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# Ahmanson Foundation Grant Boosts Madison Project Arts Center in Santa Monica
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/052105-story-20050521/
- Published: 2005-05-21T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:11:16.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

Arts education in Santa Monica just got a new boost. The Madison Project of Santa Monica College has received a grant from the Ahmanson Foundation for the construction of its new visual and performing arts center located at 11th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard.

“We are so thrilled to be receiving this most generous gift from the Ahmanson Foundation for the capital campaign of the Madison Project,” said its director, Dale Franzen. “Having the support and trust of this very prestigious foundation is crucial to any capital effort for an arts and education project. We are deeply grateful and honored.”

The Ahmanson Foundation, incorporated as a private foundation in California in 1952, was established by financier Howard F. Ahmanson and his wife, Dorothy. Its corpus was augmented in later years by his two nephews Robert H. Ahmanson and William H. Ahmanson. The foundation’s broad purpose is to administer funds for charitable, scientific, educational, literary, and religious purposes, all for the public welfare, according to officials.

The Madison Project is an arts education and community outreach organization that designs innovative arts education programs for children and adults, and is currently building a 541-seat theater that will feature both student work and professional engagements in music, theater and dance.

The $30.78 million center, designed by Zecchetto Architects of Santa Monica, is funded with a combination of public and private funds and is scheduled to be completed in early 2007.

Recent productions include 2004’s staging of “Brundibar” and the upcoming “Manzanar: An American Story” in June. For more information about the Madison Project, contact Franzen at (310) 434-3430, or visit http://www.smc.edu/madison.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 21, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052105.pdf?ref=smdp.com)