Eastman receives $3.26 million grant

gift of $3.26 million from the Catherine Filene Shouse Foundation will go to the Eastman School to support and extend the school's Arts Leadership Program.

The funding, which will be given over three years, is the foundation's first endowment grant as well as the largest single grant ever received from a foundation by the Eastman School. The Catherine Filene Shouse Foundation, established in 1989 to further the performing arts and education, has supported the internship component of the Arts Leadership Program since it was established in 1996.

The newly named Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Program prepares students not only to perform and to teach, but also to assume leadership roles in arts organizations. The program includes internships with arts organizations, guest presentations, and courses such as Entertainment Law and Music, Entrepreneurship in Music, and Politics of Art.

"By providing a broad exposure to a variety of music-related topics, students develop a comprehensive understanding of the arts world," said Douglas Dempster, founding director of the Arts Leadership Program.

Future additions to the program that will be made possible with the support of the foundation include an annual distinguished guest lecture series to be named in honor of Shouse; curriculum-development grants for faculty; and an "externship" component comprising post-graduation internships and professional development opportunities for young alumni.

Shouse, one of the most influential American women of the 20th century, was an advisor to 15 presidents, a visionary and dynamic advocate for humanitarian causes, and a generous benefactor of the arts. She also donated 100 acres of her Virginia farmland outside of Washington, D.C., and funds for construction of the Filene Center amphitheater for creation of Wolf Trap--the only national park for the performing arts and related education programs.

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