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 third 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.
“At the Avangrid Foundation, our mission is supporting those most in need and expanding equitable access to the arts, education, and culture,” says Pablo Colón, Executive Director of Avangrid Foundation and Director of Corporate Citizenship at Avangrid. “This latest grant to the Mahaiwe helps strengthen their educational and community programs while expanding access to live theater for the surrounding community.”
Challenge Grant: To Provide Free and Discounted Tickets
The Avangrid Foundation grant, designated to support the more than 7,000 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.
“The Leonhardt Community Access Fund exists to make the arts accessible to as many community members as possible, so I am thrilled that – in the last year alone – more than 7,000 people were able to attend a Mahaiwe event for free or receive a discount on their tickets,” says Melissa Leonhardt. “The Avangrid Foundation’s grant is proof of its dedication to increasing access to the arts, and I hope others will respond to this challenge grant by contributing to the Community Access Fund, ensuring that the Mahaiwe can continue to expand its accessibility efforts.”
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 $42.4 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 avangrid.com/avangrid-foundation.
About Avangrid
Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $48 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates 80 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. 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 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh 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.