the impact of great stories – deep ways of connecting as human beings. In our venues, we gather, we convene; that is our purpose and we love to do so! There is nothing like the intimacy and energy of live events where we sit, elbow to elbow in the dark; where we open ourselves up to an artist’s view on life, and exercise one of our most under-used muscles, empathy. Attending live events reminds us to be open, to feel, to learn, and to appreciate the diverse humanity that surrounds and strengthens us.

Independent Assessment

A comparative review of peer performing arts organizations from around the region and from across the western United States clearly shows that Tacoma Arts Live is at the forefront of program development, implementation of nationally-recognized best practices, and responsiveness to the needs and interests of its community.

A commitment to serving diverse audiences authentically is the right value, but it’s also good business. We have expanded our patron base and the number of households engaging with Tacoma Arts Live. Through this commitment to programming, we have grown ticket sales from $392,000 in 2005-06 to $1.58MM in 2017-18.

Independent Assessment

There are two types of events that are unique to Tacoma Arts Live and set it apart from peers. First, Tacoma Arts Live curates and presents an annual outdoor festival each year called Brew Five Three, which has been a major success, and it has become an important cultural event and a significant economic driver for the City of Tacoma. Second, Tacoma Arts Live actively takes arts and engagement events outside its walls, and into communities across Pierce County through its free On the Road and Think & Drink with Humanities Washington programs.

Photo by Jesse Gardner

LIVE EVENTS

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As the stewards of Tacoma’s citizen-owned theaters and as a non-profit organization, we are diligently mindful of our responsibility to serve all our neighbors in a manner that reflects their passions and interests, and that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We have active filters that help to hold our teams accountable:

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Independent Assessment We consistently meet our commitment to offering 45 - 50 live events that reflect the diversity of the region.

Independent Assessment

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We convene and listen to a broad base of voices in our event selection process through online surveys, social media analysis, and community dialogue.

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Independent Assessment

We keep financial obstacles as low as possible so that a wide range of audiences may participate.

LIVE EVENTS

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All ticket prices are driven by fees paid directly to the artist, however, price tiers allow for affordable ranges, usually starting at less than $20 per ticket We distribute free tickets to individuals whose income does not otherwise allow for their attendance. In 2017-18, Tacoma Arts Live distributed more than $225,000 in free tickets

Tacoma Arts Live’s main stage season compares favorably to any performing arts center in the NW cohort group.

Tacoma Arts Live’s presentations are diverse and well-balanced, and bring to the community a wide variety of worldclass artists including an impressive selection of name-recognizable headline acts each year.

Tacoma Arts Live‘s [event selection] process is more community-focused and proactive. No other performing arts center in this study’s peer cohort has reported as much success in this effort as Tacoma Arts Live… [Among surveyed organizations,] only Tacoma Arts Live has intentionally booked artists … to help meet the needs and interests of each of these diverse communities: African American, Latin-x/ Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, LGBTQ, Faith-Based, and Younger (Under 30) audiences.

While [peer arts centers] publicize their respective access programs and make some efforts to engage underserved communities [through free or discounted ticket programs], most of Tacoma Arts Live’s peers report fair or even poor performance in this area. In contrast, Tacoma Arts Live is proactive in this work and has been particularly successful in building partnerships with regional non-profit service agencies such as Tacoma Housing Authority, United Way and YWCA to ensure that free and reduced-price tickets are distributed and utilized by community members who are traditionally underserved.

Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

NEW Professional Regional Theater Program Through our live presenting events, we bring in the best of national and international artistry, and now Tacoma Arts Live’s Theater Producing Program celebrates the best in regional talent, too. This newly formalized producing program meets our overall mission to energize community through live performance. Through professional theater programs, we intend to produce great plays locally - plays with a conscience that will engage empathy, challenge complacency, and inspire our community to engage in thoughtful inquiry. As a practical matter, Tacoma Arts Live is uniquely positioned to umbrella our existing resources (whether administrative or technical) to produce theater more efficiently, rather than start-up a new, independent company with all the staffing demands that would entail.

We are hiring the best: highly-skilled professionals from Actors Equity, stage directors, stage hands, wardrobe, and other union workers, who will work alongside talent from outside such guilds. In addition, we have gathered a team of community advisors: our Theater Cohorts, who collaboratively advise our producers in the literature and play selections. Ultimately, the Theater Cohorts help present our play options within the audience survey process. We have also invited local, passionate theater enthusiasts to invest as Theater Angels. They, too, have an active voice in this collective play selection process.

“I love that you are creating a theater company again in this theater… I am so excited… I loved the production values and choice of script (one of my all-time favorite playwrights)… set design was stellar, performances were strong!” – Patron, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Independent Assessment

LIVE EVENTS

Tacoma Arts Live is also exemplary among its peer venues in its commitment to and investments in producing theatre.

Recognizing that there was a lack of professional producing theatre companies in the Tacoma region, the Tacoma Arts Live board made the commitment to produce live theatre more than a decade ago. Since that time, the organization has produced sixteen live theater projects (both musicals and straight plays) that have focused on engaging diverse audiences, exploring important subjects, and sparking dialogue. . . In addition to convening audiences around powerful art and social issues, producing live theatre helps Tacoma Arts Live provide living wages for the artistic team and broadens the artistic employment base of the Puget Sound region.

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PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR

SUPPORT OF THE PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR

Photo courtesy of Symphony Tacoma

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SUPPORTING REGIONAL PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR The City of Tacoma, as municipal owners of the Pantages Theater, Rialto Theater, and Theater on the Square, has retained Tacoma Arts Live (formerly Pantages Centre and Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, respectively) as its agent for the management of these venues since 1979. Over the years, Tacoma Arts Live has been selected for this privilege through multiple competitive processes. We consider service to the greater performing arts sector to be an important responsibility within our facility management duties. This means we must do all we can to activate the venues, not as precious china that sits untouched upon a shelf, but as active, hard-working facilities that serve all users who are ready and able to produce an event. Of course, there are concentric rings of user groups; some are frequent and consistent users, others are one-time users, and yet others fall somewhere in between.

We give the status of Resident Arts Organization (RAO), to our most long-term, frequent Tacoma-based venue users. For RAOs, we provide City support to help underwrite special benefits, which include belowmarket rental fees, cash-flow-management support, reduced fees for production labor, box office support (including the payment of credit card processing fees), discounted marketing services, and other expense mitigation. Additionally, our RAOs receive first priority to the annual facility use calendar, ahead even of Tacoma Arts Live events.

Independent Assessment

In a number of important cases, Tacoma Arts Live’s RAO benefits are more generous or forgiving than most peer venues.

PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR

Tacoma Arts Live works collaboratively under a collective bargaining agreement with IATSE Local #15 and Wardrobe Local #887.

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Photo courtesy of Puget Sound Revels, Photo by Ross Mulhausen

Other non-RAO venue users are classified as either non-profit or for-profit clients, and each receives benefits and pricing unique to their position in the community.

It is important to note that City of Tacoma management fees received by Tacoma Arts Live do not support our non-profit program delivery. City management fees are solely used to support the maintenance and shared resources of the venues as provided by Tacoma Arts Live. Also of importance, Tacoma Arts Live pays exactly the same fees and rates as any RAO. These are paid from our Program Divisions (Presenting, Theater producing and education) to our Operations Division. In doing so, Tacoma Arts Live are by far the largest rental client for facility operations.

“As a relative newcomer as the Executive Director of Symphony Tacoma, I am struck by the harmonious relationship that Tacoma Arts Live has fostered between all of the Resident Arts Organizations… they are partners, not just our landlords… because they acknowledge that our success is their success.”

Karina Bharne

PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR

“Tacoma City Ballet is thrilled to once again be presenting our productions in the Pantages Theater, and collaborating with Tacoma Arts Live in bringing great ballet performances to our beloved Tacoma.”

Erin Ceragioli

Executive/Artistic Director, Tacoma City Ballet

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Executive Director, Symphony Tacoma

Photo couresty of Tacoma City Ballet

STEWARDSHIP Photo by Chip Van Gilder

STEWARDSHIP

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STEWARDING AND PRESERVING HISTORIC VENUES As noted previously, Tacoma Arts Live has been the City of Tacoma’s theater manager since 1979. But the management agreement extends beyond day-to-day operations and basic maintenance. Tacoma Arts Live duties also include providing significant leadership with major capital upgrades, where we function as project managers, procurement experts, design advisors, and as a fundraising arm for all non-municipal dollars.

After decades of deferred maintenance, the Pantages Theater and Rialto Theater were closed temporarily for safety concerns in 2003. These closures energized the City and encouraged the (then) Broadway Center for the Performing Arts to reorganize its approach to staff leadership, capital investment, and facility management. By 2006-07, the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, and the City of Tacoma agreed on a new management and capital investment structure. Since then, the City, State and private donors have invested $21MM toward improving the City’s theaters, approximately $10M of which has come from non-municipal sources.

The scope of the completed projects is remarkable: • Expanded lobby and public amenities for the Pantages Theater, 2006 • Roofing, HVAC and electrical efficiency improvements, all theaters, 2007-09 • Improved safety catwalks overhead the Pantages Theater, 2008 • Seismic improvements, backstage expansion, mechanized orchestra pit lift, Pantages Theater, 2014 • Complete exterior restoration and historic window replacement, Pantages Theater, 2016 • Complete interior auditorium restoration to national historic standards, improved acoustics, new production equipment, and improved patron safety, Pantages Theater, 2018 Tacoma’s Centennial Capital Campaign began quietly in 2016 and is slated for completion in 2021. The Centennial Capital Campaign was designed as a comprehensive campaign supporting both the improvement of physical assets and organizational advancement. Organizationally, we took on an essential rebranding effort that re-named the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts as Tacoma Arts Live in November 2018, and also included focused strategic communication plans and fundraising strategies. To date, the Centennial Campaign has incurred $9.03MM in expenses and has secured to-date $8.99MM in funding from the City of Tacoma, the State of Washington, and private gifts. We are grateful for Tacoma City Council and staff for their collaboration and guidance on these and future capital projects. All public funds have been devoted solely to the improvement of public assets.

STEWARDSHIP

Photo couresty of BCRA

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The independent assessor was asked to test our track record of raising capital funds against that of our peers, particularly municipally owned venues. Overall, we rank highly among our peers in terms of the 12-year drive to overcome massive deferred maintenance. After partnering with City staff in 2012 to select Korsmo Construction and BCRA Design as team-build consultants, we are delighted by the results. In particular, our success in delivering every project on-time and on-budget (often under budget) is remarkable. However, we are performing less well on fundraising during the current Centennial Capital Campaign because of an abrupt change in national taxing systems. Our shortfall is due, primarily, to changes in federal tax law that affect access to tax credits and incentives for corporate giving, and is complicated by the need to keep operations strong while we fundraise for City asset improvements. From the beginning of the Centennial Capital Campaign, we purposefully structured revenues to come from the corporate sector and tax credits. Unfortunately, the 2017 Tax Bill radically diminished corporate philanthropic investments and tax credit systems. Tacoma Arts Live desires to continue to raise funds for the community-owned theaters we manage. Exactly what the mix of revenue sources will be, and how to leverage those sources without undermining annual operations is a complex problem. Our Board, staff, and City leaders will continue to collaborate toward the best solution.

Independent Assessment STEWARDSHIP

To put the capital improvement work into context, here is Tacoma Arts Live’s mix of public and private support sources for capital projects over the last 15 years with that reported by other venues in the region:

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STEWARDSHIP

The remaining scope of work for physical improvements to be completed includes: • Further improvements within the Pantages Theater and Jones Building (restrooms, meeting spaces, offices, electrical systems, etc.)

• Additional safety and seismic upgrades for the Pantages Theater • New interior seating, paint, and carpet for Theater on the Square • A new educational exhibit focusing on local civics and citizen engagement, designed for the lobby of Theater on the Square, and honoring two remarkable civic leaders, Babe Lehrer and Dawn Lucien • Urgent improvements to the exterior envelope of the Rialto Theater • An emergency contingency fund

The estimated remaining expenses for the above scope of work is $11.4MM. Preliminary funding of $3.5MM has already been identified for the 2019 and 2020 phases, leaving approximately $8MM still unfunded. The continued campaign will require approvals from the City, state, and county for additional appropriations through 2021. Tacoma Arts Live anticipates securing new private sector funds through 2021 from individuals, foundations and, corporations, of which we have already secured a foundation pledge for $500,000.

In addition to managing the three City-owned theaters, Tacoma Arts Live also manages the historic Tacoma Armory, owned by a private citizen, Fred Roberson – “the Prince of Preservation,” given this title for his work in saving several of Tacoma’s historic buildings. We have been engaged for more than four years in managing the Armory’s Parade Floor. Where once the Washington State Militia marched, today a wide array of events takes place: Quinceañera celebrations, speed-skating, the touring exhibition of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes with the Tacoma Historical Society, to the annual gala of Tacoma Arts Live and many more. The Tacoma Armory is a great community asset that we are proud to energize for the people of our region.

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FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC

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FINANCE, VISITORS SERVED, AND ECONOMIC IMPACT For some, a report by the numbers can be as dry as dust; for others, granular detail tells the clearest story.

At Tacoma Arts Live, we believe that our financials affirm our values and show that we’re “putting our money where our mouth is.” It is clear to see that within our annual operations, we invest nearly everything – 92% of expenses – in the programs that serve the people of our region, and in the people who deliver those programs, whereas the balance – only 8% of expenses – goes to fund administrative costs, fundraising, and depreciation/ bad debt.

Fiscal Year 2017-18

FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC

Source: Audited financial statements prepared by Peterson Sullivan LLP accepted by Board of Trustees Since 2006, with the change in management and in our structural relationship with the City of Tacoma, and reflecting the success of our renewed commitment to community service, our year-over-year trend lines have consistently shown significant growth. Over the course of 12 years, annual operating revenues have increased by a factor of 275%. In 2006 they were $2.1MM and by 2018 have grown to $5.85MM (plus our capital expenditures.) But because we focus so many of our resources on program delivery, Tacoma Arts Live survives on a thin margin, making us especially proud to say that operations have finished each of the last seven years “in the black.”

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Each year, the Economic Development Board of Tacoma –Pierce County presents the “Excellent 10” – a list of ten great economic development projects in Pierce County that are key drivers of jobs, capital investment, or other important community development in our region. The Pantages Theater Renovation was honored at their Annual Meeting as one of 2018’s Excellent 10.

Total Visitors Served: 254,694 • 95,594 directly served by Tacoma Arts Live ♦♦45,615 served at live events (ticketed and free services in theater venues and around the region); 49,979 served directly through Education, plus 6,583 attendees from events serving families; thus, totaling 55,000+ students, teachers and families served in 2017-18.

• 154,100* served by various partners • 35,000: Resident Arts Organizations • 99,000: Tacoma Farmers Markets • 8,100: First Night 2017 • 12,000: Other community partners and venue renters, both in theater venues and in the greater Theater District

* Estimates based on partner reporting, ticket counts, and head counts for outdoor events

Economic Impact of Activities Americans for the Arts is the recognized national leader in assessing the economic impact of arts and culture.

Their ‘Arts and Economic Prosperity Impact IV’ calculator, using data from all Historic Theater District events (that is, Tacoma Arts Live and all our partners), estimates the economic impact of all events to be $18.75MM annually.

Photo by Amy Skinner Photography

FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC

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PHILANTHROPY

PHILANTHROPY

Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

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PHILANTHROPY AT TACOMA ARTS LIVE Donors play a vital role in energizing and engaging our community through the arts. Gifts to Tacoma Arts Live bring the energy and joy of live performance to more than 254,000 people each year. Subscriptions, ticket sales and other earned revenues only cover 77% of annual operations, which means we must raise more than $1.36MM annually to deliver the kinds of programs that our entire community has come to expect.

Your Philanthropic Dollars at Work in 2017-18 • 23,739 students experienced the Civil Rights Legacy Tour • 413 students performed live on stage through our Conservatory Program • 19 schools participated in the LENS Project • 137 students participated in Arts Integrated Summer Camps • 23 bus vouchers helped schools fund transport for thousands of students to Tacoma’s Theaters • 28 students awarded $9,965 in summer camp scholarships Philanthropic giving has served a vital role in helping us to become one of the best performing arts centers in the western states, and in education, among the best in the nation. Private sector gifts in support of annual operations have increased by a factor of 270% in the past 12 years, from $298,514 in 2005-06 to $802,212 in 2017-18. In addition, non-municipal government funds have grown to $132,687 and in-kind support has grown to $427,007. In the 2017-18 fiscal year, we received $1.36MM in annual operating support from individuals, foundations, corporate sponsors and government funding. In addition to annual this growth in annual philanthropy to support operations, we have raised approximately $10MM total in 12 years from non-municipal sources for capital improvements of city-owned facilities.

Membership is the gift that keeps on giving. Contributions help enhance the mission and vision of Tacoma Arts Live. Each Membership level also has unique benefits designed to enhance the theater experience and deepen engagement. Philanthropic support for Tacoma Arts live brings together the many communities of the South Sound for shared experiences, creating a more connected and dynamic region.

One of my favorite perks as a member are the “behind the scenes” experiences….talks with the directors, occasional Meet & Greets with the artists, learning how things are done, the background, the why, the story.

– Jan, Multi-Year Subscriber and Member

Photo by Jesse Gardner

PHILANTHROPY

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THE STORIES WE HEAR Rolando is a student at Roosevelt Elementary. He struggles with self-management, which has had negative impacts on his participation in activities during the school year. Teaching artist David Ramsey introduced Rolando to the Ballet Folklórico and World Drumming program at Roosevelt. This program was exactly what Rolando needed to feel at home and succeed.

Rolando’s achievement is a reminder of the critical roles diverse artistic options have for different types of learners. Far from an experience that is limited to arts learning, Rolando reached new levels in sustaining focus and establishing a place of leadership among his peers – a first for him!

Rolando As a kid, I had little exposure to the arts. When I was in Kindergarten my class attended an education matinee at the Pantages Theater. I fell in love with live theater that day! My Kindergarten visit sparked a passion that has stayed with me throughout the years. That little girl grew up to be an employee at Tacoma Arts Live. Each day, when I walk into that same theater, I think back to that little girl and feel grateful for the opportunity to be part of this place that continues to spark that passion for the thousands of kids each year. I am excited to be able to put my name on a seat that today’s kids will get to sit in too.

Katie

PHILANTHROPY

We are moved by the work Tacoma Arts Live is doing in the schools. We are happy that our gifts can increase the exposure of students to a wide variety of art forms and styles.

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– Nancy L., Long Standing Donor Giving to support youth: By investing in arts education, we are investing in our youth and their ability to become more responsive in a fastchanging world.

Board Leadership in Giving and Leading – Give, Get, Do – Time, Treasure & Talent Among our chief donors and advocates are our Board of Trustees and Volunteers Corps. Our amazing 26-member Board of Trustees not only provides strong governance for our non-profit, they also represent our strongest set of donors. Their intentional leadership and giving has made an enormous impact. Since 2006, Tacoma Arts Live Board of Trustees’ philanthropic impact has grown from about $35,000 per year to more than $325,000 per year. The time and talent given by our Board is equally important. In 2017, our Board reorganized its own committees in an effort to strengthen board engagement by focusing the Board on “the Board’s work.”

Included among our highly active new committees are: Executive, Finance/ Audit/Endowment, Governance, Strategy, and Compensation. Together, these teams drive organizational oversight, strategy, and overall advancement. Trustees and staff have collaborated for many years on Tacoma Arts Live’s strategic plan, based on the Balanced Scorecard method of planning for the entire enterprise. This collaborative strategic work has been at the core of the advancement of Tacoma Arts Live.

Esther joined the Board of Trustees in the early 1980’s, helping to re-open the Pantages Theater and forge our partnership with the City of Tacoma. Her servant leadership was the beginning of a legacy that has lasted through three generations. Esther’s daughter and granddaughter have served on our Board of Trustees and remain actively engaged with Tacoma Arts Live. Esther, Kristine, and Amanda, each of their own generation and in their own unique way, have kept the performing arts strong and vibrant in our community.

We are grateful for generational leaders like Esther, Kristine, and Amanda who through time and generous giving have helped set the stage for our work to thrive in Tacoma.

A Legacy of Three-Generations: Esther, Kristine, and Amanda

Volunteers

I believe that if you haven’t been to Pantages, you haven’t been to Tacoma.

– Marty B., Member and Subscriber

PHILANTHROPY

In addition to our volunteer Board of Trustees, we have 119 volunteers that contributed 8,076 hours of service during FY1718. Volunteers support special events, performances, education programs, community outreach and the day-to-day work of Tacoma Arts Live. Our volunteers – on the Board and among the Usher Corps – dedicate their truly priceless gifts of energy, enthusiasm, wisdom and passion.

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Ensuring that Tacoma Arts Live continues to thrive There are many gift-planning opportunities that allow individuals to make a lasting difference while meeting their personal financial and philanthropic goals. With their thoughtful support, Tacoma Arts Live will continue to serve our community at the highest level.

PHILANTHROPY

A Modest Life Leads to a Major Impact Charles “Chip” Matejka

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For years shoppers at the Lakewood Safeway encountered produce employee Charles “Chip” Matejka. They would have noticed the friendly face and his willingness to help.

A former Chief in the United States Navy, Chip was a quiet and unassuming person. “If you wanted help of any kind, he was there for you. He used to help the younger kids working at Safeway and talk to them about budgeting and investing their funds. Those kids’ parents loved him,” said Kathi Wahlers, a friend of Chip’s. There were two things customers and friends didn’t know about Chip.

His frugal lifestyle and shrewd investing had enabled this man of modest means to build an estate worth more than $2 million. Secondly, few realized his deep love of the community in which he lived. Chip passed away in October of 2008, but not before establishing a legacy fund at the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. As part of this fund, Tacoma Arts Live receives a generous gift each year.

We are grateful.

When creating or updating financial plans, we hope our supporters will continue to consider including a gift to Tacoma Arts Live. Gifts of any size will help us carry on the work of building an even stronger community, and honor their legacy and family.

Photo by Lisa Monet Photography

THE FUTURE

“Tacoma Arts Live engages our community in a way that’s intentional, meaningful and authentic.” – Victoria Woodards, Mayor of Tacoma

Your support through charitable gifts, ticket purchases, venue usage, and education tuition has helped us stay strong and grow radically since 2006. Thank you!

We’re not finished yet! Here are some of the primary goals considered for the next five years of Tacoma Arts Live: • Stay financially strong and sustainable • Keep our Board and Staff in balance and energized • Continue to grow our education services, with special emphasis on programs for youth at JBLM and Clover Park School District • Continue our Professional Theater Program to grow to four productions per year, and to work with our renewed partners, Tacoma School of the Arts and University of Washington-Tacoma, to foster collaborative theater education • Collaborate with the City of Tacoma to help ensure the new citizen-funded Tacoma Creates is a success and delivering on its promises to: ԻԻ Add to the vitality of neighborhoods ԻԻ Provide extensive after-school programs for K-12 campuses ԻԻ Increase access through free or reduced-price admissions to non-profit organizations • Collaborate with the City of Tacoma on continued improvements to the community-owned theaters • Collaborate with Pierce Transit, City of Tacoma, and private developers to transform Pierce Transit Plaza and adjacent areas for higher and better community use of the largest open space in downtown Tacoma • Fundraise for the potential launch of a new, permanent educational exhibit on Civic Engagement in the lobby of Theater on the Square called The Tacoma Commons • Commission and present our fifth Civil Rights Legacy Tour on The Trial of Chief Leschi • Publish all five Civil Rights Legacy scripts and curriculum to enable them to be produced nationally • Welcome and partner with KNKX, 88.5FM radio, Jazz, Blues and NPR News station, who will soon call Tacoma's Historic Theater District home

We close as we began, in the hope that we have provided a more in-depth understanding of our work, and that our story will inspire your engagement with and support of Tacoma Arts Live. We invite you to help create and share: • Our Mission: Energizing Community Through Live Performance • Our Vision: A South Sound Community That Honors All Cultures and Enjoys Shared Prosperity.

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