There are many ways to support Mason Arts, from supporting or creating a scholarship for students in your arts program of choice, to an annual membership to our performing arts centers, to considering naming Mason Arts in your estate plans.
Choose the methods that best suit your circumstances—our staff is available to help you sort out the many options and discover the giving plan that works for you.
The financial and volunteer support of our Friends has made it possible to present first-class performing arts from around the world and around the corner and raise vital scholarships for students, all while enjoying social events and behind-the-scenes opportunities with fellow arts lovers. Memberships begin at just $100 per year and include a full calendar year of benefits for you and your guests to enjoy. To join the Friends of one of our performing arts centers, email Angel Olson, Membership Coordinator, or call 703-993-1702, or find more information below:
- Learn more about the Friends of the Center for the Arts or join online
- Learn more about the Friends of the Hylton Center or join online.
To join the Friends of one of our academic programs to support scholarships with a gift of any amount, email Johnna Johnson, Assistant Director of Development, or call 703-993-1087, or give online.
Corporate, foundation, and governmental partners support the Center for the Arts and the Hylton Performing Arts Center’s performances and programs year-round, through our many performance series, signature events, and more. Sponsorship affords your company many benefits, such as enhanced marketing visibility, space rentals for events, and tickets to performances. Individuals may also sponsor performances.
Enjoy one of our three signature events, ARTS by George!, the Hylton Center Anniversary Gala, or the Mason Dance Fête, and make an impact on Mason Arts while enjoying the finest of what our programs have to offer. Collectively, these events have raised more than $5 million for Mason Arts initiatives.
To explore sponsorship opportunities, email Amanda Snellings, Senior Assistant Director of Development, or call at 703-993-1593 (Center for the Arts) or email Dylan Lambert, Assistant Director of Development, or call 703-993-7061 (Hylton Performing Arts Center).
Mason Artist-in-Residence Program
Each year, the Center for the Arts invites several artists and ensembles with distinctive and innovative artistic voices to make Mason their home for a residency. The Mason Artist-in-Residence will participate in a variety of activities, designed to engage and inspire the diverse audiences both on and off the campus of George Mason University. To learn more, email Amanda Snellings, Senior Assistant Director of Development, or call at 703-993-1593.
Mason Community Arts Academy
As the College of Visual and Performing Arts' non-degree community outreach arm, private funding for the Mason Community Arts Academy supports individual and group arts instruction for 3,000 community members of all skill levels, artistic abilities and socio-economic backgrounds. Courses are taught by our distinguished faculty and graduate-level arts education students in the evening, after school and in summer intensive settings. The Academy's Instruments in the Attic program transforms forgotten musical instruments into treasures for Mason Music Education majors and the public school students they teach in a suite of in-school programs. To learn more, email Susan Graziano, Director of Development, or call at 703-993-4188.
Hylton Performing Arts Center
The Hylton Center offers year-round arts education programs for students of all ages, from daytime school field trip performances to a summer technical theatre boot camp. These programs are supported 100% by philanthropy and need your help to continue and grow. To learn more, email Carolyn Hays, Director of Development, Hylton Performing Arts Center, or call at 703-993-4502.
Cement your or a loved one’s legacy or make your permanent mark on the Hylton Performing Arts Center, the Center for the Arts, or one of our Mason Arts classroom buildings. Naming opportunities include recognizing a person or organization by naming a current use or endowed scholarship, room, space, instrument, or equipment. To learn more about naming opportunities at Center for the Arts, please email Susan Graziano, Director of Development, or call at 703-993-4188. For the Hylton Performing Arts Center, email Carolyn Hays, Director of Development, or call 703-993-4502.
Support the future of the Hylton Performing Arts Center by making a gift to the Capital and Endowment Campaign. Your gift will support the life of the new Education and Rehearsal Wing, which empowers the artists and arts educators of our community to facilitate artistic expression in spaces designed for creation and exploration. You could also choose to support our Endowment, which will ensure artistic excellence in the performances and programs we offer for years to come. To learn more about the Hylton Performing Arts Center Capital and Endowment Campaign, email Carolyn Hays, Director of Development, or call 703-993-4502.
There are many ways to include philanthropic support of Mason Arts in your estate plans through a planned gift – some which could even benefit you and/or your program of choice during your lifetime. Bequests are just the tip of the iceberg. The Mason Arts development staff works closely with George Mason University's professional planned giving staff, as well as your own financial team, to determine which channel of planned giving is right for you. To learn more about planned giving, please email Susan Graziano, Director of Development, or call 703-993-4188.
Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions or volunteer hours made by their employees, making the most of your support for Mason Arts. Find out if your company has a matching gift policy. If your company is eligible, request a matching gift form from your employer, and send it completed and signed with your gift. We will do the rest. The impact of your gift may be doubled or possibly tripled! Some companies also match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses.