Endowment

In 1994, the Board of the Arts Council of Northwest Florida authorized four Endowment funds to support programs in memory of three wonderful friends of the Performing Arts and a special fund for the Visual Arts. These named endowments afford our members and others in the community the opportunity to make memorial gifts to the art form(s) of most interest or the individual(s) they choose to honor. The endowment funds are as follows:

• "Vera Awards" for Theatre in honor of Vera Lawbaugh
• "Elvie DeMarko Awards" for Dance
• "Muriel Shugart Awards" for Music
• "Ars Longa Vita Brevis Awards" for the Visual Arts (trans. Art is forever, life is short)

The purpose of Arts Council Endowment funds is to preserve the principal of the fund in perpetuity while using the interest generated to support important cultural programs. An undesignated category was added the following year so the Board can best meet future needs. These Endowment Funds will help to ensure the long-term future of the arts in Northwest Florida.