Joffrey Ballet Receives $5M Gift from The Grainger Foundation

The Gift will Endow and Rename The Joffrey Academy of Dance

The Joffrey Ballet has received a historic $5 million gift from Lake Forest-based Grainger Foundation to support the next generation of ballet and endow and rename the Joffrey Academy of Dance, the Official School of The Joffrey Ballet; announced recently by The Joffrey Ballet Board of Directors. Effective immediately, the Joffrey Academy of Dance will assume the name of Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet.

“The Grainger Foundation’s commitment to the Joffrey’s inclusive vision of dance education has been remarkable,” said Joffrey Ballet Board Chair Anne Kaplan, adding, “Over the past eight years, the Foundation has provided financial support for students of all backgrounds to receive resources towards holistic growth of the highest quality. This landmark endowment is an investment in gifted dancers and in the future success of the Joffrey.”

The Grainger Foundation states that it “believes in the transformative power of excellence in arts education. Our partnership with the Joffrey has opened many opportunities through scholarships, and with this gift, the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet will have additional well-deserved resources to remain a world-class training ground for young dancers.”

Since 2016, The Grainger Foundation’s gifts have enabled the Joffrey to create a documentary on the making of two-time Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker; funded scholarships for dozens of students in The Joffrey Academy of Dance via its $1 million five-year commitment beginning in 2020; and in 2022, invested in the future of the organization with a $1 million gift to the endowment for scholarships.

With The Grainger Foundation’s historic $5 million gift, the Joffrey will build upon its reputation as a world-class school that welcomes anyone with the passion, commitment, and talent to study dance. Scholarships and financial aid awards provide young people of all backgrounds with access to dance education, ensuring that no deserving student is denied this opportunity based on their ability to pay.

One of the most all-encompassing scholarship programs in the country, Joffrey’s funding for Studio Company dancers includes housing, dancewear, physical therapy, and cash stipends. As the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet, the school will continue to attract talent from around the world by increasing its scholarship offerings each year, providing wrap-around services for its students, and recruiting and retaining top-notch instructors.

Thinking strategically about the lifecycle of a dancer – from initial introduction to ballet to pre-professional training in the Academy to securing a company contract – the Joffrey offers pioneering programs that transition ballet trainees to Company Artists, embracing its position as one of the country’s premier ballet companies. The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE has overseen the growth of the Academy since its inception. The success of Wheater’s vision to advance the next generation of artists is realized through the roster of Academy students who have accepted contracts at some of the most respected ballet companies in the world, including Paris Opera Ballet, English National Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theater, San Francisco Ballet, and The Joffrey Ballet. As of the 2024-25 season, one-third of Joffrey’s Company Artists are Academy graduates. Wheater noted, “We are entrusted with a beautiful responsibility in our Academy: to provide an environment where tomorrow’s dancers challenge themselves, grow, and ultimately flourish. It takes passionate and committed partners to build a world-class institution, and The Grainger Foundation’s impact on the next generation of Joffrey students cannot be overstated.”

“This is a pivotal moment for all of us at The Joffrey Ballet, especially for students and their families who dream of opportunities to experience dance regardless of their financial means,” said Joffrey Ballet President and CEO Greg Cameron. “The Joffrey’s track record for advancing students from our training programs to a company contract is outstanding for a major dance organization. The Grainger Foundation’s gift not only moves our dancers, art form, institution, and city forward, but also inspires hope and a brighter future for our students.” Cameron adds, “In the space of the arts, friendship is so important. I share my gratitude to The Grainger Foundation for our longstanding relationship.”

Abbott Academy Director Suzanne Lopez added, “It has been a phenomenal year of growth, and now we have a momentous endowment from The Grainger Foundation to support the Academy and the future of dance education. Words cannot express our gratitude for The Grainger Foundation and their generosity which spans many years.”

The Grainger Foundation, an independent private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois, provides support to a broad range of organizations, including educational, medical, cultural, and human services institutions. The Grainger Foundation was established in 1949 by William Wallace Grainger, founder of W.W. Grainger, Inc., North America’s leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating products (MRO), with operations also in Japan and the United Kingdom.

Founded in 2010 as the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet provides students of all ages, levels, and backgrounds with a world-class education built on a foundation of classical ballet.  

Based in the heart of Chicago’s theater district, the 20,000-square-foot Exelon Education Center at Joffrey Tower, home to the Academy, boasts four state-of-the-art studios and facilities. In 2021, The Joffrey Ballet acquired two more state-of-the-art studios in the South Loop of Chicago. In addition, the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet received the Boeing Game Changer Award in recognition of its efforts to make dance accessible to everyone.  

The Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet, located in Chicago, Illinois, is the only school that follows the organizational mission, training syllabi, and artistic vision of The Joffrey Ballet. No other program, including those holding the Joffrey name, is sanctioned by The Joffrey Ballet.  For more information on the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, please visit joffrey.org/academy.