PHILADELPHIA (CelebrityAccess) The Mann Center for the Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia is closing in on a fundraising goal but to cross the finish line it’s selling stuff – basically all the stuff, from its seats to its name.
The PAC announced in 2014 it planned to raise $43.5 million to aid its artistic projects, endowment and cash reserves and repair its elderly outdoor pavilion, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. So far it has raised $30 million with another $7.3 million in gifts apparently on its way. That leaves $6.4 million to “bring this campaign to closure,” CEO Catherine Cahill said.
To cross the finish line, the Mann Center is selling 10-year naming rights to its pavilion for $5 million, naming rights to the orchestra series for $3 million for five years and “your name here” plaques on individual seats for $500 to $700, according to the paper.
But that’s not all: pavers are up for naming rights. So are the video screens, the venue’s restaurant, its dressing rooms, the stage door entrance, the Skyline Stage, the Skyline lounge and even the fireworks presentation, the Inquirer said.
“We do have some irons in the fire, and I would say they’re warm,” Cahill told the paper. “$25 million is a number that’s been mentioned,” she says, but adds: “I don’t know if that’s reasonable in this marketplace. We think it’s what’s needed, but I think it’s on the high side.”
The campaign would allot $11 million to physical improvements, $5.4 million for endowment and reserve funds, and $27 million to fund artistic and special initiatives. That last allotment would fund hosting orchestras like the Baltimore Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the venue’s thematic festivals.
