Alvin Ailey Company to Get $10 Million Endowment for Artistic Director

Daria Wallach gave $10 million to the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation to endow the company’s artistic director post. Wallach, the chair of Ailey’s board and a retired leader in the financial services industry, announced the gift.

The newly endowed position will be named for Wallach and her husband, Eric J. Wallach. Alicia Graf Mack, who was named the company’s fourth artistic director in November 2024, will be the first to hold the endowed title.

The $10 million endowment is expected to produce about $500,000 a year to help cover part of Mack’s compensation. Ailey’s annual budget is roughly $50 million, with about two-thirds coming from earned revenue.

Bennett Rink, the company’s executive director, said an endowment provides a steady source of funds and allows for more long-term planning. The gift was announced as the company set out on a 20-city tour.

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