Park City officials are continuing discussions about the future Arts and Culture District along Kearns Boulevard, which would include a new headquarters for the Sundance Institute.
However, Sundance’s planning efforts encountered a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Betsy Wallace, the CFO and Managing Director for the Sundance Institute, said the outbreak last spring had the same impact on them as it did on other nonprofits.
“A year ago, we were in a much different environment,” Wallace said. “We were in our capital campaign. We were moving forward on it, but when Covid hit, as did almost every single nonprofit in the United States, capital campaigns are put on hold. And ours was put on hold, as with everything else. Folks were really trying to decide, could they make donations, could companies make donations, could foundations help us. And at this point we are still in a pause.”
She said the Sundance staff took some time off after the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and now they will figure out where they go from here.
“But it is because we just came off the festival, four or five days ago, and trying to figure out what our next steps are,” she said. “For the Arts and Culture District, we’ve been big supporters of that district since we were approached by the city. So we’re all sort of trying to figure out where we’re coming, where we’re landing, where we’re going. And I think it was just a matter of time, which the city did give us, and understands that a nonprofit is not like a for-profit. We rely on donations from folks and contributions and ticket revenue from big festivals.”
