MetLife, Inc.
MetLife Foundation
(Received Award as Metropolitan Life Insurance Company/Metropolitan Life Foundation)
New York, New York
 
Bestowed 1996

MetLife, Inc. [formerly Metropolitan Life Insurance Company] has been supporting the arts since 1958 when the company made a lead grant toward the construction of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., New York, New York. Since 1977 MetLife has provided support for the arts through the MetLife Foundation. In 1995 MetLife and the MetLife Foundation allocated more than $3 million to the arts.

MetLife has benefited the arts, business and the community by:

• Creating a number of innovative programs including: Partnerships: Arts and the Schools, a program designed to foster collaborative projects between cultural organizations and public schools; Arts Partnerships Program, which links cultural organizations with community organizations; and Artist and Homeless Collaborative Project of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, New York, which brings homeless youths to the museum and museum educators to homeless shelters to conduct writing and drawing projects.
• Developing the Dance Collaborations Program to enable established dance companies to commission new works and to provide opportunities for choreographers to develop their craft. In 1995, the foundation made grants to Ballet Hispanico of New York, Inc., the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the José Limón Dance Foundation and the Parsons Dance Foundation, all of New York, New York.
• Forming a partnership with the Theatre Communications Group, Inc. (TCG) to develop the TCG/MetLife Foundation Extended Collaboration program. This program encourages collaborations between directors, playwrights and others to create new theater works.
• Supporting exhibitions that promote appreciation and understanding of various cultures. In 1995, exhibitions supported by the foundation included “In the Spirit of Resistance,” which examined the influence of Mexican-American muralists on the work of African-American artists; “Bridges and Boundaries: African-Americans and American Jews,” which explored similarities in experiences between the two groups; and a retrospective of the African-American photographer Roy DeCarava. The foundation was the sole sponsor of the 1995-1996 Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble Tour to 40 U.S. communities and was the lead sponsor of the 1995 Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra Tour, “The Majesty of Louis Armstrong,” which featured performances in 21 U.S. cities.
• Structuring an innovative re-financing arrangement for the New York Dance Center — home of American Ballet Theatre and Feld Ballet, New York, New York, as well as the site of many rehearsal studios and theater design studios — through its Social Investment Program. The $2.5 million loan, with a below-market interest rate, guaranteed the survival of the center.
• Supporting public radio and television programs. For 12 seasons MetLife has been the sole sponsor of “Adam Smith” on PBS. In 1995, the foundation was also the sole sponsor of “BAM Radio,” a Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) performance series, broadcast on Public Radio International (PRI) and National Public Radio (NPR). Additionally, the foundation was the lead sponsor of the 1995 season of “Jazz From Lincoln Center” on NPR.
• Sponsoring cultural programs, including art exhibition and free lunch-time performances, in the MetLife Building in New York, New York through The MetLife Real Estate Investments Division.
• Establishing the Volunteer Ventures Program in 1990 to encourage and recognize employee volunteerism. MetLife employee volunteers may apply for $1,000 grants to benefit the organizations they serve. Each year, cultural organizations and other not-for-profit organizations throughout the United States receive approximately $100,000 through this program. MetLife employees also serve on the boards of directors of arts and cultural organizations throughout the United States.