$50M Schaap Center opens in Michigan, fueled by $30M donor lead and broad arts collaboration push

Paul Schaap and his late wife, Carol, have led a multiyear $50M effort to develop the Schaap Center for the Performing Arts in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. The funding includes a $30M lead gift from the Schaaps alongside $6.5Mfrom Richard and Jane Manoogian, who contributed $6.5M, $1M from Mark Valade and his wife, Molly, as well as $7.5M from an unnamed donor and $1.7M in state funding. The funding will create a 49,000-square-foot accessible regional hub for the performing and visual arts and host nine arts groups, offer low-cost space, and anchor a $10 million endowment supporting long-term operations and community access.