FC Tulsa Challenges Community to Help Philbrook Meet Fundraising Goal
For Immediate Release:
MAY 4, 2020 –TULSA, OK– Philbrook Museum of Art today announced a matching grant from FC Tulsa totaling $500,000 in unrestricted funds.
Modeling a new kind of partnership between the worlds of sports and the arts, both organizations are committed to the idea that Tulsa’s future will depend on collaboration and creative partnerships.
“Philbrook Museum of Art is a pillar of the Tulsa community,” said FC Tulsa owner J.W. Craft. “We want to ensure they are able to continue doing the great work in our city they are known for, especially in the fight against COVID-19 with their #PhilTheGaps campaign. The FC Tulsa Philbrook Matching Challenge is a statement of FC Tulsa’s commitment to team up with organizations throughout Tulsa to put our community at the heart of our club.”
Tuesday, May 5 marks the beginning of the global fundraising campaign – #GivingTuesdayNow. This worldwide initiative also serves as the official kickoff to the FC Tulsa partnership. Every tax-deductible gift made to Philbrook will be matched; dollar for dollar, cent for cent.
“Like all of our friends and colleagues in the arts, Philbrook is facing the severe financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis. With the Philbrook Wine Experience, our biennial fundraising gala, postponed an entire year, and our doors closed during our highly-attended spring months, the Museum anticipates a $2M revenue gap this year,” said Philbrook President & CEO Scott Stulen. “This generous gift from FC Tulsa embodies the philanthropic spirit and the extraordinary ambition of our city and the Philbrook community. Every gift, of any size toward this match, will help Philbrook and our deeply committed staff bring people together during this difficult time apart.”
On April 7, Philbrook launched its #PhilTheGaps campaign, building a new slate of virtual programs to fulfill the Museum’s mission to make a creative and connected community through art and gardens. The initiative also supports the Tulsa Area United Way COVID-19 Response Fund, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Oklahoma artists, and the entire community of Members and visitors.
Philbrook has endured The Great Depression, World War 2, natural disasters, oil market busts and booms, and much more. The constant through all of those difficult moments has been, and continues to be, the goodwill and passion of the people of Tulsa. Community members wishing to donate to this campaign may make a gift to the Museum’s Facebook campaign, the donate page of the Museum’s website, or by phone at 918.748.5368.
“Nothing worthwhile was ever accomplished without the will to start, the enthusiasm to continue and, regardless of temporary obstacles, the persistence to complete.”
–Philbrook Founder Waite Phillips
Stay connected to Philbrook via social media and Philbrook.org for further updates and information.
About Philbrook
At Philbrook Museum of Art, we are committed to being Tulsa’s most welcoming and engaging cultural institution. Through bold action and strategic investment, we create a space for new ideas, diverse stories and perspectives, and social connection. Housed in the former Midtown home (built 1927) of Genevieve and Waite Phillips, the Philbrook Collection has grown to over 14,500 objects with a focus on American, Native American, and European art. Philbrook Museum of Art opened on October 25, 1939, with the goal of being an institution “housing, preserving, and displaying therein works of art, literature, relics and curios, including those representative of the native North American Peoples.” Serving over 160,000 visitors annually, Philbrook shines a light on Tulsa’s storied and complex past while building a diverse and creative vision of the city’s future. Philbrook.org.
About FC Tulsa
FC Tulsa is Tulsa’s premier professional sports franchise, playing soccer in the USL Championship at ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa. The club motto is #ForTulsa and aims to represent the renaissance and rebirth of our beautiful city by putting the Tulsa community at the heart of everything FC Tulsa does.
PRESS CONTACT
Jeff Martin
Communications Manager
JMartin@philbrook.org
O: 918.748.5352
M: 918.697.9042