They’ve Given $6 Million to the Arts. No One Knew Them, Until Now.

Moving quickly in the pandemic, a wealthy money manager underwrote performances via a new foundation, with a little help from a violin-obsessed adviser.

The Alphadyne Foundation — who were they? Christine Cox didn’t know, and Google didn’t seem to either, when she checked late last year, during the dark days of the pandemic, as organizations like hers were fighting to stay alive. Cox is the co-founder and artistic director of BalletX, a contemporary dance company based in Philadelphia. Though she was trying to stay optimistic about its prospects, funding was slowing and donors were tiring of video appeals. Then, in December, Damian Woetzel, the president of the Juilliard School, rang up, saying a mysterious benefactor named Alphadyne might have some funding. Cox drafted a proposal, trying not to raise her hopes. A string of grant-makers had already turned down BalletX, and, even in the best case scenarios, money usually took ages to arrive. But eight weeks after she sent her pitch, the money from Alphadyne came in. It was real money, six-figure money, more money than any donor had ever given them in a single year. Even now, Cox can’t believe it’s real. “We’ve never ever received any kind of gift like this,” she said. “My jaw dropped, and I started to cry.”