Leckrone Arts Fund

An initiative of Friends of COPA

Expanding Access to COPA

Inspired by Mike Leckrone

The Leckrone Arts Fund is inspired by Mike Leckrone, whose decades of leadership in music, education, performance, and community engagement have helped generations experience the power of the arts.

Through Friends of COPA, the Leckrone Arts Fund is being developed as a long-term charitable resource to help expand access to COPA for eligible artists, organizations, educators, learners, and other community users.

Why the Leckrone Arts Fund?

Access to the arts can strengthen creativity, learning, connection, confidence, and community at every stage of life. Yet the cost of high-quality creative space and programs can be a barrier for some artists, educators, organizations, learners, and community users.

The Leckrone Arts Fund is being developed by Friends of COPA to help bridge that gap—expanding access for eligible COPA users while supporting the responsible operation and long-term care of the shared creative infrastructure that makes their work possible.

Building a Resilient Resource for Arts Access

Friends of COPA is advancing an initial $5 million capitalization goal for the Leckrone Arts Fund. The Fund is being developed as a Resilience Fund—a long-term charitable resource designed to expand arts access while remaining responsive to changing community needs and opportunities.

  • Build a sustainable charitable resource dedicated to expanding access to COPA.
  • Help eligible users participate without requiring COPA to routinely discount the value of its facilities and services.
  • Preserve appropriate flexibility as COPA, its users, and community needs evolve.
  • Grow the Fund responsibly over time—the $5 million goal is an initial capitalization target, not a ceiling.
Pianist

I believe strongly there must always be opportunities and facilities for young men and women to puruse a passion for the arts.

MIKE LECKRONE
Professor Emeritus of Music, UW–Madison
Director, UW Marching Band (1969–2019)
COPA Lead Community Ambassador

Friends of COPA develops and stewards the Leckrone Arts Fund to help expand access to COPA.

COPA Inc. develops and operates the shared creative platform. Friends of COPA builds charitable resources that help more people participate. The organizations are separate 501(c)(3) public charities with complementary responsibilities.

The Leckrone Arts Fund’s initial $5 million capitalization goal is a Friends of COPA initiative and is separate from COPA Inc.’s campus-development fundraising. Together, these efforts support one shared vision: build the platform, operate it responsibly, and expand access.

The Leckrone Arts Fund is an initiative of Friends of COPA, a separate 501(c)(3) public charity that develops and stewards charitable resources to help expand access to COPA.