Edward E. Ford Foundation Matching Grant for the Arts

We are excited to announce that we have been awarded a $100,000 grant from the E.E. Ford Foundation to fund the construction of new arts spaces in our Upper Division! The new spaces will feature four studios for performing, traditional, and media arts along with the rehabilitation and upgrade of our theater and stage. The spaces will be created through the transformation of an underutilized part of the school. This grant funded project is the catalyst that will allow us to achieve our larger goal of re-envisioning all the spaces where students explore the arts from N – 12.

Unlocking the Grant

The grant is a 1:1.5 matching challenge and the funds will come to us only after we successfully identify $150,000 in matching gifts. The timeline is tight as we must raise the matching $150,000 by Spring 2023. These funds will unlock the potential for innovative programs in the Arts by providing our students with the sophisticated tools and programs that inspire creativity and self-expression. These new spaces will transform the experience for advanced artists while also opening doors for those with budding creative interests.

Judy Clarke Turner ’58 and her husband Bill have already generously agreed to kick off this campaign with a lead gift of $50,000!

Judy says, “I have always remained committed to Garden because the school provided a strong foundation that positioned me to do well in life”. When asked why the Turner family felt moved to support the Arts, they said, “The Arts open your mind if you let them and allow you to appreciate life in different ways. When we heard about the prospective art spaces at Garden, it seemed to us that supporting this project would allow students to experience all the arts so they may see the world through new perspectives.”

Support the Garden Fund for the Arts

Join us in the effort to unlock the creativity of Griffins for generations to come. Support the fund with a direct contribution or pledge so we may open in the Fall of 2023, our 100th year, with brand-new spaces, programs, and tools in place for our talented students.

Giving Levels:

$25,000+: Creativity Circle (includes Naming Opportunity)
$10,000+: Mosaic & Mural Level
$7,500+: Portfolio & Pallet Level
$5,000+: Studio & Strings Level
$2,500+: Mic & Amp Level
$1,000+: Easel & Brush Level
$500+: Stage & Curtain Level
$499 and under: Friend of the Arts

About the E.E. Ford Foundation

The Edward E. Ford Foundation is dedicated to improving secondary education by supporting U.S. independent schools. Since its founding in 1957, it has awarded more than $125 million to over 900 schools. The Foundation only considers applications from 20 schools per year and it was an honor just to be included in that group. The selection process for school consideration is rigorous and to actually be awarded further reinforces that Garden is on a positive trajectory and the momentum is being recognized by a Foundation whose whole existence is to evaluate the excellence of independent schools.

The E.E. Ford Foundation carefully vets schools before supporting them. They are particular about community participation in philanthropy and only support schools with healthy and sustainable financial models so as to have a lasting impact on children. John Gulla, the Foundation’s Executive Director, acknowledged the exciting and unique place that Garden occupies in the landscape of NYC independent schools. Through extensive partnerships, Garden maintains a tuition half that of other schools and yet offers a comprehensive program. He recognized this creates a pathway to admission for a wider range of families and thus a more dynamic school community.

This is our first grant from the Foundation and now the work begins. Everyone in the community can help whether you are passionate about the Arts, committed to helping secure these funds, or simply excited to invest in the future.

Thank You to our Donors

Creativity Circle ($25,000+)
Judy Clarke Turner ’58 & Bill Turner

Mosaic & Mural Level ($10,000+)

Portfolio & Pallet Level ($7,500+)

Studio & Strings Level ($5,000+)
The Arau Family
The Carchman Family
Chris & Annie Herman
The Koeppel Family
The O’Sullivan Family
Bill Shaffer
Michael Rakosi
The Vogel Family

Mic & Amp Level ($2,500+)
The Commons-Deb Family
The Badavas Family
Durst Family
Garden Family Association
Scott Haber
The Hochman Family (In honor of Arina Stetsiuk)
The Kenneth and Harriet Kupferberg Family Foundation
The Lenzner Family
The Luncheon-Hillman Family
Mary Maisano
Kat Sullivan
Roy White (In Honor of Charlie Millevoi)

Easel & Brush Level ($1,000+)
Anonymous
The Ceylan Family
The Crum-Barr Family
The Durst Family
The Goldberg Family
Matthew Helsing ’17
Virginia and Fred Herman
The Kurshan-Humblet Family
Roger Kimmel (In Honor of Charlie Millevoi)
The Krosney Family
Erica Johnson (In Honor of Charlie Millevoi)
Margaret Miller
The Rhoads Family
The Shinde Family

Stage & Curtain Level ($500+)
Anonymous
Anonymous
Becky Bennet
Larry and Maxine Durst
The Ellman Soto Family
Andrea Gere
The Hwang Sulc Family
The Kang Yoo Family
Mr. & Mrs. Diogenes P. Kekatos
Jean Kinn
John Kohn
Barbara Li Santi
Ray Liggio ’59 (In honor of Charlie Millevoi)
Andrey Yoffe

Friend of the Arts ($499 and under)
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
The Bonner Kanakamedala Family
Herbert Carvajal
Harry & Mark Cooperman and Brenda Levinson
Donna D’ambrosio
Maureen DeGaetano
The Dervishi Family
Marcia Elkind
Nixon Fiallos
The Gelbart Family
The Gomis Family – In Memory of Ms. Zinner
Christine Haddad
The Hale Family
Tom Heineman
Paula James
Felice Lund (In Honor of Charlie Millevoi)
Robin Mariconi
Agnes Nadrag
Marie O’Brien Dos Santos
Edwin O’Keefe Westley – In Memory of Janet M. Kelley
Mary Petruso
Anita Poll
Tiina Prio
Eileen Reyes
The Rockwell Weisbrod Family
Greig Roselli – In Honor of the Students of Garden School
Stephanie Santiago
Marlene Schultz – In Memory of Betty & Fred
Schultz
Stanley Schwartz
The Shapiro Family
Zach Simpson
The Slotnick Family
Lynn Summers Mesznik
Michèle Vice-Maslin
Susan Miller Weisberg
Susannah Wurgler-Murphy
Elizabeth York