Fox Theatre Awards $500,000 in Single-Year Grants to 12 Historic Theaters Across Georgia

The Fox Theatre is pleased to announce 12 grant recipients for its current year, totaling $500,000 in financial support. These single-year grants were funded in two categories: Preservation & Facilities and Technical Assistance. The Fox Theatre, through its nonprofit partnerships program Fox Gives, is dedicated to strengthening communities and their iconic performing arts institutions while providing support through financial investments. This grant funding addresses financial deficiencies through the nonprofit’s community engagement program.

Since its inception in 2008, Fox Gives has expanded its philanthropic effort, more than doubling its financial commitment to preserving historic theaters in local communities across Georgia and the Southeast. Over the past 16 years, Fox Gives has awarded over $3.7 million to more than 70 historic theater organizations. The single-year grant program addresses emergency needs, historic structure studies or planning, technical assistance and preservation and facilities upgrades.
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“Every year, we look forward to issuing these single-year grants to truly impact communities throughout Georgia,” said Leigh Burns, director of community partnerships for Fox Gives. “We see theatre preservation as more than just restoring buildings; it’s about enriching downtown areas in communities and creating vibrant performing arts spaces where people can gather, experience the arts and connect.”

2024 Grant Recipients:

Fox Gives Preservation & Facilities Grant: Designed to engage community-wide participation and support for local preservation projects, fostering a sense of communal pride and ownership

Arts & Cultural Authority of Claxton and Evans County (Claxton, GA): $75,000
​A third-time Fox Theatre grant recipient, the theater plans to use the funds to rehabilitate existing and provide replacement flooring, stage curtains and lighting systems. The auditorium is one area of a larger historic school building receiving a massive building rehabilitation.

Canton Theatre (Canton, GA): $20,000
​A first-year grant recipient, Canton Theatre will use funds for exterior renovations, including paint, windows, doors, and trim. The theater will restore or replace signage, as well as repair marquee globe lighting.

Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre (Marietta, GA): $33,000

This third grant from Fox Gives will assist in tuckpointing the beautiful façade exterior, original marble walls and repairing roof areas for the marquee.

Festival Hall (Greensboro, GA): $25,000
​This grant, one of three now for Festival Hall provides supports roof replacement, including removing and disposing of existing shingles and underlayment, inspecting, and repairing decking, installing water guard, metal drip edge flashing and more.

Marigold Auditorium (Winterville, GA): $58,000
​This financial contribution will enable the purchase of a Marigold Auditorium sign, stage door/back of building and interior signage. It will also fund the purchase of front and rear stage sign lighting, a dance floor, front step railings, a new traveling proscenium curtain, rear-of-stage video projector and screen. This is the fourth grant and third matching grant from Fox Gives to this theater.

Ritz Theatre (Brunswick, GA): $50,000
​This matching investment facilitates the purchase of a new and necessary HVAC system for the downtown landmark theater. Fox previously funded this theater Gives in 2010 and continues to work toward ongoing rehabilitation goals.

Royal Theatre (Hogansville, GA): $34,000
​This fourth grant from Fox Gives for the Royal Theatre will assist in replacing missing historic features, specifically, the theater front doors and the exterior historic poster display cases. The theater has recently reopened and is now presenting amazing performing arts offerings in the west Georgia region.

Springer Opera House (Columbus, GA): $60,000
​With its second grant from Fox Gives, the Springer Opera House plans to use this contribution to replace the second main building chiller and the restore original heart pine windows. The matching funds will also go toward upgrades to various equipment to meet ADA Safety Compliance, handrails for the balcony aisles, replacement of soft goods on historic stage and more.

The Arts Council (Gainesville, GA): $75,000
​Another first-time grant recipient, The Arts Council will use funding for the restoration of the distinctive rose window and four lower tower windows on the front façade of the historic First United Methodist Church. The church complex is part of a multi-million-dollar project with many phases of rehabilitation in the heart of downtown Gainesville.

Tooga Theatre (Summerville, GA): $20,000
​This second grant given for the Tooga Theatre rehabilitation project, these matching funds will support the removal of the existing curtains and an addition that closed off the original balcony from the lower area. The funding will also help repair existing walls, ceiling tiles, fixtures from the original balcony while opening and finishing the area that joins the Special Events Room.

Fox Gives Technical Assistance Grant: Enables grant recipients direct access to experts and resources tailored to meet a variety of specific technical preservation needs.

Georgia Historic Preservation Division (Atlanta): $25,000
​This first-time grant to the Georgia Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Community Affairs will fund the Chitlin’ Circuit Theatre Context Project, partnered between Fox Gives, Georgia Historic Preservation Division and the Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAPHN). Funding will enable the initiation of a multi-year project to research, document, plan and propose the Chitlin’ Circuit Heritage Trail in Georgia.

Sautee Nacoochee Center (Sautee Nacoochee, GA): $25,000
​The non-matching grant for the Sautee Nacoochee Center will enable a historic preservation specialist and preservation-based architect to study the feasibility and make architectural assessments needed for revitalizing the historic gymnasium. While SNC is a long time Georgia Presenter, this is the first Fox Gives grant awarded to the non-profit organization.

Media Assets: Here

​For more information, please visit foxtheatre.org.

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About the Fox Theatre
​The Fox Theatre is one of Atlanta's premier venues for live entertainment, welcoming more than 150 performances a year in its 4,665-seat theatre. From concerts to ballets, comedy, and movies, the historic venue attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually. The theatre hosts over 100 annual private events like wedding receptions, trade shows, corporate meetings, and association functions in two fabulous ballrooms. The Fox’s premium Marquee Club, presented by Lexus, is a 10,000 sq. ft., three-story luxury bar accessible to all Club Level ticket holders or annual members of the Fox Theatre. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, the Fox Theatre is a fiercely protected landmark and nationally acclaimed theatre today. The Fox Theatre proudly acknowledges its partners' generous support: Casamigos, Coca-Cola, Georgia Natural Gas, Georgian Terrace Hotel & Livingston Restaurant, Humana, Lexus, Northside Hospital and Regions Bank. Tickets for all events are available at FoxTheatre.org, or toll-free at 855-285-8499. Stay connected by following the Fox Theatre on social via @theFoxTheatre on Instagram, X and Facebook.

Notable Accolades
​2022 IEBA Theatre of the Year; 2021 Billboard Magazine #1 Highest Grossing Theatre Worldwide (5,000 seats or less); 2021 Pollstar Magazine #2 Theatre Worldwide in Ticket Sales; 2021 Venues Now Magazine #2 Year-End Top Stops (2,001-5,000 seats); 2019 Venues Now #1 Top Stop of the Decade Award for Tickets Sold.

About Fox Gives
​Fox Gives is the expanded outreach arm of Atlanta's iconic Fox Theatre, committed to fostering community partnerships and enriching lives through the arts. Evolved from the Fox Theatre Institute, Fox Gives continues the legacy of providing historic preservation expertise, consultation, and education to performing arts venues in Georgia and beyond. With a focus on environmental and economic impact, Fox Gives offers multiyear preservation grants, arts education programs, and vocational mentorship, leveraging resources to stimulate local economies and keep the artistic pulse of communities vibrant. Under the Fox Gives umbrella, the theatre introduces transformative initiatives like the All-Access Pass high school program to open new doors in vocational arts education for young minds. For more information, visit foxtheatre.org/foxgives and stay connected on Facebook and Instagram.