The Circus Arts Conservatory recently received a total of $311,000 from six donors in support of its 2023-2024 season of outreach programs, special events and signature performances.Major CAC events and shows − including the 2023 Sailor Circus Holiday Show, the 2024 Circus Arts Gala, Circus Sarasota and the CenterRing Society Dinner − are generously supported by a $40,000 Arts Appreciation Grant from the Ina L. Donnan Field of Interest Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation. This grant also supports the CAC’s Circus Science in the Classroom program.The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has awarded two grants totaling $35,000 in support of the Circus Arts Gala, Circus Sarasota and scholarships for deserving Sailor Circus Academy students. Additional scholarship support from the Siesta Key Kiwanis Club Foundation provided the final $2,000 grant toward its four-year student arts scholar commitment.Locally, a Sarasota County Tourist Development Cultural/Arts grant of more than $132,000 was approved to help underwrite costs associated with the CAC’s annual largest production, Circus Sarasota.
These funds were awarded in recognition of the show’s role in helping to attract tourists to the area: More than 50% of those who attend Circus Sarasota are from outside Sarasota County.Additionally, two general support grants were awarded: The State of Florida, Division of Arts and Culture, approved more than $100,000 in funding to support the CAC’s operations and the Island Foundation awarded a grant of $2,000. Both grants recognize and fund the overall mission of the CAC.The Sailor Circus Academy education and training programs enable students ages 8-18 to bolster their physical and mental health while training after school, learning circus acts that culminate in performances of “The Greatest Little Show on Earth” at the end of December and in May.
Through grants and community support, the CAC provides need-based students with scholarships for the Sailor Circus Academy as well as offering magnet programs at Sarasota High School and Booker Middle School for a unique curriculum that incorporates circus arts into students’ regular school day and earns them credit toward graduation.The Circus Arts Gala is the CAC’s premier annual extravaganza and major fundraiser, with proceeds dedicated to funding student training. Circus Sarasota is the CAC’s annual professional circus, featuring world-class international acts, with proceeds funding operations and the CAC’s mission.
Finally, the CenterRing Society is composed of major CAC donors who contribute $1,000 or more in addition to ticket purchases, sponsorships and/or donations, for the purpose of providing the CAC with unrestricted dollars to achieve excellence.
Foundation gives to Children First
The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, a prominent leader of the Children First Changemaker Collective, has made two donations totaling $140,000 to Children First, in Sarasota.
The first gift of $50,000 will be directed toward Children First’s $600,000 Changemaker Collective challenge match. The second gift of $90,000 will be allocated to create a vital new staff position, the early childhood education nurse.
Both contributions are aimed at enhancing the agency’s comprehensive services and will empower families with the necessary skills, resources, and tools to cultivate a healthy lifestyle for their children.
Children First, a four-time designated Head Start Program of Excellence, plays a crucial role in the lives of hundreds of children, from birth to 5 years, and their families who are living at or below the Federal Poverty Level ($24,860 for a family of three).