Includes a Challenge Grant to Support Equitable Access to Local Arts and Culture
Great Barrington, Mass.—The Avangrid Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of Berkshire Gas’s parent company Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), which supports cultural, environmental, educational, and community partnership programs that positively impact the communities it serves, has deepened its commitment to the Berkshires through its most recent grant to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The $10,000 grant includes, for the second consecutive year, $7,500 to reach children and families through the Mahaiwe’s Performing Arts Education and Community Engagement Programs. In addition, and to support Avangrid’s priority goal of increasing equitable access to the arts, the donation also includes a $2,500 challenge grant to underwrite free and deeply discounted tickets to the Mahaiwe for individuals who are not able to pay the full cost of admission.
“The Avangrid Foundation works to ensure prosperity for everyone in the communities where we operate by supporting the most vulnerable and increasing equitable access to the arts, education, and culture,” says Pablo Colón, director of corporate citizenship at Avangrid and executive director of the Avangrid Foundation. “Through our most recent grant to the Mahaiwe, we are delighted to strengthen the theater’s educational and community engagement programs while also directly empowering the families who might not otherwise be able to attend the Mahaiwe’s performances.”
Challenge Grant: To Provide Free and Discounted Tickets
The Avangrid Foundation grant, designated to support the more than 5,000 free and steeply discounted tickets the Mahaiwe offers each year, will be invested through the Mahaiwe’s Leonhardt Community Access Fund, created in 2023 by the Leonhardt family and the Frederick H. Leonhardt Fund of the New York Community Trust.
“When my family established the Leonhardt Community Access Fund, we wanted to encourage other donors to join us, so that anyone who wants to can participate in the Mahaiwe’s wonderful programs and attend its performances,” explains Melissa Leonhardt. “The Avangrid Foundation’s grant is a demonstration of its mission to advance the arts, heritage, and culture in support of vibrant and sustainable communities. I hope others will help match the Avangrid Foundation’s $2,500 grant by contributing to the Community Access Fund at the Mahaiwe to make sure its programming remains accessible.”
For information on how you can help match the Avangrid Foundation’s challenge to provide more access to audiences and artists, contact Diane Wortis, Director of Advancement at diane@mahaiwe.org.
About Avangrid Foundation
The Avangrid Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that funds philanthropic investments that primarily impact communities where Avangrid, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate. Since 2001, the Avangrid Foundation and its predecessors have invested more than $38.9 million in partnerships that focus on building sustainable, vital and healthy communities; preserving cultural and artistic heritage; advancing education; and improving people’s lives. The Avangrid Foundation is committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the United States. For more information, please visit avangridfoundation.org.
About Avangrid:
Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $46 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens – in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit avangrid.com.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 1,500 events and welcomed over half a million people through its doors. More than 26,000 students from 75 different schools have benefited from the Mahaiwe’s school-time performances and residencies. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.