The Music Center has recently received $2.7 million in donations from private foundations and individual donors that will be earmarked for capital costs of the newly renovated Music Center Plaza, along with free and low-cost programs covered by the organization’s TMC Arts Fund.

The new funds from the W.M. Keck Foundation and the S. Mark Taper Foundation will support the plaza renovation, and a gift from philanthropist Susan E. Kendall will benefit TMC Arts programming. Business leaders and philanthropists Terri and Jerry Kohl, founders of Brighton Collectibles, also provided $889,000 in matching funds to the TMC Arts Fund, which exceeds the Kohl’s original $500,000 challenge grant to help advance transformative arts experiences.

The TMC Arts Fund broadens access to the arts through public programs, education and dance, and supports free and low-cost arts and cultural programming on The Music Center Plaza and throughout its campus.

“With the comprehensive makeover of The Music Center Plaza, coupled with the launch of the TMC Arts Fund, which provides endless possibilities for programming that reflects and responds to the diversity of Los Angeles County, Angelenos now have a true town square, the ‘Plaza for All,’” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “We are very grateful to all our donors and the community for their embrace of The Music Center’s vision to deepen the cultural lives of all people in Los Angeles.”

The Music Center’s three original structures – Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre – are connected by an expansive outdoor plaza. The plaza’s renovation created a larger, more accessible outdoor space from Grand Park to the east and the Department of Water and Power building to the west. The Music Center Plaza was rededicated on Aug. 28, after a 20-month project.

The plaza serves as a public square where people can dine and gather and connect with friends and colleagues. The redesign doubled the occupancy of the space while creating a fifth, outdoor venue for The Music Center campus. The Very Special Arts Festival, Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival, Grand Avenue Arts All-Access, Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. and The Music Center’s Dance DTLA events are held on the plaza. For more information, visit musiccenter.org.