Foundation Support

Grants from foundations support Arena’s dedication to American work through our main stage productions, new play development and Arena’s Community Engagement division that supports arts education needs of countless students from the Washington, D.C. area.

Depending on a foundation’s funding priorities, grants can be given for general operating expenses or earmarked for a particular annual or campaign initiative.

Arena would be happy to work with you to create a proposal that best fits the priorities and needs of both your foundation and Arena. Please contact Abigail Cady, Foundation Relations Manager at 202-600-4050 or acady@arenastage.org for more information.

Foundation Support

Ways to Support

  • General Operating

    General Operating contributions for the theater help support the theater’s full season of productions, artistic work and educational programming. Contributions also help make theater affordable for all audiences by supplementing Arena Stage’s discounted ticket programs for students, families, veterans and those currently serving in the U.S. military, police and fire departments.

  • Production Sponsorship

    Arena Stage’s artistic seasons are full of powerful and thought-provoking productions that inspire dialogues around social change in the community. Foundation and government funders at the Benefactor’s Circle level have supported Arena Stage productions that resonate with their own mission or funding priorities. We would be delighted to recognize your foundation as a sponsor for one of this season’s productions.

  • Education and Community Engagement

    Arena’s Community Engagement department serves approximately 10,000 students and adult learners through seven arts education programs each season. From a literacy-through-drama program to subsidized student tickets to training programs for recent graduates and local actors, Arena offers many opportunities for D.C.-area residents to engage with and learn through the arts. 

  • Power Plays Cycle

    As part of our efforts to develop new work that reflects America’s diversity and challenges, Arena has launched the Power Plays Initiative, a 10-year plan to commission and develop 25 new plays and musicals that focus on politics and power. The initiative will encompass one play per decade between 1776 and the present, and is broken down into five cycles: African-American Voices, Insider Voices, Musical Theater Voices, Presidential Voices and Women’s Voices.

  • Named Space

    Within the Mead Center for American Theater complex, there are many spaces available for your foundation to leave its mark on the theater. Please contact us for more information on naming opportunities.