Matrix Theatre Company and PuppetART are grantee recipients of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) program. Through the two-year initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies is providing $30 million across 262 small and mid-sized nonprofit cultural organizations around the country to help strengthen their operational and programming efforts, including training in fundraising, audience development and board member engagement.

“We are very excited to have received this grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies,” said Sue Sattler, IHM, president of Matrix Theatre Company’s Board of Directors. “As we enter our 25th Anniversary Season, this funding and the accompanying training program will help strengthen Matrix Theatre Company and its work so we can look forward to continuing to enrich our community for the next 25 years.”

PuppetART artistic director Igor Gozman said, “Recognition is of importance to small art organizations in revitalization of the City.”

The invitation-only program supports nonprofit cultural organizations based in six cities: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. All organizations are locally or internationally recognized nonprofits that have been in existence for at least two years. The grantees are required to participate in a management training program; secure matching funds; ensure 100% board participation in fundraising; and maintain up-to-date information in the Cultural Data Project, an online financial & data collection platform that assists arts organizations across the country to collect, learn from, and use data effectively. The grants are unrestricted so that recipients can use them to address their greatest needs.

 Matrix Theatre Company plans to use the awarded funding to increase visibility through a re-branding effort around their 25th Anniversary and expand the reach of programs to new audiences. PuppetART will used the grant to help build and establish a sound database management system.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is partnering with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland to develop curricula and conduct trainings for the AIM program in each city. The comprehensive workshops engage organizations around activities that strengthen their long-term health and goals and include consultations and implementation support for arts managers and their boards.

First piloted in New York City, Bloomberg Philanthropies supported 245 grantees through AIM from 2011-2013. Participating organizations reported improvements in audience development, board engagement and fundraising over the two-year program.