The Educational Theatre Foundation and Music Theatre International are pleased to announce that high schools and middle schools in California that suffered damage to their theatre programs from the wildfires that plagued the state in 2018 are eligible to apply for a grant funded by MTI.

The 2018 wildfire season was the most destructive on record in California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the National Interagency Fire Center . The MTI California Fire Relief Grants offer ten $1,000 grants to high school and middle school theatre programs in California that were negatively impacted by wildfires in 2018. Impact may include damage or destruction of equipment and facilities, cancellations of events, loss of projected revenue, dislocation of faculty and students, and related issues.

The ETF grant application site is now open with applications due March 15 at 11:59pm PST. Grant recipients will be notified and announced by mid-April.

ETF President, Julie Cohen Theobald, said, "We are so grateful to generous donors and partners such as MTI who appreciate how having theatre in schools has a positive impact on the entire school and its community. These grants are in direct support of ETF's mission to provide financial support to enhance theatre education and expand access to school theatre programs for every child in America."

MTI President and CEO, Drew Cohen, said, "MTI is pleased to offer our support to some of the schools affected by the devastating wildfires throughout California. The arts have a unique power to make a difference in people's lives, and we hope that these grants enable the theatre programs impacted by these tragedies to flourish and help heal their communities."