Tacoma nonprofit cinema approaches multi-million-dollar fundraising goal  

Founded upon the idea of bringing films not typically seen in Pierce County to a cinema in Tacoma, the non-profit’s capital campaign, “Save The Grand,” has reached $4.1 million of its $5.5 million goal.

The Grand Cinema, a nonprofit movie theatre founded in April 1997, is approaching the final stretch of its capital campaign to purchase the Merlino Arts Center building on 6^th Avenue in Tacoma. 

The building, currently owned by Cheryl Merlino, houses multiple tenants like Tacoma City Ballet, Dukesbay Productons and Corina Bakery alongside the Grand. 

“Once we become our own landlord, owning the building is going to allow us to build on our existing programs. We do outdoor movies, we do film camps, we do talk-backs after films, all those things hopefully will be able to get more support because financially, we’re going to be in a much better position,” said Chief Development Officer Rachel Marcle.  

The cinema has raised $4,175,973 as of Friday, Sept. 20 to purchase the Merlino building by June of 2025, with a major grant of $400K coming from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, doubling the next $100K in donations made by anyone who supports the organization. In addition to a reimbursement grant provided by the State of Washington and the dedicated support of donors, the nonprofit is still pushing to secure their permanent residence in Tacoma. 

Philip Cowan, who began working for the nonprofit as a volunteer and was named the Grand’s Executive Director in 2006 after being on the board, has witnessed the space change and grow over the years, becoming even more community-oriented with film programs, events and festivals, unique opportunities that mainstream cinemas don’t typically provide. 

“We pay attention to the quality of the film over the attendance, obviously we need people coming for the attendance to pay bills and everything, but the main thing is just bringing in quality films, lot of people come to movies here trusting what we’re going to play,” said Cowan. 

Maintaining the Tacoma community’s trust in the quality and thoughtfulness of the films and the experience, as well as communication with the Grand’s donors, is an important part of how the nonprofit cinema operates, according to Cowan. 

Visitors also come to explore film in educational contexts, like the occasional post-film discussions held usually after a screening of a thought-provoking matinee screening, or student film camps, where students ages 11-15 work in small film crews with a filmmaker mentor, developing short films in one week, occurring in the months of July and August, according to the Grand’s website. 

Dr. Joanne Clarke Dillman, Teaching Professor of UWT, often goes to the Grand to watch classical movies, quirky movies and those that spark intellectual conversations. In 2019, when she was asked to host a film discussion at the Grand, she accepted the opportunity to share her insights on Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, a 1931 silent picture film. 

“You give a kind of talk about the movie itself and about the artist. But you try not to tell too much about the film so it doesn’t wreck—it doesn’t give anything away,” said Dr. Dillman. 

Dr. Dillman also participated in another film discussion about the 1954 film “Rear Window” which was made with the classical Hollywood film style. During each post-film talk, she carefully navigated how to answer questions from the audience about the film, as some people may not always respond to the academic study behind the art form, according to Dr. Dillman. 

For moviegoers who see films as cultural documents, an opportunity to view new films made by independent filmmakers emerging from the industry will be at the Tacoma Film Festival, hosted by the Grand Cinema and Blue Mouse theatre this October 10 – 13. Entry passes and the film schedule can be found on the Grand’s website.  

“It’s a landmark institution in Tacoma. Now I’m up transplants. But I’ve lived here 20 years, and it’s a fabulous community resource, it really is. And you know what I love about it the most, is that it sort of brings me back to when I was just a college kid going to movies because I loved movies,” said Dr. Dillman. 

Dr. Dillman is on the jury to screen films being shown this year at the festival, and as she judges the filmmakers’ work, she’s finding that it’s difficult to pick just one as the best quality film to receive an award. 

But it’s not just the events and movies that keep people coming — it’s also the staff who make everything happen inside the building. Marcle, who has worked for the nonprofit for 17 years alongside Cowan, mentioned that the close comradery amongst staff and volunteers, new additions to programs or projects, new challenges and a growing nonprofit are all part of why she enjoys the work. 

The pandemic postponed efforts to bring the capital campaign public, causing a shutdown for more than a year, so instead the Grand continued their silent advancement phase for the project, gathering donations behind the scenes within the Tacoma community. The Grand then announced the campaign publicly in March of 2024, having already raised over half of their total goal of $5.5 million, according to Marcle. 

As part of the Grand’s marketing strategy for the campaign, staff and board members have been involved in creating short films with scripts and movie puns, which can be found on the The Grand Cinema’s YouTube channel, showcasing their various talents, according to Marcle. 

The Grand is always looking for more people to get involved in the art of film, upholding their mission to enrich lives and enhance the cultural vitality of the Greater Tacoma community. 

“If a professor or student, or whoever ever sees something that they might want to partner with us in the way of film, to, you know, to talk about it in a different way than what they’re teaching in class, we would always love to partner,” said Cowan. 

Next time you find yourself in an artistic mood, perhaps influenced by local films or lower budget filmmaking, visit the Grand Cinema downtown, and bring any student from Tacoma schools for access to a free movie ticket provided by Tacoma Creates, or bring your EBT or Quest Card.