Orlando, Fla. – CNL Financial Group, Inc. will donate $10 million to help build the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center (DPAC) in the heart of downtown Orlando. This donation brings total charitable contributions for the performing arts center close to $80 million, within striking distance of the $110 million private-sector funding goal.
“The arts inspire us,” said James M. Seneff, Jr., CNL’s founder and CEO. “Through the arts, we see excellence, beauty and harmony – the same things we are trying to accomplish in our lives and in business. The Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center will be a legacy that will endure for generations to come. We are honored to help make this community dream a reality.”
“We are so proud to have Jim Seneff and CNL’s name associated with the performing artscenter,” said DPAC Chairman Jim Pugh.
“The community support for Orlando’s effort is overwhelming, “said Dr. Rita Bornstein, a member of the executive committee of the DPAC board of directors. “I’ve never been involved in an effort with so much pent-up private-sector demand.”
For its significant gift, the central commons and outdoor performance area will be named CNLPark. In addition, the physical address of the DPAC will incorporate the CNL name. Although the address will not be part of the name of the center, the designation will tie together all of the various on-site entities.
"CNL’s contribution is a testament to our community’s support for these critical downtown assets. It’s a clear indication of just how important the arts are to our effort to increase the quality of life for all of Central Florida,” said City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “When complete, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center will serve as our area’s cultural cornerstone."
“It’s gratifying that our community has matured to the point where we see this kind of philanthropic support more and more,” said Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty. “Kudos to CNL for their generosity and to OPAC for keeping up the momentum for this vital civic asset.”
CNL, one of the nation’s largest privately held real estate investment and development companies, was started in Orlando, by Seneff with $5,000 he borrowed from his father. Since its inception in 1973, CNL has formed or acquired companies with more than $20 billion in assets, including hotels, retail, restaurants, seniors' housing and lifestyle properties. CNL’s donation will be made through the CNL Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate.
The Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, is responsible for designing, building and operating a performing arts center in Orlando. The vision of DPAC is to develop a destination that elevates the arts, provides the best arts education, generates urban renewal, and is fiscally responsible in construction and operations. For more information about the DPAC initiative, please visit www.orlandopac.org.