Grants That Make a Difference
"Grants that Make a Difference" highlights grants given to Southeastern organizations that have helped make a difference in people's lives. Getting the grant is only the beginning of the story. At least once a month, "Grants That Make a Difference" will profile these important grants and what their recipients are doing with them.
The
Tampa Museum of Art has received a gift of ninety-one paintings by contemporary artist Purvis Young from Don and Mera Rubell of Miami, the St. Petersburg Times reported. The paintings will enhance the museum's contemporary art collection.
According to museum officials, the gift, which Sotheby's has valued at $1 million, is the most important addition to TMA's permanent collection in nearly a decade. The artist, now in his 60s, grew up in a poor Miami neighborhood, was arrested at eighteen for armed robbery, and served a four-year prison term. After serving out his sentence, Young turned to art, spending days in the public library studying Old Master reproductions and painting murals on abandoned buildings. In 1999, the Rubells bought more than 3,000 of his paintings and 10,000 drawings completed between 1987 and 1999.
TMA and the Rubells agreed upon the gift two years ago when the collectors learned of the museum's plans for a new building designed by architect Rafael Vinoly. But even after the expansion plans were scrapped, the couple went ahead with the donation. "They were excited about our new museum project and that Rafael Vinoly was the architect," said Elaine D. Gustafson, TMA's director of exhibitions and collections. "The deal had already been done, but when everything started falling apart we called their curator and asked if they were still all right with the gift, even without the Vinoly building, and they said they were."
Tampa museum officials plan to produce a catalog and an exhibition of the paintings in 2007. These paintings are a very important addition to TMA's permanent collection. As well as adding to their collection of contemporary paintings, these pieces by Young have the potential to be lent to other museums.
The selection of organizations for the "Grants that Make a Difference" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size of funding programs to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.
If you'd like to see support for your organization featured in "Grants that Make a Difference," e-mail a detailed description of the grant, including the name and contact information of the funder and of your organization, the amount given, and how the grant made a difference. For your convenience, we have provided a template to follow. We welcome press releases in addition to, or as a substitute for, the information in the template.
Email the description or press release to
atweb@foundationcenter.org, with "Grants that Make a Difference" in the subject line.
Recipient Name:
Project Name:
Organization Mission and how it relates to the project:
Beneficiaries or Community Impact:
Funding Partner(s): (Grantmaker Names)
Grant Amount:
Recipient Contact: Name, Address, Phone, Fax, E-mail, URL
Grantmaker Contact: Name, Address, Phone, Fax, E-mail, URL
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