Keep the Music Going: Support Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus
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$1,665 raised of $10K
11 donations
Dear Friends,
We are asking you to stand with the Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus at a difficult and deeply disappointing moment.
Earlier this summer, the South Carolina Arts Commission’s grant review committee approved operating support grants for more than 170 arts organizations across the state—including ours.
Then, at the Commission’s board meeting on August 20, board members stepped in for the first time in SCAC’s history and stopped funding for just two organizations: Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus and Proud Mary Theatre Company, both LGBTQ+ arts organizations. This action was against the recommendations of SCAC’s own grants panel. Our funding decision has now been delayed until October.
We want to be candid: we are not expecting that funding to be approved in October. For GGMC, that means a $13,000 shortfall for our operating budget each year for the next 3 years, totaling almost $40,000.
This treatment is not only unfair and discriminatory, it is illegal. Public arts funding should be based on the quality and impact of an organization’s work—not on whether it serves or is created by the LGBTQ+ community. The ACLU of South Carolina has also raised concerns about the Commission’s actions and the new resolution it adopted addressing “ideology” in grant-funded work.
But while this situation is being challenged, GGMC still has a season to produce and a community to serve. So, we are asking for your help!
If GGMC matters to you, please make a donation today. Your gift will help keep our season on track, support the artists and musicians who make our work possible, and continue to provide a welcoming, affirming space for all.
A gift of $25, $100, $500—or whatever you can give—will move us closer to replacing this year’s $13,000. And if you are able to make a larger gift or know someone who might be willing to help us meet this challenge, we would be incredibly grateful.
We will continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ voices. And we will continue to do what GGMC has always done: create exceptional music, build community, and contribute to the cultural life of Greenville and the state of South Carolina.
Thank you for standing with GGMC!
Please see the articles from the ACLU of South Carolina, The Post and Courier, and SC Arts Alliance linked below.
Thank you to those who donated on Zeffy to help us reach our goal!
250: Sarah Farrar, Edith Hardaway, Lee Lynch
125: Dunn Franco, Daniel Lynn, Mendi Sandoz, Heather Smith
100: Jennifer Hanna, Will Jones, Katie Moritz
75: Gayla Day, Ben Stoudenmire
50: Philip Brown, Caroline Davis, Marium Faulkner, Ashlee McGandy, Craig Nelson, Jonathan Reid, Steven Smith, Melanie Trimble, Kristin Williamson
30: Keeley Krantz, Lynnia Shanley, Bethany Tisdale, Katie Alice Walker, Amanda Walkup, Hannah Weaver
25: Sarah Gray, Laura Kelley, Susan Woodham
20: Briana Schultz
Organizer
