(831) 646-5602 investinmpl.org BIG IDEA: There’s a lot of chatter about “third spaces” in culture today. The Monterey Public Library provides a true third space, a free, public and welcoming place for everyone to belong. When the library has needs that extend beyond its city funding, the Monterey Public Library Friends & Foundation steps up to make these Big Ideas possible. This year, plans to expand teen programs, author talks and digital access to e-books are in the works, and technology investments are needed throughout the library. “The library represents my community and childhood. I’ve grown up in Monterey, and I have always come to the library for activities, events and to check out books. Now that I’m in high school, the library serves as a sanctuary from the chaos of the school day. I can come here to study, hang out with my friends, or just relax somewhere safe while I’m waiting to be picked up. The teen section, specifically, is somewhere I can freely hang out and do my schoolwork while still feeling chill.” -Idil Aktan, 14 MONTEREY SYMPHONY Year Founded: 1946 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 7 paid, 22 volunteers Budget: $3,500,000 (831) 646-8511 montereysymphony.org BIG IDEA: Donations to the Monterey Symphony’s Big Idea support its concert schedule, with performances at both Carmel’s Forest Theater and the Sunset Center. Monterey Symphony also visits more than 30 schools each year before 4,000 students attend free concerts at Sherwood Hall in Salinas. Free events throughout the year bring concertgoers into the experience, including special events like the annual Youth Arts Night, Women’s Night Out and lectures, demonstrations and lobby sessions during each month of the concert season. “Huge congrats to you all for another epic season!! Already looking forward to the next one and ‘Love Letter to New York.’” -J. Jones MUSIKIWEST Year Founded: 2017 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 1 paid, 12 volunteers Budget: $65,103 (650) 815-1666 musikiwest.org BIG IDEA: Musikiwest is in the laboratory, experimenting with Big Ideas that can take Monterey County performance art to the next level. The CoLab invites artists of all disciplines to come together at the SandBox, a versatile and intimate arts venue in Sand City; think filmmakers and composers creating with dancers and poets who share interests or complementary strengths. Donors can help support the launch of this Big Idea and get a front-row seat to the creative process. “We celebrate the brilliance of your idea, the masterly way you have built it, and the generosity with which you share your talent. On to another successful five years!” -Susan Meister PACIFIC GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY FRIENDS AND FOUNDATION Year Founded: 1974 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 0 paid, 70 volunteers Budget: $60,000 (831) 372-5006 ffpgpl.org BIG IDEA: You’ve heard of Night at the Museum, but what about Library After Dark? Pacific Grove Public Library Friends and Foundation proposes a fresh lineup of nighttime programming as a direct response to its library patrons who are looking for expanded library opportunities beyond regular library hours. Through Big Ideas like astronomer-led night-sky viewings, story times under the stars, art projection shows and more, working families and others who can’t attend daytime programs in person can spark curiosity at the library. “The Pacific Grove Public Library is so important to me. Of course, I love the collection and the building itself, but the after-hours programming so enriches my life with live music and poetry, lectures, author talks and entertainment. A community treasure!” -Sandra Jordan PACIFIC REPERTORY THEATRE Year Founded: 1983 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 9 paid, 90 volunteers Budget: $1,856,895 (831) 622-0700 pacrep.org BIG IDEA: Every year, Pacific Repertory Theatre provides about 1,000 complimentary tickets to kids who may be attending a professional theater per46 Monterey County GIVES! 2026 mcgives.com ARTS & CULTURE DONATE ONLINE MCGIVES.COM NEW CANON THEATRE CO. Year Founded: 2022 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 2 paid, 20 volunteers Budget: $160,000 (831) 275-1441 newcanontheatre.org BIG IDEA: For this year’s Big Idea, New Canon Theatre Co. is choosing to focus on stability instead of expansion. For the last four years, this nonprofit has paid nearly $350,000 to working artists across 151 contracts. Donors will help this nonprofit establish an operating reserve fund to provide greater flexibility with production costs, payroll and other necessities of this theater company. This fund will help New Canon establish a foundation of strength for future ambitious productions. “With passion, verve and compelling vision, New Canon has brought a kind of theater to the Monterey Bay that is much needed and admired, lifting the dramatic arts in the region. With ambitiously directed, smartly staged, and beautifully acted productions reimagining the classics and introducing compelling new works, they fill a crucial gap in Monterey County’s cultural firmament, creating opportunities for audiences and artists alike to see and make work they will remember long after a production’s end.” -Marc Zegans SPOTLIGHT
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