Two foundations have offered to assist the endangered Arkansas Repertory Theatre -- with the condition that the theater help in its own salvation by matching two high-dollar grants that total more than $1 million.

The Rep will receive $75,000 up front from the Siloam Springs-based Windgate Charitable Foundation toward the Rep's "Our Next Act" campaign. John E. Brown III, the foundation's executive director, describes the remaining $925,000 of the $1 million as "a challenge grant" that the Rep will have to match. Brown concluded his letter with "We wish you great success in the coming year."

The John & Robyn Horn Foundation also has approved a challenge grant of $25,000 designated for "general support." The Rep will have to match that amount as well.

The theater's board of directors announced April 24 that, facing a substantial debt -- board Chairman Brian Bush has acknowledged it exceeds $2 million -- and in the wake of precipitous drops in ticket sales and contributions, it would suspend current operations, including canceling the final production of the Rep's 2017-18 season, and cease planning for 2018-19.

Two-thirds of the staff, including Producing Artistic Director John Miller-Stephany, will step down by Tuesday. The remainder will run the Rep's nearly sold-out summer "Education at the Rep" program.

As of Wednesday, the Rep had raised $113,000 from nearly 400 donors, pulling in $17,000 alone from Tuesday's "Rally for the Rep" outside the theater. Earlier it had announced that it would need between $750,000 and $1 million in short order to get its head above water financially and be able to consider planning for the future.

Before suspending operations, the Rep had raised $1.7 million toward a $5.2 million capital campaign. But after failing to meet budgets on a single show this season, filling only 47 percent its seats, it didn't have enough cash on hand to pay bills and pay the production costs for God of Carnage, the season's final show, which would have gone onto the Rep stage June 8-24.