will use layers of storytelling to explore shared human values and promote unity. Like all other SpectorDance creations, filmed interviews serve as inspiration and are combined with original music and visual imagery. This organization seeks financial backers to support the development of Heart, from refining the concept to developing the choreography and multimedia elements and staging free performances for underserved communities. “Executive and Artistic Director Fran Spector Atkins is an invaluable artistic partner and advocate for our arts in our community. We look forward to expanding our dance programming and continuing to work with Fran on future projects. I have no doubt that her work will continue to enrich audiences, inspire young artists and strengthen the cultural fabric of our region for years to come. I am especially excited by Fran’s newest artistic vision and her upcoming performance project, Heart, which seeks to explore broadly shared American values and the shared humanity that unites us all. This project comes at a meaningful and necessary time.” -Jeff Hinderscheid SUNSET CULTURAL CENTER Year Founded: 2003 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 18 paid, 95 volunteers Budget: $3,575,703 (831) 620-2040 sunsetcenter.org BIG IDEA: Arts for All is the name of Sunset Center’s ambitious Big Idea. This performing arts institution supports several programs to reach audience members of all ages. Classroom Connections sponsors free artist-led workshops and student matinees at Sunset Center, including paying for transportation. Many of these youth are experiencing live theater for the first time. All year long, Sunset Center produces more than 20 free community events, from concerts to gallery exhibitions and cultural celebrations. “For many of our students, this was their first visit to a professional theater. They were excited from the moment they entered the building. Experiences like this make learning more memorable, exposing them to careers, cultures and forms of expression they never would have encountered without this program.” -Carol M. YOUTH MUSIC MONTEREY COUNTY Year Founded: 1988 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 10 paid, 127 volunteers Budget: $520,330 (831) 375-1992 youthmusicmonterey.org BIG IDEA: Youth Music Monterey County powers several local music programs for more than 250 kids of all ages, stretching across 48 countywide schools. Orchestra in the Schools (OITS), South County Strings, Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras and Chamber Ensembles provide high-quality music education and performance opportunities for instrumentalists. These ensembles are open to all students because YMMC’s Big Idea supports its tuition assistance fund, subsidized lessons and free instrument loans for any student facing financial barriers. “Over the last two years in OITS, our son Scotty has grown tremendously as a musician. He went from never having touched a string instrument and learning the fundamentals of holding a bow to mastering the skills that allowed him to successfully audition and join YMMC’s Junior Youth Orchestra onstage for their final concert of the 2025-2026 season. Every step of the way, he was guided and developed by dedicated, compassionate professional musicians. While teaching him the mechanics of the cello was always their primary goal, it was the cultivation of intangible life skills—responsibility, discipline, perseverance and teamwork—that makes these programs the gold standard.” -Kendall and Gordon McElroy 50 Monterey County GIVES! 2026 mcgives.com ARTS & CULTURE DONATE ONLINE MCGIVES.COM “Experiences like this make learning more memorable.” -Carol M., Sunset Cultural Center TOR HOUSE Year Founded: 1978 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 1 paid, 40 volunteers Budget: $225,000 (831) 624-1813 torhouse.org BIG IDEA: Tor House, one of eight National Historic Landmarks in Monterey County, seeks donations to help preserve this landmark and legacy of American poet Robinson Jeffers. Located on Carmel Point, this property needs urgent repairs to the west side of the weathered Tor House cottage. In addition to these renovations, funds will support increased access to archival materials, various programs that reflect Jeffers’ legacy, including poetry readings, music programs and a Big Idea youth program exploring ecology, poetry and social justice. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the magical tour of Tor House you provided for my Carmel River School third-grade students. Your knowledge and patience opened a new door for them into the mystical wonders of this treasure in their own backyard. Writing the collaborative poem was such a wonderful way to end the tour, to introduce the students to the fun spontaneity of poetry, and to include everyone.” -Kim Hartnett SPOTLIGHT
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==