FREDERICK, MD — The Ausherman Family Foundation is pleased to announce the official gifting of 115 and 117 East Church Street, home of the YMCA Arts Center, to the YMCA of Frederick County. This transformational gift affirms a shared commitment to building sustainable, creative, and collaborative spaces in downtown Frederick. The Ausherman Family Foundation purchased 115 and 117 East Church Street in 2016 to create a space for arts education in downtown Frederick. Since then, the Foundation has invested over $3.4 million to renovate and support the site. The building includes classrooms, studios, and flexible spaces designed for learning, creativity, and community use. In 2019, the Foundation partnered with the YMCA of Frederick County’s Arts and Humanities Department, entrusting the YMCA to manage programming at the Church Street site. Since then, the Y Arts Center has become a vibrant community hub for:
• Youth and adult classes in music, dance, theater, and visual arts
• Drop-in arts programming and creative exploration
• A maker’s space for local artists to teach and collaborate
• Summer camps, after-school enrichment, and intergenerational learning
• Community meeting rooms and shared nonprofit initiatives
“We’ve always believed in jumpstarting bold ideas by investing in both people and place,” said Marvin Ausherman, Founder and President of Family Foundation. “The YMCA has brought incredible life to this space and has become a proven collaborator across Frederick’s nonprofit landscape. By gifting this property, we’re ensuring that momentum continues—with creativity, community, and shared purpose at its core.” 115 and 117 East Church Street will remain a single, unified property under YMCA ownership. As part of the transition, the YMCA will continue honoring the existing lease with Phoenix Recovery Academy, a valued tenant at 117 East Church and Maryland’s only recovery high school. This ensures ongoing access to essential recovery services while highlighting the YMCA’s commitment to supporting multi-use, community-serving spaces. This transition reflects the Foundation’s broader approach to philanthropy—combining catalytic support with long-term capacity building. By investing not only in launching programs, but also in the infrastructure and partnerships needed to sustain them, the Foundation continues its legacy of empowering nonprofits to grow, adapt, and deepen their impact across Frederick. To commemorate this milestone, a Renaming Ceremony and Re-Grand Opening is being planned for October 31st, 2025 at 11:30am. The site will be renamed the YMCA Ausherman Arts Center, honoring the deep-rooted partnership between the Foundation and the YMCA.
