8 Georgia theaters awarded grants totaling $500,000 for major improvements

Christmas has come early to eight historic theaters and cultural landmarks across Georgia.

Through its Fox Gives initiative, the Fox Theatre has awarded $500,000 in grants to fund rehabilitation projects and upgrades, from restoring original architectural details to purchasing new seating and replacing outdated auditorium lighting.

The venues include Athens’ Morton Theatre, which received $57,000, Rome’s DeSoto Theatre, which received $62,500, and Columbus’ Springer Opera House, which received $58,500. The largest amount was awarded to Sautee Nacoochee in White County, which received $100,000 for the second phase of a multiyear project to restore a historic gymnasium at a cultural center that dates back to the 1930s.

This is the 17th year Fox Gives has awarded grants since its inception in 2008. The initiative was created to breathe new life into Georgia’s historic theaters by supporting preservation efforts, as well as providing operational consultation and professional development services.

In just under two decades it has contributed more than $4 million to more than 50 theaters, including the Plaza Theatre in Poncey-Highland and 7 Stages Theatre in Little Five Points. Some of this year’s recipients have been included in other Fox grant cycles.

Such an initiative is befitting of the Fox, said Leigh Burns, Fox Gives’ director of community partnerships.

“For us to have that success and pay it forward, it’s the legacy of the Fox Theatre,” Burns said. Referring to the campaign in the 1970s that prevented the demolition of the Fox and raised money to reopen it, she said: “We were saved. We certainly don’t want other theaters to face that. That’s a big part of why we give back.”

Much of Fox Gives’ work is in the rural parts of the state, Burns said. Past recipients include theaters in Springfield, Hogansville, McRae and Eatonton.

The hope is that students, couples looking for a date night or anyone curious about the arts won’t have to go into the next county or the nearest major city to find a theater. Instead, theaters can be celebrated as a local landmark.

“A big part of what we do at Fox Gives is around economic development,” Burns said. “We want to see a Main Street thriving, and we do think that theater is a huge component of that. It’s a place where, unlike a courthouse, a school or other key landmarks, the theater is really there for entertainment and fun and celebration. It’s where all types of people gather. So it’s a great way to instill a sense of community.”

Another hope is that the rehabilitation projects will create a halo effect, Burns said. A theater reopening with new programming could lead to restaurants or other businesses staying open for longer or new ones to open.

Last year, Fox Gives launched a separate grant program that funds a single organization over two to four years. The first recipient was the Hart County Community Theatre. In 2026, it will announce its second grant of that same amount for another theater.