Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has netted $25 million, courtesy of financier Julian Robertson. The gift is the largest donation ever received by the institution and will be bestowed in one lump sum.
Two-thirds of the gift will be used to create the Josie Robertson Fund for Lincoln Center, named after Julian's wife. The fund will be used in support of center programs such as "Great Performers," "Lincoln Center Festival," and the "Mostly Mozart Festival."
The remainder of the money will be divided among the center's 12 constituents. The division will not be equal. The Metropolitan Opera, for instance, will claim fully $4 million. It could not be learned how much Lincoln Center Theatre, which operates the Vivian Beaumont and Mitzi E. Newhouse theatres, will receive, although, according to the New York Times, no constituent's share will be less than $250,000.
In honor of the gift, the fountain plaza has been renamed the Josie Robertson Plaza.
-- By Robert Simonson