Arts Council Silicon Valley Sets Record For Workplace Giving Program

San Jose, CA., April 5, 2004 – Arts Council Silicon Valley today announced that its annual workplace-giving program, ArtsChoice™, has exceeded its campaign goal and raised more than $108,000 to support local arts organizations. This represents a 4.5% increase over last year’s campaign, which topped $100K for the first time in the program’s 12-year history.

“Given the number of job losses in the Valley, we’re extremely pleased at the level of participation from local employees,” said Arts Council Executive Director Bruce W. Davis. “When people vote with their paycheck, it’s a concrete demonstration of the role the arts play in people’s lives and its importance in the community.”

ArtsChoice is conducted on behalf of more than 130 local arts and cultural organizations at 15 sites throughout Santa Clara County . ArtsChoice sites include municipalities, universities and corporations such as Applied Materials, the county of Santa Clara — where giving was up 11%, and the city of San Jose and Campbell, which were up 12% and 25%, respectively. This innovative program is one of only two programs in California raising money for the arts in the workplace, and is often conducted simultaneously with existing employee giving programs or United Way campaigns. Employees can designate the arts organization(s) they wish to support through a payroll deduction system.

More than 91% of this designated revenue goes directly to the arts groups without any restrictions on how they use the funds. These proceeds are particularly meaningful for the smaller arts groups that may not have the resources to run their own campaigns or even to have dedicated fundraising staff. The campaign also provides Silicon Valley companies and their employees with an additional philanthropic option for contributing to a cause that directly impacts their personal lives and the communities in which they work and live.

Incorporated in 1983, Arts Council Silicon Valley is a regional nonprofit arts agency, dedicated to supporting arts and culture throughout Santa Clara County by providing funding, advocacy and technical support, and marketing and fundraising services,to the region’s arts organizations and artists. As the official state/local partner with the California Arts Council and the County of Santa Clara , Arts Council Silicon Valley is now the largest nonprofit arts council in the state. Over the past 11 years, Arts Council Silicon Valley has distributed nearly $6.5 million to local arts and cultural organizations, individual artists, schools and community groups.