Fairgame Arts Grants Awarded to 44 Organizations in 17 Counties

SCHENECTADY — The Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fairgame has awarded Fairgame Arts Grants to 44 non-profit arts and cultural organizations in the three New York state casino regions: Capital, Catskills and Southern Tier/Finger Lakes.   

Awardees in Saratoga County are: Lake George Opera Festival Association, Inc., dba Opera Saratoga, $5,000; Saratoga Chamber Players, Inc., $1,700, and The Creative Place International, $4,425. 

In February, groups in 27 counties were invited to submit for grants ranging from $1,000–$5,000, subsidized by gaming revenues from Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, Resorts World Catskills, del Lago Resort & Casino and Tioga Downs Casino Resort.   

A total of 85 applications were received statewide, with 44 being awarded in 17 counties, amounting to $138,800. Distribution regionally: Capital Region, $45,300; Catskill Region, $64,875; and Southern Tier / Finger Lakes Region, $28,625.   

The coalition, a group of a dozen performing arts centers, was created in partnership with the casinos specifically to foster economic cooperation amongst the entities. Through its community commitment, the coalition created Fairgame Arts Grants, to fund programs to support organizations in the associated regions. The Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fairgame includes Bardavon (Poughkeepsie), Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (Bethel), Clemens Center (Elmira), Forum Theatre (Binghamton), Palace Performing Arts Center (Albany), Proctors (Schenectady), Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s Auditorium Theatre (Rochester), Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs City Center, State Theatre of Ithaca, Times Union Center (Albany) and Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.