September 24, 2026
The fund supports theater instruction, productions, and performance opportunities for the next generation of students.
Dave Chappelle is returning to Washington, D.C., to help raise money for the arts school that helped launch his career.
The comedian and Duke Ellington School of the Arts alumnus will headline a benefit for his alma mater Sept. 25 at DAR Constitution Hall. The fundraiser is part of the school’s 50th anniversary celebration and will raise money for the Donal Leace Endowment Fund and other programs supporting students.
The endowment honors the late Donal Leace, who chaired Ellington’s Theater Department and taught theater history, public speaking, and the Harlem Renaissance. Leace mentored students, including Chappelle and acclaimed opera singer Denyce Graves.
The fund supports theater instruction, productions, and performance opportunities for the next generation of students.
Money raised through the Sept. 25 benefit will also support efforts to build Ellington’s permanent endowment, intended to provide long-term funding for arts education, training, and student opportunities.
“Ellington has spent five decades proving that when young artists are given access, mentorship, and opportunity, they can change the world,” Principal Sandi Logan said.
“This event celebrates an incredible legacy while investing in the students whose creativity will shape our culture. We are building on the first 50 years to ensure the Ellington legacy continues for the next 50 and beyond.”
Founded in 1974, Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a Washington public arts high school that combines college-preparatory academics with professional arts training. Its nonprofit fundraising arm, the Ellington Fund, finances arts instruction, master classes, productions, scholarships, wellness programming, and other resources not covered by District of Columbia public funding.
Dave Chappelle has won five Emmy Awards and six Grammy Awards and received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2019 and the NAACP President’s Award in 2025. Ellington’s notable alums include Chappelle, Graves, Ari Lennox, Corey Hawkins, Samira Wiley, Clifton Powell, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Johnny Gill.
Tickets for the Sept. 25 benefit are available through Live Nation.
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