ANN ARBOR, Mich.–Americans for the Arts has named University of Michigan Credit Union an Arts + Business Partnership Award honoree for 2021.
The Arts + Business Partnership Award is a national recognition given annually to businesses with mutually beneficial, innovative, and sustained partnerships with the arts. Each year, winners of this award are celebrated in October at the awards gala and become part of a network of like-minded businesses and leaders. These companies set the standard for excellence and serve as role models for others to follow, the CU said.
University Musical Society (UMS) nominated the University of Michigan Credit Union for this award for their Arts Adventures Program. UMS and a panel of judges comprised of members of the Americans for the Arts Business Committee for the Arts—leaders in arts and business from across the country—selected the University of Michigan Credit Union to be considered among this year’s award recipients.
“We are proud to nominate the University of Michigan Credit Union to highlight its steadfast commitment to sponsoring arts programming for the local community,” said Matthew VanBesien, President of University Musical Society. “Our partnership allows for programs like Arts Adventures to provide empowering arts experiences and create a lasting cultural resource for students and families in the region, both now and in the future.”
UMCU’s Arts Adventures Program was founded in 2016 with a $1.5 million investment to establish the first corporate endowment for the University Musical Society and the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA). The endowment allows UMS and UMMA to provide thousands of southeast Michigan community members, families, children, U-M students and faculty, and underserved communities with extraordinary access to affordable arts
“The University of Michigan Credit Union is committed to ensuring extraordinary arts experiences and programs are made widely available to all students and families in southeast Michigan while representing the vibrant diversity of our communities,” said UMCU President/CEO Tiffany Ford. “We know that when you make the arts more accessible today, it opens up a world of opportunity that will have a long-lasting effect on future generations.”