Philadelphia gallery gains $600,000 grant

The Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia recently received a $600,000 challenge grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation.

The center, which features changing exhibitions, a permanent collection, research library and museum store, also offers public outreach programs, education programs and a residency program for artists and scholars. The grant encourages donor giving by incentivizing new and continued gifts.

Levi Landis, the center’s director of business operations, says the three-year challenge grant will be used to help the non-profit organization continue to reach new audiences. The efforts have previously included moving the center to Philadelphia’s Old City District in 2011 and expanding its mission to cover any type of art using the medium of wood, including bowls, vases, sculptures and functional objects.

“Over 80 percent of this grant money is going to be spent on our programming, meaning everything from exhibitions to education programs, workshops and maintaining our permanent collection. Really it’s those programs that are going to see the biggest chunk of this,” says Landis.

“Our biggest milestone to look forward to is in 2016 when the center will have its 30th anniversary. We’ve got some exciting things in the works that will be a celebration for us and for the field. That anniversary is a big portion of what we’re looking forward to and we need the money for continuing our programs, growing our staff and cultivating new members.”

As part of the grant, when a donor renews a previous gift to the center, Windgate will double the gift with a 1-to-1 match. For every new or upgraded gift, Windgate will triple the gift with a 2-to-1 match. Last year, the center launched a capital campaign with a $2 million endowment gift from Windgate.

Contact: Center for Art in Wood. Tel: 215-923-8000. www.centerforartinwood.org

This article originally appeared in the November 2014 issue.