Weekender Encore: "Amplifi" Napa Valley — A New Fund for Performing Arts
By Evy Warshawski
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — It is the rare social occasion where I don’t encounter someone bemoaning the evolution of the Napa Valley Opera House from its previous nonprofit incarnation.
Luckily, every cloud has a silver lining.
In 2021 the Opera House was sold and saved thanks to the generosity of John and Michele Truchard, co-owners of Jam Cellars. The price tag was $4.2 million dollars.
The majority of those funds were put into a board-restricted corpus designed to help support the development of local live performance. This ingenious plan was developed by former Opera House board members Gordon Huether and DJ Smith.
Two years later, a group of community arts activists completed the establishment of a nonprofit charitable organization under the working name of “Napa Valley Presents,” recently re-named “Amplifi Napa Valley.”
Its mission, according to its website, is to “deliver strategic investments to amplify Napa Valley as a hub for live performance and innovative cultural experiences.” The funds are truly a boon to the future of the performing arts in the valley and an exciting new source of support for nonprofit arts organizations and independent artists.
“The first year, 2022, was primarily board operated, and the first round of grant funding was board driven,” said Olivia Dodd, the organization’s first executive director hired in 2023. “We have spent a lot of time on our listening tours, developing our strategies, building infrastructure, monitoring current grants, identifying potential grant recipients and developing partnerships so that when we started talking to the public, we had a solid plan and organization.”
Current Amplifi board members include:
Drew Becher, board chair (CEO, SF Parks Alliance)
Mel Preimesberger, vice chair (independent educational consultant)
Paul Cantey, secretary-treasurer (retired aerospace executive)
Gordon Huether, immediate past chair (Gordon Huether Art)
Greg Brun (commercial real estate professional)
Angela Cooper (marketing executive)
Valerie Gargiulo (Gargiulo Vineyards)
Michael Holcomb (broker, W Real Estate)
Peg Maddocks (retired tech and nonprofit executive)
Beverly Shotwell (The Fink)
Joel Tranmer (retired entrepreneur, former Land Trust CEO)
To date, grants have totaled about $160,000. Funding amounts are based on average investment returns of roughly 5%, a standard industry practice.
Recipients of first-year funding include, among others: Matthew Osivwemu (Oke Junior) hosting a “Dare to be Different” hip hop show at The Garden in downtown Napa; Dia de los Muertos featuring Spanish language performers on the mainstage of the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center; the annual “A Capella Extravaganza” at Uptown Theater; and funding support for the incubation of the Napa Valley Puppet Fest at The White Barn.
Additional funds for distribution were just given a bump, as the 2010-established Napa Valley Performing Arts Foundation looked to close operations and sought to identify a new home for the remaining funds.
In those coffers sat $950,000 from the late Belle and Barney Rhodes. Together with Valerie Gargiulo, niece and executor of the Rhodes estate, the landmark gift was awarded to Amplifi for the creation of the Belle and Barney Rhodes Fund for Performing Arts, with grants that will be earmarked to encourage musical education, opportunities and exposure with an emphasis on youth.
“It is a well thought-out plan and best for the monies to be put to the highest and best use,” Gargiulo said. “We have been good stewards of Barney and Belle’s generosity, and they would be pleased with our thoughtful decision to create an even greater impact.”
I asked Olivia about the need for Amplifi to fundraise with a substantial amount of dollars already in the bank.
“We want to be a sustainable fund that supports both organizations and individuals and not a spend-down fund, where we spend everything we have,” she said. “We know how difficult it is to have consistent funding opportunities for performance. We believe that Napa County needs a steady partner to support the incubation and acceleration of programs and artists that will develop our community’s capacity in live performance and one that will grow with the community.”
“We see ourselves as strategic fundraisers and fund investors. To do that well, we want to grow the assets we have available to give. Right now, we are capped at about $250,000 per year, which is nice but sort of a drop-in-the-bucket in terms of need. It’s our role to augment and make greater, not replace, what is happening. Our goal is to bring more resources to the community in terms of funds, attention and connections. The goal is not competitive but additive.”
Amplifi board and staff have a very hands-on, collaborative approach to seeking out potential applicants and to funding decisions. Moving forward, grants will range from $5,000 to $30,000 for organizational projects and programs and $1,000 to $10,000 for individuals.
“We will consider requests outside of that range on a case-by-case basis,” said Olivia. “The new process is that we search for opportunities, recommendations, nominations and information throughout the community.”
“Anyone can submit a concept or let us know about an artist by accessing the forms on our website currently in Spanish and English. We also do site visits and have lots of meetings with prospects to get to know them. We ask our board, advisors and partners to share what they may have seen and know.”
“We then take those ideas and artists and vet them against our strategic priorities with a small group of professional outside advisors. We then get to invite the top candidates to apply for funding. It’s important to us to be approachable in the process so we encourage people to call or email with questions, and we’ll help guide them through.”
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Evy Warshawski, a performing arts presenter for over 30 years, is the former director of the Napa Valley Opera House and has co-directed E & M Presents for the past decade, bringing professional touring artists to Napa Valley with a focus on family-friendly performances.