In 2012, the leadership of the Dayton Opera, Dayton Ballet and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra created a groundbreaking and innovative merger, uniting these three organizations into the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. The merger, made possible in part by support from The Dayton Foundation and its fund holders, is the first of its kind in the nation. Nowhere else can performing arts enthusiasts experience the range and depth of collaboration being offered in the Dayton community.
What is the mission of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance?
DPAA believes that the arts are for everyone. Our driving purpose is to inspire as many people as possible, of every generation and background, to fall in love with the arts. The first element of our strategic platform is to produce unique, memorable artistic and social experiences. The second is to make the arts universally accessible. It is our burning imperative to build and expand our audiences, and we ensure that everyone is welcomed and included in our invitation.
You began your tenure as CEO in 2021. What changes have you implemented or do you have on the horizon?
We’ve come a long way. We’ve offered accessible pricing for most of our classical performances, in the form of $5 tickets and free “Check Out a Performance” tickets courtesy of the Dayton Public Library. These programs have made our audiences dramatically and visibly younger and more diverse. We’ve also brought in two new artistic directors - millennials who are fairly early in their careers - to DPAA. We’ve expanded our learning and community engagement programs and are poised for additional expansions. We’ve brought greater diversity and community representation to our board, vastly enriched our ability to use data to support audience development and fundraising, and significantly professionalized our processes. We are functioning more than ever as a single, integrated organization working toward a unified purpose—not an unsteady “alliance” of three legacy organizations, each competing for its own advantage. Our new collaborative productions have included all three art forms, with more to come in the future. We are developing exciting new partnerships with major universities and will be experimenting with new performance times, venues and configurations that will make our programming accessible to more people. Our focus is on doing things that only Dayton, Ohio, can do in the arts!
Since our last pre-COVID season, we have increased our annual fundraising by about 25 percent. If you include significant funds raised for future seasons, the 2024-25 season saw 50 percent more fundraising and commitments than the 2018-19 season—all excluding Federal pandemic aid. This shows the remarkable generosity and support of our community, including a large number of donors who give through their funds at The Dayton Foundation.
How does The Dayton Foundation help you help others?
The Foundation has been a vital partner to DPAA. Through the Foundation’s grantmaking, DPAA has been a recipient of discretionary grants for special projects, and we have benefited from grants through several of the Foundation’s affiliated funds.
Additionally, DPAA receives funding each year from nearly 100 different Dayton Foundation funds, which include Donor-Advised Funds, Charitable Checking AccountsSM, Field-of-Interest Funds, IRA-Designated gifts and other endowed funds. DPAA also created an endowment fund through The Dayton Foundation in 2018 to provide consistent and annual support to the organization in perpetuity.
Beyond financial support, The Dayton Foundation plays a key role in connecting DPAA to new opportunities, philanthropic partners, other nonprofit organizations and community-wide initiatives. The Foundation supports the arts on and off the stage, and our success is thanks to its generous donors, trustworthy staff and dedicated leadership.
How can other nonprofits or individuals support or connect with your organization?
Want to inspire as many people as possible to fall in love with the arts? You can help us help others by donating and becoming a member, buying a ticket and becoming a subscriber, or volunteering and becoming a part of EnCorps: Friends of DPAA. Visit our website or reach out to us at info@daytonperformingarts.org.