East Bay Center for the Performing Arts

Since 1968, the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts (EBCPA) has been the primary artistic and cultural resource for the low-income, multi-ethnic community of Richmond and surrounding communities. EBCPA aims to provide opportunities for a quality education in the arts regardless of background, age, disability, previous experience, or ability to pay. The Center offers a wide array of dance, music, theater, and film/video classes and reaches more than 15,000 people annually, mostly inner-city families – including 1,500 youth in a formal arts education curriculum and 60 high-schoolers in a very intensive "Diploma" program. EBCPA has developed training programs in the art forms most significant to the immigrant and minority populations of its communities, at a level of depth and quality comparable to the best schools for mainstream performing art forms. The Center is many things to its community, including an important artistic training ground for youth, a cultural safe haven for youth living in a troubled community, and a resource for youth development through the arts. Under the direction of Richmond native, Jordan Simmons, since1987, the fourteen staff members, nine board members, and part-time instructors are prepared for their 40th Anniversary season and to take on the challenge of renovating their home. Over the course of the grant period EBCPA will leverage a $1 million grant from the Hewlett Foundation, a $2 million dollar grant from the City of Richmond Redevelopment Agency to undertake a $10 million campaign to renovate their facilities at the historic Winters Building in Richmond’s downtown Iron Triangle neighborhood. During construction the organization will conduct classes and performances at the Richmond Civic Auditorium. Hewlett has supported EBCPA since 2003 and with continued funding it will be able to maintain and improve the crucial arts instruction and mentoring it provides to Richmond youth during a time of tremendous organizational transition. (Renewal, $300,000/3; 7% of organization budget) ADDENDUM June 10, 2009: With a $100,000 supplemental award EBCPA will further increase its organizational capacity by undertaking a strategic planning process in 2009-10 and by increasing compensation for core staff. This supplement is recommended in light of the Center’s increased work-load in conjunction with the renovation of their home in the Winter’s Building, the continuation of regular youth arts programming, and the completion of the fundraising effort necessary for the capital project. The Center will be utterly transformed by the time it kicks off full time programming at its renovated space in the fall of 2010 and with supplemental support it will be better able to plan strategically and work effectively to take full advantage of the new facilities, the new community partners and the heightened visibility it will have at its disposal. It is anticipated that the supplemental funds will be expended by March 2011 and will be reported on in conjunction with the final report for this general operating support grant.