Bryn Mawr Film Institute Receives $250,000 Challenge Grant

The got a welcome surprise last week.

On Nov. 7, Chairman Samuel Scott announced that an anonymous donor issued the local institution a challenge grant—pledging to match the next $250,000 in contributions the theater receives in its $5.5 million campaign to finance building renovations. The theater is less than a million dollars away from meeting this goal.

The donor made one stipulation: the theater atrium be named after Institute founder Juliet Goodfriend. It's a condition the board readily accepted.

“The Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s Board of Directors is very pleased to accept this challenge grant,” said Scott in a press release. “No doubt, this generosity will energize our donor and patron base to raise the final funds needed to restore the theater and assure its future as a vibrant pillar of our community."

"We also believe that naming the atrium after Juliet is an outstanding idea that will forever memorialize the crucial role she has played in saving the theater and transforming into one of the most important art house theaters in the United States, known nationally for both its educational and cultural mission.”

Contributions to the BMFI can be made online or through snail mail to PO Box 1058, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 (write "Goodfriend Atrium Challenge" on the memo line).

Further questions about the pledge drive and the BMFI can be directed to Patricia Wesley at 610-527-4008 ext. 103.