Merry Christmas to us!
The Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) got an early Christmas present this year, in the form of a grant from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation.
The $150,000 award includes a$100,000 gift, plus a $50,000 challenge grant to cultivate new donors in 2013. The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar each new donor which YOSA cultivates by July 2013, up to an additional $50,000. YOSA was one of many organizations receiving end-of-year grants in the region, some of which were highlighted in today’s Express-News.
The focus of the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation is to support programs, projects and collaborative efforts that reach as many people as possible; they support organizations in Bandera, Bexar, Comal and Kendall Counties. The foundation’s support of the arts is generous and forward thinking, as they look at the life-long impact that classical music study will have on a young musician.
“We are overwhelmed at the generosity of the Kronkosky Foundation,” says Steven Payne, Executive Director of YOSA. “They recognize the financial challenges faced by arts organizations and believe in our mission to bring classical music to the youth of San Antonio. The potential for this grant – at $200,000 – is enormous for our organization.”
The news comes just 10 days after YOSA received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to support the 2013 Artist-in-Residence program which will feature electric violinist Tracy Silverman and composer Kenji Bunch in the Texas premier of a new concerto for electric violin and orchestra.
The funds will be used for general operating expenses, the many things that are needed for YOSA to function efficiently and serve a maximum number of young musicians. Grants like this one are increasingly important to YOSA, as many funders want to support specific program interests or fund capital needs. General operating support allows YOSA to pay salaries, utility bills, and other necessary elements of its $1.2 million budget.
YOSA will begin its campaign to raise its portion of the $50,000 for the Challenge Grant in January.
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