LOOKING BACK The A. J. Fletcher Foundation is the creation of Alfred Johnston Fletcher (1887-1979). The son of a Baptist minister, seventh of fourteen children, A. J. Fletcher was born in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The story of his rise to statewide prominence as lawyer, business entrepreneur and most notably as broadcasting pioneer, closely parallels his lifelong interest in such avocations as opera education for rural youth, landscaping and horticulture.

Early in life, A. J. Fletcher had the good fortune to attend a concert by a touring musical company. This early exposure to opera made a lasting impression on him, one that would lead in later years to strong personal support of the arts and a profound impact on the musical lives and educational institutions of North Carolina.

When he left the mountains as a teenager, he first went to Wake Forest to earn a law degree. From there he went to Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, to start open a law practice, and finally to Raleigh, as founder and president of Capitol Broadcasting Company.


Alfred Johnston Fletcher
1887 - 1979
NATIONAL
OPERA
COMPANY		 During the late 1940's with the help of like-minded friends and business associates, he established the Grass Roots Opera company with the following objectives in mind: to take opera to small rural areas; to give young people an introduction to opera; to produce opera in English; and to give young singers practical, professional experience. In the early 1960's, as the company grew and began to tour in other parts of the United States, the name was changed from "Grassroots Opera" to "National Opera Company". Since the activities of the Opera Company were rarely self-supporting, Mr. Fletcher set aside funds to start and endowment that would generate enough income each year to cover the costs of operation. Over the years, the assets in this endowment continued to grow faster than the needs of the Opera Company itself, and within a few years the A. J. Fletcher Foundation was in a position to help other musical groups as well.

In order to strengthen and perpetuate Mr. Fletcher's vision for opera, the Foundation took the unprecedented step in the spring of 2000 of committing $10 million to establish an Opera Institute at the North Carolina School of the Arts. The substance of its training and caliber of its performances promise to position the A.J.Fletcher Opera Institute among the finest of its kind.
A. J. FLETCHER
FOUNDAION		 The Foundation was a quiet, relatively unknown supporter of various musical institutions and scholarships in area colleges until fairly recently. In 1986, its assets more than doubled upon the sale of its interest in a large insurance concern. Today the Foundation has assets of over $50 million. The board commits significant support to symphony orchestras, opera companies, colleges, universities and other arts institutions.

Likewise, during recent years the A. J. Fletcher Foundation has begun to broaden its focus to other pressing issues: public education, poverty programs and statewide service organizations. The Foundation has also taken significant steps in its effort to provide seed money for new and emerging nonprofit organizations and has been particularly supportive of the development programs of various organizations, reasonign that strength in these areas created the best hope for their self-sufficiency, and thus for greater service to the people of North Carolina.
LOOKING FORWARD During a life-time that encompassed nearly all of the 20th century, Mr. Fletcher implemented a positive vision for the future of North Carolina's arts and educational institutions. The A. J. Fletcher Foundation continues his legacy by using the World Wide Web as one more means of meeting our common needs. To strengthen the ties with our traditional partners and to help forge new, effective relationships within the North Carolina nonprofit community, the Foundation has supported the growth of technology in the nonprofit sector. As an even greater committment, the Foundation supported the lauch of a online nonprofit news site: the NONPROFITXPRESS. Found at http://www.npxpress.com,the site offers news on organizations across North Carolina and throughout the world, as well as pages for job postings, announcements, story ideas, and surveys. In addition, NPX publishes a weekly e-mail bulletin with links to news stories and editorials.