The Pabst Charitable Foundation of the Arts

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Margery L. Pabst President The Pabst Charitable Foundation for the Arts	Hiram C. Powell, Ph.D. Vice President Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Bethune Cookman University	James L. Brooks Board Member Associate Director, AARP, State of Virginia
Damascus Kafumbe Board Member Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, Middlebury College, Vermont	William T. Lowman Board Member and Foundation Legal Counsel Shuffield Lowman, Partner	William A. Tallent Board Member and Foundation Accountant Randolph, Swain, Tallent and Whitehead

THE PABST CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: HISTORY

The Pabst Foundation was founded by Mark and Margery Pabst in early 2003. The idea to develop a foundation was inspired in part by the belief that great ideas can manifest into actions when an interdisciplinary connection is made within the arts and between the arts and other institutions in our culture.

Margery’s experience as a consultant/entrepreneurial business owner/educator and Mark’s financial and business experience in what was becoming a global market convinced them both that collaboration, mentoring, and building bridges among and between different institutions often resulted in BIG IDEAS AND ADVANCES IN PRODUCTIVITY AND SOCIAL UNDERSTANDING.

Mark passed away in May, 2006 and his passing placed a series of decisions, among them issues on how best to guide the fledgling foundation.
A mission statement was developed: supporting artists and art forms that are innovative, interdisciplinary, and diverse for ongoing impact in communities.

In 2008, The Pabst Foundation joined Grantmakers in the Arts. This association helps in enhancing our mission, finding opportunities for partnerships, and broadening our understanding of arts funding.

2009 was a transformational year in many ways. We expanded our vision of what “interdisciplinary” could mean by identifying connections and impact the arts could make in the community--from health care to education to environment.

In 2010, approval was given to create The Pabst Community Impact Grant, a $10,000 yearly grant that can be awarded for up to three years. The Grant will be awarded to individuals who demonstrate the capacity to create a new model/template for artistic impact on a community and/or who have a plan to create a conversation between and among institutions in our communities.

In our short history, we've chosen key artists and institutions that are making ongoing impact on communities and people's lives. We choose a few projects with high potential to create new ways of looking at art and life. We believe creating and sustaining new conversations among unlikely players is intriguing and rewarding. Our vision is the creation of a set of innovative and interdisciplinary models that demonstrate the fundamental need for art and the inspiration and sustainability it creates.