Funding will help with costs associated with producing noted community lecture program 

RED BANK, JULY 17, 2024– The Count Basie Center for the Arts, the region’s premier nonprofit center for the performing arts, has received a $35,000 grant from Bank of America.  

The grant will support the Count Basie Center’s Critical Conversations series, a community lecture program which invites renowned thinkers to contemplate issues faced by members of the regional community. Health and wellness, social justice, censorship and other important issues have been tackled at previous Community Conversations events, featuring guests such as Dr. Cornell West, Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, and others. The Critical Conversation series is just one example of the Basie Center’s mission to ‘Inspire, Educate and Entertain’ through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region. 

“Using our venues and spaces to host forums for expression and evaluation of current issues affecting our society is the Basie’s commitment to bettering the community as a whole,” says Adam Philipson, President and CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “We appreciate Bank of America’s generous support and continued investment in the Count Basie Center and the entire Jersey Shore region.” 

 The grant is part of Bank of America’s philanthropic giving efforts in local communities. Awardees were selected for their commitment to addressing the needs of individuals and families, including basic needs and workforce development.  

“The Count Basie Center is addressing important issues in the Jersey Shore region with its Critical Conversations series,” said Alberto Garofalo, president, Bank of America New Jersey.  “We’re proud to support a renowned and thought-provoking forum for education, diversity and discussion.”  

Count Basie Center for the Arts 

The Count Basie Center for the Arts is New Jersey’s premier center for the cultural arts, dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas. The Basie mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region.  As a nonprofit organization, the Basie is committed to enriching the community’s quality of life by generating opportunities for participation in the arts, partnering with schools, collaborating with other mission-based organizations and driving regional economic prosperity. The Basie Center has hosted an array of world-class artists, including Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band, Jon Bon Jovi, John Legend, Crosby Stills & Nash, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross and Ringo Starr. Count Basie Center programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. 

Bank of America 

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,800 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 57 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).