The Fox Theatre Institute (FTI), the Community Partnerships arm of Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, has awarded Pembroke’s Friends of Tos Theatre, Inc. a financial grant award totaling $25,000 to engage the consulting firm Sinclair Townes & Co to assist the local non-profit organization raise funds for the revitalization of the Tos Theatre.

“With FTI’s grant of $25,000, we can move forward with our capital campaign to revitalize the Tos Theatre,” said Elizabeth Norman, President of Friends of Tos Theatre, Inc.

“This funding enables us to hire fundraising professionals to guide us in raising the funds needed to re-open the Tos Theatre which will serve as a catalyst for the development and revitalization of our entire downtown area. We envision a bustling hub of culture, entertainment, and community engagement, and it’s all within reach,” Norman said.

Pembroke’s Tos Theater was built by S.G. Tos in 1938. It hosted movies until it closed in the 1970s and was a carpet warehouse in the 1980s and 1990s, according to city officials in a previous interview.

The FTI program has committed more than $2.7 million since launching in 2008, according to a press release. Marking its 15th anniversary, FTI aims to bolster both economic and cultural vitality in local communities, extending from Atlanta and beyond, through its 20232024 grant program.

“Now in our 15th year, FTI has had a tremendous opportunity to increase not only the preservation of historic theatres, but to see positive results for the ongoing economic and cultural impact created in their surrounding downtowns. We have many exciting plans for the next 15 years and look forward to continuing investing, but also expanding, the footprint of programs here at the Fox,” said Leigh Burns, director of the Fox Theatre Institute, in a press release.

FTI also manages various outreach initiatives such as “Fox in a Box,” a complimentary educational program for Georgia’s elementary schools; Georgia Presenters, a unique statewide talent booking network; and Preservation Grants, which offer exclusive funding options for historic theater preservation.

For more information about the Fox Theatre Institute, visit www. foxtheatre.org. To learn more about the upcoming renovated TOS Theatre in Pembroke, visit the Facebook page entitled “Pembroke TOS Theatre Revitalization’’.

About the Fox Theatre Institute

The Fox Theatre Institute (FTI) is a dynamic outreach program offering historic preservation expertise, consultation, and education to performing arts venues in Georgia and the region. Created by Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, an iconic attraction widely applauded for being a catalyst for positive change in the community, FTI pays it forward, helping other cultural institutions renew, reinvigorate, and restore artistic vitality in their backyards and beyond. Keeping environmental and economic impact top of mind, FTI offers the financial assistance, restoration support and operations mentoring needed to leverage scarce resources and stimulate local economies. Not only that, but it keeps the artistic pulse of beloved communities beating for decades to come.