Atlanta’s Fox Theatre extended its legacy of historic preservation across Georgia this week, with its philanthropic arm Fox Gives awarding $1 million in multiyear grants to two of the state’s most beloved cultural venues. The historic DeSoto Theatre in Rome and the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium will each receive $500,000 in long-term preservation funding, marking the first time Fox Gives has awarded multiyear grants to two recipients in a single year since the program’s inception in 2024.
The announcement was made at Fox Gives’ annual grant ceremony on May 6, fittingly during National Historic Preservation Month. Combined with $500,000 in single-year grants distributed across eight other Georgia theaters in the 2025-2026 cycle, Fox Gives’ total statewide investment for 2026 reached a record $1.5 million.
Paying It Forward: A Philosophy Born From “Save the Fox”
The grants reflect a philosophy rooted in the Fox Theatre’s own near-death experience. In the 1970s, Atlanta rallied around a community-led “Save the Fox” campaign to rescue the iconic Midtown venue from imminent demolition. That movement is now part of Atlanta cultural folklore and continues to shape how the Fox approaches its civic mission decades later.
“These historic spaces matter to their communities,” Fox Theatre President and CEO Allan Vella said. “We know firsthand the impact when a community comes together to save a local landmark. This is our way of paying that forward.”
Since its inception in 2008, Fox Gives has invested more than $5.7 million in historic theaters and cultural landmarks across the Southeast. Each multiyear grantee will receive their $500,000 across two to four years and is required to bring a 10% local match, ensuring community investment alongside the Fox Theatre’s contribution.
DeSoto Theatre: A Pioneer of Southern Cinema
The DeSoto Theatre in Rome holds a unique place in Southern entertainment history as the first theater to display sound film in the Southeast. The venue’s funding will support a phased renovation of its stage and backstage areas, including upgrades to dressing rooms, accessibility features, and core infrastructure.
According to Fox Gives, the investment is designed to improve safety and expand educational programming at the venue, allowing the historic space to continue serving as a working theater while honoring its architectural significance.
“What’s really exciting about these funds is that they are traditionally building blocks in communities where we hope other people see our investments and they locally want to make their own investment,” said Leigh Burns, director of community partnerships for Fox Gives.
For Rome, a city of roughly 37,000 residents in northwest Georgia, the DeSoto’s restoration represents both a cultural preservation milestone and a downtown economic anchor.
Thomasville Municipal Auditorium: Reopening a Century-Old Gathering Space
In Thomasville, located in southwest Georgia near the Florida border, the funds will support essential life-safety and accessibility upgrades at the nearly 100-year-old Auditorium, including fire suppression, structural repairs, and system improvements.
The City of Thomasville is contributing its own funding to the project, a partnership Fox Gives has highlighted as a model for community-driven preservation.
“I think what’s exciting about Thomasville is you see the city investing their own funding in this project and their own community saying, this is valid to us, this is a place where everyone can gather,” Burns said.
The 1,000-seat auditorium has been closed and is being prepared to reopen as a venue capable of hosting conferences, concerts, and major events. Fox Gives sees the project as both historic preservation and economic development, with the venue positioned to draw visitors and revenue back to downtown Thomasville once renovations are complete.
A Statewide Investment Strategy
Beyond the two flagship multiyear grants, Fox Gives distributed an additional $500,000 across eight other Georgia theaters in this year’s single-year grant cycle. Recipients are spread across the state, from Brunswick on the Atlantic coast to Sautee Nacoochee in the North Georgia mountains.
“Half a million for eight theaters across GA and then 2 additional theaters will receive half a million each,” Burns said.
The geographic spread reflects Fox Gives’ broader strategy: rather than concentrating preservation dollars in a single market, the program seeks to support cultural anchors in communities of varying sizes across the state, with each grant designed to catalyze additional local investment.
Why It Matters
The Fox Gives grants land at a moment when many small and mid-sized American theaters face mounting pressure from rising construction costs, deferred maintenance, and competition from streaming entertainment. National data from organizations including the League of Historic American Theatres has highlighted the financial strain on aging venues, particularly those in smaller cities without major institutional backing.
For Georgia, the Fox Theatre’s continued investment offers a counterweight to those pressures. The Fox itself stands today as a National Historic Landmark and one of Atlanta’s most prominent cultural destinations. By directing resources back to similarly historic venues across the state, Fox Gives is building what Burns describes as a network of “cultural anchors” that strengthen downtowns, support local businesses, and create shared experiences across generations.
“These investments support more than preservation alone,” Burns said. “They help spur community growth, strengthen local economies and ensure these historic venues continue serving as cultural anchors for generations to come.”
For the DeSoto Theatre and the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium, the grants offer something rarely available to small-city historic venues: long-term funding paired with the institutional backing of one of the South’s most successful preservation stories.
