Thea Foundation receives $7.9 million from Windgate Foundation

The Thea Foundation has received a $7.5 million endowment and $400,000 bridge grant from the Windgate Foundation. It is the largest investment in Thea Foundation’s history.

Housed and managed by the Arkansas Community Foundation, the endowment will support Thea’s Art Closet and Arts Reconstruction programs, ensuring their long-term impact in Arkansas public schools.

The Windgate Foundation has been a partner of Thea Foundation for 15 years, funding scholarships and supporting arts initiatives that have empowered teachers and students. This endowment underscores Windgate’s continued belief in the power of arts education to shape young lives.

“We are honored by Windgate’s trust in our mission and the programs we’ve built,” said Nick Leopoulos, executive director of Thea Foundation. “This endowment will allow us to deepen our reach and sustain our work for generations to come. We cannot thank Windgate enough for their unwavering support.”

Robyn Horn, chair of the Windgate Foundation Board and 2016 recipient of Thea Foundation’s Pillar of the Arts award, has championed Thea’s mission for years—as a donor, board member, and advocate.

“Throughout my long association with the Thea Foundation, first as a board member then as a funder, I have felt that their intense focus to encourage students to be creative is essential,” said Horn. “The basic premise of their Art Closet program, enabling art teachers to access supplies necessary to allow creativity to prosper, has been successful since its inception. Windgate is proud to be a part of their efforts and we hope that this grant will continue to support the arts in the Arkansas schools well into the future.”

Thea Foundation serves 16% of classrooms across Arkansas through its programming and provides resources and professional development to 15–20 central Arkansas teachers each year through Arts Reconstruction. This endowment will allow both programs to continue at their current capacity and expand sustainably over time.

The Thea Foundation’s mission is to advocate the importance of the arts in the development of youth. Since 2002, Thea Foundation has awarded more than $3.4 million in scholarships to Arkansas students and provided more than $3.1 million in art supplies and creative materials to underfunded schools through the Art Closet program.

Named for the daughter of Paul and Linda Leopoulos, Thea Foundation carries on the legacy of Thea Kay Leopoulos, who thrived academically, socially and emotionally thanks to her artistic pursuits.