Bristol County Savings Bank Commits $250,000 Grant To Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
TAUNTON, MA, February 25, 2025 — Bristol County Savings Bank, through its Foundation, has committed a grant totaling $250,000 to support the ongoing restoration and renovation of the historic Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Presenting touring shows and artists while being home to the New Bedford Festival Theatre and New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, the “Z” has served as a cultural hub for the city for more than 100 years. Since the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation was formed in 1996, more than $33.6 million has been committed to hundreds of different non-profits in the communities the Bank serves. In 2024, the Foundation awarded a record $2.9 million to various 501(c)(3) organizations.
“We are so proud to provide this multi-year financial commitment of support to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center,” said John Silva, President & CEO at Bristol County Savings Bank and President of the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation. “We see this project as a key catalyst to the city’s continued growth and regeneration that will ensure a more vibrant and connected community long into the future.” Silva added that Patrick Murray, Chair on the Board of Directors for the Bank; Joseph Nauman, Lead Independent Director, Bristol County Savings Bank; and Lou Ricciardi, Board Member, Bristol County Savings Bank, are all Board Members for the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center and that the Bank also provided the financing on the project.
The multimillion-dollar project will soon transform the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center into a state-of-the-art facility, complete with a restoration of the 10,900 square-foot theatre, an expanded lobby and ticket area, speakeasy lounge, a new historically appropriate marquee, new seats and improved sound system and lighting, as well as additional spaces for education initiatives and community connection.
Bristol County Savings Bank is an active supporter in the communities in which it serves. The Foundation was established in 1996 as part of the Bank’s 150th Anniversary celebration. Its purpose is to fund needs that contribute to the economic and the social well-being of the people and institutions located in the greater Taunton/Attleboro region, the greater New Bedford/Dartmouth region, the greater Fall River region and greater Providence, Rhode Island region, with particular emphasis in the areas of education and literacy, economic development and housing for the low- to moderate-income population.