Initial applications are due on August 4, 2017 through the Foundation’s online portal. To access the online portal, you will have to...
Focus Area
Social Impact Theatre
We support theatres in Western states that are igniting positive changes in their communities through the programming they bring to life on stage. Our investments are guided by the fundamental belief in the power of live theatre to spark dialogue, bring different viewpoints together on challenging subjects, and provide a lens to process the critical issues of contemporary society.
We proudly recognize organizations that are intentional and innovative in engaging with their audiences around these issues, and are committed to reaching new audiences.
Eligible theatres can apply during the open phases of grant cycles. Due to COVID-19, our 2020 grant cycles are currently on hold. In 2021, we will move to a single, annual cycle, with more details on timing to come.
In Response to COVID-19
In response to the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on the theatre community, the Foundation made unrestricted donations to selected theatres and will not make production-specific grants for the remainder of 2020. When our Social Impact Theatre grant program returns in 2021, we look forward to including eligible theatres in Colorado and Arizona. Please reach out to Geri Auriemma, Foundation Coordinator, at geri@billerfamilyfoundation.org if you have any questions.
Social Impact Theatre
Recent Grant Recipients

A Contemporary Theatre
Sweat
Filled with warm humor and tremendous heart, Sweat is the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a gut-wrenching fight to stay afloat. Heartbreaking and surprisingly funny, Sweat is a 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner, written by multiple award-winner, Lynn Nottage.

Pasadena Playhouse
The Father
André was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Antoine. Or was André an engineer, whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pajamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control. Featuring acclaimed actor Alfred Molina (Frida, An Education, Enchanted April) in a tour-de-force role that will captivate audiences and leave you breathless.

Perseverance Theatre
Fun Home
Growing up in the funeral business with a uniquely dysfunctional family gives lesbian cartoonist Alison no end of material – but drawing on those childhood memories reveals more than the adult Alison expects. Can she reframe the picture and finally close the book? Winner of five 2015 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Fun Home is a ‘blazingly original heartbreaker and a nonstop treasure of invention’ (Newsday).

Shotgun Players
Side Effects
Remember the old Bernal Heights? Not the one full of joggers and little dogs. Who gets to flourish and who has to “get by” comes under the microscope in this new play by local luminary, Star Finch.

American Conservatory Theater
Toni Stone
Toni Stone was the first of three women to play pro baseball as part of the Negro League. Toni Stone is a baseball play that explores issues of racism, sex discrimination, Jim Crow laws, and American history, but at its core is a story of a real woman and remarkable athlete who knew who she was and demanded her place with the professionals.
Marin Theatre Company
Sovereignty
Sovereignty follows two timelines in the history of one Cherokee family and their fight for the self-determination of their nation. One timeline, in 2021, follows a female Cherokee lawyer, when she is sexually assaulted by her white fiance on Cherokee land, she must decide whether to bring the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. If she wins, Cherokee Nation will regain the right to prosecute all criminal offenses on its land; but if she loses, Cherokee Nation will be stripped of its last vestiges of sovereignty
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Sisters in Law
Sisters in Law features the relationship between two opposites and modern-day legends, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor. The production celebrates a friendship transcending party, religion, and culture, and explores the inexplicable bond between SCOTUS’ first two female justices as they grapple with matters of national law and personal belief.

The 5th Avenue Theatre
Rising Star Project
Since 2011, the Rising Star Project has opened the doors of The 5th Avenue Theatre to teenagers throughout Washington State. The Program focuses on career exploration and the development of professional skills. Participants are embedded within a working department at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Professional mentors work with students to learn skills and execute tasks that are crucial to the day-to-day operations of a regional theater company.

Taproot Theatre Company
We Will Not Be Silent
We Will Not Be Silent tells the true story of Sophie Scholl, a German college student who led a protest movement against the Nazi Party. At the age of 21, Sophie Scholl was arrested, tried for treason, and beheaded by the Nazi government. With the war as a backdrop, the production examines the role that ordinary Germans played in the rise of Hitler and the strength and courage that led a group of German students to risk their lives rather than be silent.
Where We Work
We fund eligible theatres in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
