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Bee Vradenburg |
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Bee Vradenburg was larger than life, endlessly optimistic and profoundly successful at anything she set her mind to do. And she set her mind to realizing the vision of a vibrant and collaborative arts community.
Bee was an incredible life force, a woman who began a 37-year commitment as the manager of the Colorado Springs Symphony in her living room. Retirement from the Colorado Springs Symphony simply gave her the time and excitement to nurture emerging artistic endeavors. Bee's private generosity mirrored her public commitment. Members of the community retell personal stories of Bee helping them in ways both large and small: paying for music lessons or a musical instrument; underwriting high school projects; or giving money to get through a hospital stay. But she also took on herculean projects such as raising the capital needed to build the Pikes Peak Center, or making sure community members had a chance to experience “Pops on Ice” at The Broadmoor every Christmas.
Bee died in 2000, but her legacy endures. The Bee Vradenburg Foundation provides financial support to a wide array of cultural organizations. The foundation also ensures that the “Bee factor” guides our work. Staff and board members of the foundation devote themselves to arts advocacy and efforts to continually improve the cultural climate of the region and the strength and sustainability of its arts organizations.
Our mission: Advancing Bee Vradenburg’s vision of a thriving and diverse cultural community by investing in the excellence, innovation and sustainability of the arts in the Pikes Peak region.
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George Vradenburg |
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Phil Kendall |
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Colorado Springs was a welcoming town of fewer than 50,000 people when Bee Vradenburg and her husband, George, arrived here in the 1940s. Even Bee couldn’t have foreseen the tremendous growth the region would experience in the ensuing decades. But Bee always had a vision for her adopted hometown. She worked fervently for decades to create a community brimming with the finest in music, art, theater and dance. She believed that all citizens – no matter their background or economic ability – deserved to experience everything from Shostakovich to Shakespeare, Bizet to bluegrass.
Bee would have been overjoyed by the accomplishments of the arts community in 2007. From the brilliant expansion of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, to the renovation of the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts, to the launch of many new projects and festivals – it was a banner year. New leadership and new strategies aligned to make 2007 one of the strongest years ever for the arts in the Pikes Peak region.
We at the Bee Vradenburg Foundation are proud to play a part in ensuring that Bee’s vision of a thriving and diverse cultural community lives on. Our grants support scores of nonprofit arts organizations, from cornerstone institutions to grassroots startups. And our executive director, Susan Edmondson, is a leading voice for the role of the arts in economic development and our quality of life. We believe – as Bee did – that the arts are the heart and soul of a community. It is up to all of us – individual patrons, businesses, the public sector and foundations – to ensure that the arts continue to prosper. - George A. Vradenburg III, Board Chair - Phillip A. Kendall, Board President
The Bee Vradenburg Foundation celebrated its fifth anniversary with a gala reception in fall 2007 at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. More than 100 guests – grantees, artists, elected leaders and civic and business leaders – enjoyed remarks by Board Chair George Vradenburg and a special video presentation created by Springs Culture Cast. In the five years since its founding, the foundation has made grants and pledges totaling $1 million.
Also during the celebration, Mary Ellen McNally and Ann Fetsch, board members of the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra Endowment, presented the foundation with a check for $500,000, representing the remaining sum of that fund. The Bee Vradenburg Foundation is now the steward of the new Symphonic Music Fund, earmarked to support the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and symphonic music in the community into the future. The foundation is honored to be chosen as caretaker of the fund.
Guests to the anniversary party also were treated to complimentary notecards. The foundation is proud to feature the works of local artists Marina Eckler, Ken Riesterer and Steve Wood on its new stationery.
See how Bee’s vision for the community is coming alive.
Watch 5th Anniversary Video
Thanks to Colorado Culture Cast
In addition to its grantmaking, the Bee Vradenburg Foundation is deeply committed to researching and supporting efforts to strengthen the sustainability of the arts community and expand awareness and appreciation of its cultural assets.
Many foundation board members serve on boards of arts organizations in the region, and Executive Director Susan Edmondson serves the arts community in a variety of ongoing ways, including service on:
- Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR) board
- Experience Colorado Springs (Convention & Visitors Bureau) board
- Colorado Springs Downtown Development Authority board
- Colorado Springs World Arena (and Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts) board
- Pikes Peak Community Foundation Fund for the Arts committee
- Imagination Celebration Leadership Council
- City Auditorium task force
Much of Edmondson’s efforts in 2007 were focused on joining with many other community stakeholders to fully launch COPPeR programs, including the PeakRadar.com arts events website and The COPPeR Pages guidebook. As 2007 concluded, COPPeR had hired its first executive director, Bettina Swigger, and was poised to take occupancy of its new downtown storefront office. COPPeR’s formation involved many years of research and planning involving scores of volunteers, and Edmondson’s involvement in COPPeR continues as that of a dedicated founding board member.
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Bee an Arts Leader honoree Matt Mayberry, center, is joined by John Boddington of the Pioneers Museum board, left, and Bee Vradenburg Foundation President Phil Kendall |
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The second annual Bee an Arts Leader Award was presented to Matt Mayberry in April 2007 at the annual Arts / Business / Education luncheon. The award honors the legacy of Bee Vradenburg by recognizing an individual who has demonstrated sustained, passionate and innovative leadership toward advancing the arts in the Pikes Peak region. As cultural services manager for the City of Colorado Springs, Matt doesn’t just “manage” – he inspires. Matt oversees several city properties, including the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. The efforts of Matt and his staff truly came to fruition in 2006 with the yearlong Pike Bicentennial celebration, including three exquisite exhibits, scores of informational programs, and even the commissioning of an original opera. Perhaps most importantly, Matt is a passionate advocate for the “authenticity” of our community – ensuring that heritage and the arts are foremost in telling the story of this region’s unique attributes and vibrant identity.
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Susan Edmondson discusses findings from the Arts & Economic Prosperity report. |
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Nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences provide a $94.7 million impact to the metro Colorado Springs economy each year, and annual attendance at arts events tops 1.5 million children and adults. Those are just some of the findings of “Arts & Economic Prosperity,” a report commissioned by the Bee Vradenburg Foundation and released in 2007 by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region. The report’s release garnered extensive media coverage, and a sold-out audience learned of the findings at a luncheon sponsored jointly by COPPeR and the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation. At the lunch, local artists talked about their diverse roles in contributing to the region’s economic health and quality of life. Susan Edmondson presented a breakdown of the numbers, showing that spending by audiences of nonprofit arts organizations far exceeds that of similar-sized cities. The presentation was aired in its entirety on the Pikes Peak Library District’s cable-access channel, and the report has proved to be a valuable tool for organizations seeking to demonstrate the many ways the arts contribute to the community. The study was part of a larger national report of the economic impact of the arts in cities and regions across the country, conducted and released by Americans for the Arts.
2007 was an extraordinary year for the arts in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region. New festivals, major capital improvements and brilliant artistry combined in an exhilarating crescendo. The Bee Vradenburg Foundation was honored to play a supportive role in many of these achievements, and we also wish to shine a light on all the great work being done in the arts thanks to the dedication of artists, arts organizations, patrons, businesses and other committed funders.
Among just a few of the highlights of 2007:
- The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center successfully completed a $28.6 million capital campaign and expansion.
- The Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts completed a $5 million renovation.
- The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Theater Company and UCCS Theatreworks were honored with a collective 15 Denver Post Ovation nominations for excellence in theater statewide.
- COPPeR programming launched – to include the PeakRadar.com arts-events website and The COPPeR Pages, a free guidebook of more than 150 arts and cultural organizations.
- The 6 Women Playwriting Festival launched in partnership with Manitou Art Theater.
- A new festival – Everybody Welcome: A Celebration of Culture and Diversity – exposed a range of diverse performers and artists to the community.
- Imagination Celebration was honored with the Small Business Diversity Award by the Colorado Springs Coalition of Chambers (proudly nominated by Bee Vradenburg Foundation).
- Springs Culture Cast launched, with webcasts and radio and cable partnerships that brought the arts to people in a whole new and engaging fashion.
- Continuum: The Julie Penrose Fountain was dedicated in America the Beautiful Park – setting new and sophisticated standards for achievement in public art.
View the 2007 Power Point Presentation >>>click here
Grants Amateur Pianists International
Program support, $1,500
Business of Art Center
General operating support, $15,000
Center for Nonprofit Excellence
Partners in Philanthropy, $610
Chamber Orchestra of the Springs
Season support, $2,000
Colorado College
Summer Music Festival Program support, $1,750
Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute
“Asian Treasures” performance, $2,000
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
Gala opening, $2,100
Renaissance capital campaign, $10,000 (third payment of $50,000 commitment)
Colorado Springs Leadership Institute
Retreat creativity training, $1,000
Colorado Springs Philharmonic
General operating support, $25,000
Capacity building efforts, $8,000
Colorado Springs World Arena
Pikes Peak Center Encore Fund capital campaign, $30,000 (third payment of $150,000 commitment)
Colorado Springs Youth Symphony
Mozart String Project, Chamber Music Program, $5,000
Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region
General operating support, $10,000
Fractured Atlas Springs Culture Cast
general operating support, $2,000
Friends of the Pioneers Museum
General operating support, $1,000 (award chosen by Bee an Arts Leader honoree Matt Mayberry)
FutureSelf
Capacity building efforts, $3,000
Imagination Celebration
Diversity lunch, $310
Manitou Art Theater
Season support, $5,000
Opera Theatre of the Rockies
“Hansel & Gretel,” $10,000
Challenge grant, $5,000
Pikes Peak Arts Council
Pikes Peak Arts Fest support, $2,000
Pikes Peak Community College
Foundation Flamenco performance and theater analysis, $5,000
Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival
General operating support, $2,000
Pikes Peak Library District Foundation
Teen Center capital support, $5,000
Razzamataz
Fund “Galaxy the Cat” production, $1,750
Rocky Mountain Arts Association
Out Loud chorus season support, $3,000
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
General operating support, $1,000
Shivers Fund
Spirituals Project performance, $1,500
Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts
Concert series, $5,000
Velvet Hills Chorus
Sweet Adelines Concert support, $2,000
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
Photography exhibit, $1,500
Young Concert Artists
General operating support, $2,000
Total: $177,070
Our Goals Through its granting and other activities, Bee Vradenburg Foundation is keenly interested in the health of the arts community of the Pikes Peak region, especially the performing arts. Our grants touch many parts of the cultural sector, with particular interest in:
- Growing and sustaining cornerstone arts organizations that are part of the cultural fabric of the region.
- Supporting smaller, new and emerging arts organizations and artistic endeavors. We measure the effectiveness of our grants by their ability to achieve one or many of five primary goals:
- Building the capacity and effectiveness of arts organizations.
- Broadening, deepening and diversifying arts audiences.
- Encouraging employment in the arts sector and recognizing and advancing the talents and skills of individual artists.
- Supporting arts education and youth participation in the arts.
- Fostering diversity in artistic employment, art forms and arts audiences.
Organizations may apply for funding once per calendar year, regardless of whether a request is approved within that year. All organizations applying to the foundation must:
- Be a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization; or be an arts-oriented project or organization under the fiscal agency of a 501(c)3 organization.
- Be based in and serve the Pikes Peak region, defined as El Paso County and the Ute Pass corridor of Teller County to include Woodland Park.
- Have an active employment nondiscrimination policy signed by the board chair that is inclusive of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental handicap, veteran status and marital status.
The following activities or organizations are ineligible for funding from the foundation:
- Individual artists or art students.
- Organizations that are not legal nonprofits or under the fiscal agency of a nonprofit.
- Performances or arts events designed primarily as fund-raisers for non-arts organizations.
Grants are structured based on the size of organizations. Specifically:
- Organizations with prior-year or current-year revenues of $50,000 or less are eligible for a maximum grant of up to $2,500 per year. Applications for these Bee Grants must be completed by the deadlines stated below. Note: Any organization, regardless of size, may use the Bee Grant Application when applying for grants of $2,500 or less.
- Organizations with prior-year or current-year revenues of $50,001 or more are eligible for Standard Grants above $2,500 per year. Applicants must first send an Inquiry Application by the deadlines stated below. If the foundation is interested in learning more, organizations will then be asked to complete a Standard Grant Application. Please note that Standard Grants thus work through two cycles/deadlines of the foundation before final determination is made.
Bee Grant Applications, Inquiry Applications and Standard Grant Applications can be downloaded on our website, www.beevradenburgfoundation.org. One copy of the application should be mailed, along with proof of 501(c)3 status and nondiscrimination policy, to the address below. The foundation happily encourages phone calls and emails with any questions prior to submittal. Bee Grant Applications and Inquiry Applications are accepted year-round but must be received by 5 p.m. Jan. 1, April 1, July 1 or Oct. 1 to be considered during the quarterly trustee meetings. When those dates fall on a holiday or weekend, the weekday thereafter applies. The foundation will notify organizations within 45 days of the outcome of their submission.
Board of Directors
George A. Vradenburg III, Chair
Phillip A. Kendall, President
Kathleen Fox Collins, Secretary
Libby Rittenberg
Alissa Vradenburg
John Vradenburg
Tyler Vradenburg
Staff
Susan Edmondson, Executive Director
Email: susan@beevradenburgfoundation.org
Financial information for year ended December 31, 2007:
Grants paid: $177,070
Fair market value of investments: $5,436,043
Pursuant to IRS disclosure requirements, copies of the Form 990pf for the Bee Vradenburg Foundation are available by contacting the office, 719.477.0185.
Contact
Bee Vradenburg Foundation
730 North Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone 719.477.0185
Fax 719.389.1252
(download PDF)
Annual Report 2007
Annual Report 2006
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