Kennedy Center Annual Gala Raises Record-Setting $3.45 Million

Richard Grenell, president of the performing arts center, said the funding record reflects how ‘deeply the arts matter to our nation.’

The Kennedy Center in Washington in a file photo. Shutterstock

WASHINGTON—Patrons and donors pulled out their wallets in record fashion to support the National Symphony Orchestra, raising $3.45 million at an annual fundraising gala last weekend at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, according to a Sept. 29 statement from the center.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who made the gala and opening concert such a success,” Jean Davidson, executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, said in the statement.