The United Performing Arts Fund Announces $10,500,000 Fundraising Target for 2022

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 22, 2022 – The United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) launched their 2022 Community Campaign tonight with a virtual event. At the event, UPAF announced their 2022 fundraising target of $10.5 million and highlighted its performing arts Members and Affiliates with performances showcasing local talent in music, song, dance and theater.

“Through 2022, UPAF is asking the community to join us in being for the arts,” said Tim Mattke, UPAF Board of Directors chair. “We are for entertainment excellence, for arts education, for a community made better by the arts and for representation, all of which are made possible by the UPAF Members and Affiliates. As these organizations continue the recovery from difficulties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding received through UPAF is more important than ever and we turn to our community to make this possible with their best gift to the 2022 Campaign.”

This event also marked the first public introduction of the UPAF Chorus Line. One singular sensation, the Chorus Line consists of 300+ volunteers who play an active role in UPAF’s fundraising efforts. This dynamic network brings together diverse voices, creative ideas, and a variety of skill sets and connections that help advance UPAF fundraising and awareness in Eastern Wisconsin. The Chorus Line volunteer experience is choreographed by the 2022 Chorus Line Leads, George and Sallie Meyer, UPAF Board Member and CEO Emeritus of Kahler Slater, and community volunteer respectively, Jen Moran, Creative Director of V Formation Creative and Michael Rampolla, Strategist & Coach at SPEARity™.

“With artists back on stage performing to live audiences after such a long intermission, we have a greater appreciation of how attending a show in person brings us new discoveries,” said Chorus Line leads George and Sallie Meyer. “It is thrilling to have those live performances again, and so important to us and our community to keep experiencing them. We are to play a role in ensuring those organizations continue to receive this critical funding through UPAF.”

UPAF welcomes people back to theaters, back to arts education in classrooms, back to planning for a bright future through involvement in the 2022 Community Campaign by hosting or participating in a Workplace Giving Campaign or an Arts Day or donating at upaf.org/donate.

The 2022 UPAF Community Campaign, Act III of UPAF’s fundraising year, runs from Feb. 22 through May 31.

About UPAF

The United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) has been setting the stage since 1967 by providing critical investment in our region’s vibrant performing arts scene. UPAF’s mission is to secure community resources, promote the performing arts as a regional asset and improve the quality of life through responsible investment in and financial support of the performing arts in Eastern Wisconsin. UPAF proudly bears Charity Navigator’s highest distinction for nonprofits – a four-star rating – and is the No. 1 united performing arts fund in the country in terms of dollars raised.

With generous community support, UPAF funds 40 diverse local performing arts organizations that provide our community with the best of music, dance, song and theater. In addition to entertainment excellence, these organizations provide transformative educational programs for local children, ensure that individuals from marginalized neighborhoods have opportunities to participate in the arts and expand arts access for people with disabilities.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.