The Scottish Rite Theater is a historic entertainment venue located in the Borough of Collingswood, New Jersey. Since 1999, this building, as well as the events held there, have been managed by the Collingswood Foundation for the Arts (CFA), a nonprofit organization founded by then-commissioners Jim Maley, Lou Cappelli, and Joan Leonard.

In 2003, these three commissioners authorized the Borough of Collingswood to loan $5 million to the CFA in the form of a bond. According to Ordinance 1322, “Terms of the loan to the Foundation shall be set forth in a redevelopment agreement to be approved by the Borough.”

Today, after appropriating nearly $10 million in Collingswood taxpayer dollars into the maintenance of the Scottish Rite, the CFA is preparing to transfer management to Camden County. Once transferred, the borough will lose a potential revenue source and repayment of the loan could become considerably more difficult. Questions about the repayment terms of the loan to the CFA, the relationship between the Borough and the CFA, current and past members of the Board of Trustees, management agreements, contracts, and missing annual tax forms have been ignored by Borough and CFA officials.

Please join us to demand transparency and accountability from our government leaders. Thank you.

Further reading:

• https://www.inquirer.com/south-jersey/collingswood-foundation-for-the-arts-scottish-rite-20260820.html

• https://www.theretrospect.com/news/colls-2-97ddebd5

• https://www.theretrospect.com/news/collingswood-residents-question-cfa-funding-governance-and-scottish-rites-future-a32b0a1b