When Laura Lazarus Goldstein, C’91, PAR’23, and Saul Goldstein, G’96, W’96, PAR’23, decided to support the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, they wanted to have an immediate impact on the arts at Penn and ensure support for years to come.
Current and Future Impact
A new gift fuels arts innovation at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Published: June 16, 2021
That desire led them to make a gift to the Annenberg Center’s Annual Fund and create a new endowment in support of artistic innovation. While their support of the Annual Fund will help the Annenberg Center bring talented artists and performers to campus and engage Penn students in their creative endeavors, the new Lazarus-Goldstein Endowment for Artistic Innovation will provide ongoing opportunities in the performing arts for the Penn and West Philadelphia communities in perpetuity.
“Thanks to Laura and Saul’s gift, we can strengthen our commitment to staging innovative performances that connect with our campus community and beyond,” says Christopher Gruits, Executive and Artistic Director of the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
“The arts give students the opportunity to collaborate and celebrate their achievements together,” says Laura, who is also a member of the Annenberg Center’s Board of Advisors. “They gain the opportunity to build community while learning essential skills that will aid them in any field that they choose to pursue.”
“We decided to create an endowment because we wanted to provide long-term support for the performing arts at Penn,” adds Saul. “The arts fulfill a vital role in the development of students and in our society as a whole.”
Just as accelerating impact is a pillar of the Penn Compact, it’s also a key tenet of Laura and Saul’s philanthropy. In addition to their gift to the Annenberg Center, they have supported the Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies, where Saul earned his M.B.A. from Wharton along with an M.A. in International Studies.
They also created the Saul Goldstein and Laura Lazarus Endowed Fund for Dermatology at Penn Medicine. The fund provides research support for the holder of the Sandra J. Lazarus Professorship of Dermatology, which was created in honor of Laura’s mother.
Thanks to Laura and Saul’s gift, we can strengthen our commitment to staging innovative performances that connect with our campus community and beyond”Christopher Gruits, Executive and Artistic Director
When deciding where to direct their philanthropy, Laura and Saul look closely at the organizations that are already having an impact on the world—which pointed them right to their alma mater.
“We look for the institutions that are doing innovative things,” says Laura. “And that’s why we support Penn.”
Header Image: Ripe Time Theatre, An Adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s novel Sleep. Photo by Julieta Cervantes
