Dennis Mangers Fund for Young Performing Artists

Helping low-income youth pursue their passion for performing

Named for Dennis Mangers, former Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, whose career in public service has spanned five decades, the Foundation’s Dennis Mangers Fund for Young Performing Artists supports young performing artists from underserved backgrounds in the Sacramento region, ensuring they enjoy increased access to performing arts education and training.

The cause is a personal one for Mangers. At a concert held in 2015 to launch the Fund, he recalled the barriers he encountered as a young man who loved the performing arts but whose family was unable to afford the costs of private arts instruction. Even when his music teachers in school noted his talent – and passion – for singing, he was unable to pursue further training. 

Now a part of the Foundation’s commitment to Transform the Creative Economy, one of our Strategic Initiatives, the Fund helps foster a thriving cultural community in the Sacramento region.

After impressing the crowd with a performance from The Lion King made possible by a grant from the Dennis Mangers Fund for Young Performing Artists, the young man playing Simba shook Dennis' hand.

In total, nonprofit organizations in the Sacramento region have received $70,000 to help hundreds of low-income youth in the Sacramento region access high-quality performing arts instruction.