Prebys Foundation Awards $10.4 Million in Grants to Advance the Visual and Performing Arts

Investments Increase Access to and Provide Financial Stability for the Creative Community

The Prebys Foundation, the largest private foundation in San Diego County, announced it has awarded $10,432,625 in grants to support a vibrant visual and performing arts community in San Diego County.

“The arts provide meaning and connection for communities across the region and make San Diego the special place it is. These grants aim to foster a vibrant and diverse cultural landscape and ensure everyone has the opportunity to engage with the arts,” stated Emily Young, Vice President for Programs, Prebys Foundation.

Under the arts portfolio, Prebys invested in major institutions rooted in the local community that stimulate economic development, community arts organizations elevating the work of artists, and organizations creating dynamic art to bring people together across differences.

“At San Diego Youth Symphony, we do much more than teach music, we promote empathy and build community with music as the vehicle,” added President and CEO Michael Remson. “The Prebys Foundation’s generous investment in our work allows us to expand our arts education programming to reach more pre-school through high school students across San Diego County and to host projects in the binational region that unite families and communities."

The relationship between art and improved health and an individual’s connectedness to his, her, or their community, is well documented. According to the National Endowment for the Arts Sound Health Network, music and music therapy can assist individuals learn to manage their emotions, improving the quality of life for people living with anxiety, by improving coping, resilience, and stress tolerance.

“We know when a region has a thriving creative community, there is a deep sense of belonging and well-being,” stated Prebys Foundation CEO Grant Oliphant. “That is why investments in the arts is so important to achieving all our community measures of success, including improved health outcomes and youth success. We hope to inspire additional giving in our community, big and small, as every investment counts and matters to creating connections that bind us together.”

A complete list of all 67 visual and performing grants made during this investment cycle can be found on the foundation’s website here.

About Prebys Foundation

Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County and works to create an inclusive, equitable, and dynamic future for all San Diegans. In 2023, the foundation made 214 grants totaling more than $57 Million across the arts, health, medical research, and youth success areas. The Foundation advances excellence and shared opportunity through investments in groundbreaking institutions, ideas, and people to ensure more San Diegans are financially secure, healthy, empowered, and connected. The foundation invests in four program areas: visual and performing arts, medical research, healthcare, and youth success, and pays attention to the impact of its work on climate, the region’s character as a border region, and a robust democracy. For more information, visit prebsyfdn.org.