$30 million gift for NY Opera

The philanthropist Ann Ziff has given $30 million to the Metropolitan Opera, the largest single gift from an individual in its history.
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 “It came at a time when the Met is sorely in need of cash,” Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said in an interview at his office on Friday. “We really need it, and we need a lot more than that. We have been in a position of significant financial challenge.”
The Met is projecting a deficit of as much as $4 million for the current fiscal year.
Ms. Ziff, the secretary of the Met’s board, will become co-chairwoman of the board in May, taking over the role of chairwoman next year.
Donors typically earmark their big gifts for building projects that will ultimately bear their names. But Ms. Ziff’s gift, made in behalf of her family, is unrestricted, which means it can be used to help cover the Met’s $300 million annual operating expenses.

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