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“The Frank Lloyd Wright/Globe-Miami Project will bring innovative designs and sustainable solutions to many challenges our community faces,” says Linda Oddonetto, Board President. “We believe they have the ability to impact a wide range of local issues from youth programs, to community engagement and economic development and will benefit many agencies we already support and create additional opportunities for our community as a whole.”
The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, with campuses in Scottsdale, Arizona and Madison Wisconsin, is undergoing a rare fundraising campaign to secure their future and meet new accreditation guidelines which were targeted to address abuses happening at other institutions where federal dollars were being used for student loans. The FLW school found themselves being swept into the same pool of institutions because of their integral relationship with the Frank Lloyd Write Foundation which manages the schools’ campus where over 100,000 visitors trek each year. The new guidelines will require the school to stand apart – at least financially – from the foundation.
The stakes are high; if the school does not secure $2 million in pledges by the end of this year (an amount which will ensure their sustainability for the next five years), the school itself will cease to exist in 2017. And no one wants to see that happen.
The Campaign for Independence had raised nearly 1.3 million dollars towards their goal prior to the pledge from United Fund last week. Now, they are just $300,000 away from meeting their goal and securing their future – and the launch of the Globe-Miami project. The pledges, which are to be paid out over the next four years with the first payment due the end of 2016, will sustain the school through 2019 during which time they will create new funding sources for the long term viability of the school.
As part of this campaign, the school plans to make Globe-Miami the focus of their programs for the next four years and have offered a package of services which have been heavily discounted for this one time event in the life of the venerable school.
It’s reminiscent of the famous Tom Cruise quote, “Help us, help you, help us.” Both parties benefit.
It is a rare opportunity for both Globe-Miami and the school itself to show what can be done when you apply creative, innovative design solutions to the challenges faced in our rural community. The presence of the school and their efforts here will also bring substantial attention to Globe-Miami resulting in more traffic, tourism opportunities as well as a potential for additional investment and future projects. If Globe-Miami helps Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture stay alive, they will help Globe-Miami find ways to thrive.
“We want to be here,” says Jason Donofrio, Director of Development at the school, citing the area’s unique landscape, history, architectural significance and community-wide interest which has been shown from the very beginning.
“We have said no to other funding opportunities,” said Donofrio, ” explaining that while the school could have sought out other funding opportunities they chose to focus on Globe-Miami and make this community their project for the next four years.
The proximity to the Scottsdale location and the opportunity that creates to showcase the school’s work with visitors, public and future students of Taliesin West is valuable to both the school and the community.
The campaign must receive all pledges by the first week in December to meet the demands of the new accreditation ruling. The school has raised nearly 1.7 million and has just ten days to raise the final $300,000 to secure their future and ensure the Globe-Miami partnership.
Donofrio will be presenting before the Town of Miami tonight, November 23rd and City of Globe on Tuesday, November 24th to ask them to sign off on letters of support indicating their willingness to work with the school as they develop projects throughout the area and their support towards the project’s success. They are not asking for taxpayer money from these entities.
Mary Anne Moreno, a United Fund Board member says the group will help people think outside of the box which, “is a good thing,” she says. The Board hopes their pledge will encourage others in the community to sign pledges in time to secure this opportunity for Globe-Miami’s future.
For more information or to schedule a presentation:
Contact: Jason Donofrio
Director of Development
jdonofrio@taliesin.edu
602-820-1913
Pledge Forms *To donate please download the pledge form and donor permission form indicating your pledge is to be used for the Globe-Miami Revitalization Studio Project.
Both the pledge form and letter of support may be emailed directly to Jason Donofrio or dropped off at the front desk at the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts.
Letter of Support
*Note: You may write your own letter of support for the project or use this template and put it on your letterhead. Taliesin Letter of Support-4
Information on Frank Lloyd Wright: “FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT CHANGED THE WAY WE BUILD AND LIVE.”
Information on the School of Architecture:
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Writer, photographer. Passionate foodie, lover of good books and storytelling. Lives in Globe. Plays in the historic district. Travels when possible.
