Sarasota Opera Receives GoodUse Grant

August 18, 2023 – Sarasota

Southface Institute recently named Sarasota Opera Association, Inc. as a GoodUse Sarasota recipient, providing $75,000 in funding and technical assistance to make cost-saving efficiency improvements. These resources will support Sarasota Opera’s Pavilion Project, a campaign to raise funds for replacement of the failing HVAC system in its Pavilion building and to make targeted building upgrades that will increase Sarasota Opera’s environmental and financial sustainability.

Southface is a nonprofit that transforms all kinds of buildings and infrastructure to be more efficient, affordable, and environmentally responsible. But their GoodUse program specifically answers the need for sustainability and operational savings among other nonprofits, including food banks, Boys & Girls Clubs, schools, and historic performing theatre spaces like Sarasota Opera’s Pavilion Building—a hub for the company’s professional artist training, technical staff, production rehearsals, and youth and adult education programs.

With tight budgets to address urgent community needs, nonprofits often own or lease older buildings with hefty utility bills from ongoing issues like air leakage. By increasing the energy and water efficiency of their facilities, nonprofits with GoodUse projects save mission-critical dollars they can invest back into their core services to the community year after year, all while improving their environmental impact. For Sarasota Opera, reduced operating costs can help direct funds saved to programs and other pressing facility needs that often come with owning and maintaining a historic theatre complex.

Sarasota Opera is proud to be granted funding from Southface to help replace an aged HVAC unit that supports a building key to its operations. “Southface understood the urgency of this project and will be partnering with us to evaluate additional energy efficiency that will help the company, so that we can better provide our programming and serve our community,” said Sarasota Opera’s General Director, Richard Russell.

To learn how you can support Sarasota Opera’s Pavilion Project, call Director of Development Scott Guinn at (941) 366-8450, ext. 416 or visit SarasotaOpera.org/PavilionProject.