75 Nonprofits in Southeast Michigan to Participate in "Community Foundation Challenge — Arts and Culture"

Detroit, MI, July 31, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, in partnership with the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, announced today the list of 75 arts and culture nonprofit organizations in southeast Michigan participating in the online giving program “Community Foundation Challenge – Arts & Culture” on Aug. 18.

The program, which was announced on July 16, is an online giving challenge designed to generate $3 million in sorely needed operating funds for arts and cultural organizations in southeast Michigan.

The participating organizations are in Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties. A complete list of organizations is attached. For more information and a brief description of the participating organizations, please visit www.cfsem.org.

Beginning on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m., potential donors can login into the Community Foundation Web site at www.cfsem.org, to contribute. Gifts for the Community Foundation Challenge made online to support participating Cultural Alliance members will be matched 50 percent by the Community Foundation. For every two dollars contributed online by donors to support these arts and cultural organizations, the Community Foundation will match it with one dollar. Gifts can be made by credit card or e-check and can range from $25 to $10,000 per contributor, per organization.

Time, however, is of the essence. The “Community Foundation Challenge – Arts & Culture” will last only until the $1 million matching funds is exhausted or until Sept. 18, whichever comes first.

“The idea of the Challenge is not only to provide operating funds to the participating organizations, but also to teach them how to reach out to their audiences on a regular basis,” said Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan President Mariam Noland.

“Arts and cultural organizations are essential to healthy communities and to the well-being of people of all ages,” adds Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan Executive Director Maud Lyon. “We are thrilled that so many organizations will benefit from this Challenge.”

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. The Foundation works to improve the region’s quality of life by connecting those who care with causes that matter. The Foundation supports a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development and civic affairs. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $360 million through more than 33,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties. For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org.

The Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan is a professional association of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations with 89 member organizations that span every artistic discipline and serves communities across the seven counties of southeast Michigan. The Cultural Alliance facilitates collaborations and initiatives that enhance the ability of arts and cultural organizations to achieve their missions and to be sustainable community assets. It also serves as the collective voice of and advocate for arts and cultural organizations, to ensure that they are recognized, fully utilized, and supported by the general public, political and community leaders. For more information, please visit www.culturalalliancesemi.org.

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