The Neag Foundation, Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust, Windgate Foundation, and Berks County Community Foundation anchor support for the art center’s outreach efforts
READING, PA – GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (GoggleWorks) has announced that over $400,000 of grants have been made to the art center in 2019 to support the development of its outreach and education programs, among other initiatives. The fundraising is part of a strategy by the nonprofit art center to deepen GoggleWorks’ impact in the community.
“The support from these institutions is extraordinary,” said Levi Landis, Executive Director at GoggleWorks. “Next year marks our 15th anniversary. While our work during that time has served a broad audience, these grants allow us to serve more deeply the needs of the community.”
The Neag Foundation awarded $100,000 to support ArtsBridge, an umbrella of outreach programs, including GoggleWorks’ flagship After School Arts Program (ASAP), serving hundreds of area youth annually through free art classes; dynamic virtual reality programs for individuals with physical and developmental challenges; scholarships for those without financial means; art therapy; and the Summer Ambassador Fellowship, a one-on-one, eight-week mentorship program for six emerging high-school artists. “We take seriously the legacy and continued work of Ray and Carole Neag through the Neag Foundation’s mission to improve and enhance communities.”
The Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust contributed $100,000 of foundation support toward the developing community programs. Pamela Barbey, a Trustee for the foundation, also sits on the GoggleWorks board. “Pam Barbey is a tireless advocate for charities in our community,” said Landis. “Her mix of professional background, leadership, and financial support are a rare composite for small nonprofits like ours.”
The Windgate Charitable Foundation, which supports contemporary craft and visual arts, granted a $100,000 Challenge Grant, matching contributions from individuals. GoggleWorks successfully completed the match in May.
Heidi Williamson, Vice President for Programs and Initiatives at the Berks County Community Foundation (BCCF) said, “GoggleWorks is an important community asset, with high quality programs and exhibits that rival those you would find in larger metropolitan areas. Providing support for those programs, as well as the building that houses them, is one way to improve the quality of life in our community.” BCCF distributed $68,400 in grants from a variety of funds, including $25,000 from the Met-Ed Sustainability Energy Fund to allow GoggleWorks to design virtual reality art programs for educating schoolchildren about energy conservation; $23,400 from the Building Industries Exchange Fund to support environmentally-focused preservation repairs; $15,000 from the Jay and Elaine Rosenson Fund; and a $5,000 grant from the First United Church of Christ Mission Fund to support ASAP.
Other annual foundation support came from the John & Robyn Horn Foundation to mount an exhibition celebrating seminal artist Wharton Esherick in 2020; Berks Alliance to support façade repairs; the Reading Musical Foundation to support ASAP, and general operating grants from the Jerylyn Foundation, Michael Palm Foundation, Henry Janssen Foundation, Berkshire Charitable Foundation, Blum Kovler Foundation, First Energy Foundation and William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
“These organizations and the funds therein help GoggleWorks transform lives through unique interactions with art,” Landis said. “By targeting high-impact outcomes, the grants awarded from foundations like these help us pilot, seed, and develop new programs in a sustainable way.”
In addition to outreach, GoggleWorks is expanding offerings that engage general visitors, including a forthcoming restaurant announced earlier this year called The Den by Sly Fox, the recently renovated New Store at GoggleWorks, and the Berks Launchbox makerspace opened earlier this year in partnership with Penn State Berks.
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