Melody McArtor, Nick Garrison, Alexandra Aussman, (back) Aaron Young, and Troy L. Wageman in The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of Cabaret. Photo by David M. Allen Photography.
Civic Partners, our funding program for organizations, awards two-year funding commitments to Seattle arts, heritage and cultural organizations and arts service organizations with a minimum three-year history of serving Seattle residents and visitors. Civic Partners include senior institutions serving the entire region, established organizations serving a more specialized cultural or community niche, and many small or emerging organizations.
Each year our office contracts with every Civic Partner organization to support a specific part of its annual public programming. Funding supports organizations' core programs and operations, aids in planning and attracting other supporters, and helps underwrite public access to a variety of quality arts and cultural opportunities. The Civic Partners program aims to help sustain established organizations over time with predictable funding, while also recognizing and fostering emerging organizations.
The 2008 budgets of Seattle's Civic Partners totaled more than $236 million, ranging from $9,000 to $27 million, with a median budget of $339,300. 2008 was the second year of the 2007-2008 cycle. Funded Civic Partner programs offered more than 4,200 performances, events and exhibit days, and served an audience of almost 1.2 million people, including nearly 506,000 free admissions and more than 21,000 volunteer and paid artists.