Posted on: December 16, 2024

The Glen Ellyn Park District has received a $5,000 grant through DuPage Foundation’s Glen Ellyn Fund grant program to support the creation of a new cultural arts and theatre center office at the Spring Avenue Recreation Center (185 Spring Avenue).

Grant funds will be used to support transforming the former gymnastics space at Spring Avenue Recreation Center into a cultural arts program and theatre performance area, specifically for a cultural arts office and costume storage space.

“Revamping the former gymnastics space into a dedicated theatre performance venue will significantly enhance the experience for our theatre families. Having a space of our own within the Spring Avenue Recreation Center, rather than relying on rented venues outside of Glen Ellyn, will provide our artists and audiences with a more consistent, accessible, and high-quality environment, while also allowing us to expand the program and serve more age groups,” said Dave Thommes, Executive Director of the Glen Ellyn Park District. “We are grateful to the Glen Ellyn DuPage Foundation for their generous support, which will help us bring this vision to life and further enrich the cultural arts in our community.”

DuPage Foundation awarded nearly $580,000 to 56 not-for-profit organizations across DuPage County through its fall discretionary grant programs – Community Impact, Arts DuPage, and Glen Ellyn Fund. This vital investment in education, environment, animal welfare, and arts organizations will directly empower these organizations to continue their critical work, making a real and lasting difference in the lives of countless residents, and affirm DuPage’s reputation as a destination for the arts.

“We are proud to share that 72% of eligible grant applications submitted this fall received funding,” said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation vice president for programs. “Our grant program exists because of generous donors who have made unrestricted gifts or established endowed field-of-interest funds at the Foundation. These ‘forever funds’ are invested wisely and generate income that fuels our discretionary grantmaking. While the number of requests we receive always exceeds the amount of funding available in our budget, this cycle we received $217,550 in additional support for grants from local funders and our donor-advised fund partners. By working together, we are providing critical support to our community’s not-for-profits. That’s the power of coordinated impact at work!”