Cleveland Public Theatre's largest capital campaign is getting a boost and a challenge: $4 million toward its $12 million goal.
The funds will become available as they're matched by CPT's own fundraising: $1 from the Mandel Foundation for every $1.50 raised by the theater.
The announcement comes just days after a $6 million bequest from the estate of Cleveland-based designer Joan Yellen Horvitz. A third of that amount is slated for the campaign too.
Raymond Bobgan, CPT's executive artistic director, said it's not simply a donation of "a lot of money."
"It really is an endorsement from a group that has really set a high bar for leadership and has really dug into what CPT is and what our impact will be," he said. "Part of this is not just about the funds, but about the momentum this creates for our campaign."
The campaign, which also received $500,000 in state funding, aims to update the facade and lobby at the theater in Gordon Square. Bobgan said they're operating out of several buildings of varying age – and they were never intended to function as a unified campus.
"We have children who come here in a totally free after-school program for young people," he said. "In the summer, we're employing 35 teenagers from across our community to make theater. We want them to walk into spaces that feel professional, that really value them as artists."
Plans also include refurbishing the former St. Mary’s Orthodox Church on Detroit Avenue. CPT purchased the early 20th-century structure almost 20 years ago. It currently has no working restrooms or wheelchair accessibility. Bobgan said they’ll begin transforming the brick building in November.
"Then in the first half of 2026, we plan to break ground on the rest of the project," he said. "It would be a wonderful wish that everything would be completed by Pandemonium, which is the first Saturday after Labor Day in 2026."
CPT's annual operating budget is $2.5 million, supporting 22 full-time and 12 part-time employees along with artists creating performances and educational programming.
