2024 Grantees

Students are offered a robust range of performing arts activities, including dance workshops, music production sessions, theater rehearsals, spoken word poetry workshops, and visual arts projects. This cost free enrichment offers a diverse array of activities to nurture creativity, self-expression, and self-confidence among youth-at-risk. The programs help students explore artistic expression, discover their passions, and develop life skills; particularly those facing risk factors such as economic disadvantage, behavioral or academic challenges with opportunities to explore, develop, and showcase their own artistic talents.

The Phoenix Rising Program is a creative arts program aligned with the three principles of expression, connection and transformation through poetry and spoken word. In 2023, AfA partnered with 16 organizations to provide 181 workshops for 571 youth (a 6% increase from 2022 with projections to further increase in 2024 and beyond) for 1,057 youth contacts. All workshops are provided free of charge to youth. Youth poets are paid a stipend for sharing poems on the microphone at public performances.

ASLD provides funding for afterschool arts enrichment at nine Denver Public Schools, all of which have high percentages of low income and at- risk populations, where at least 50% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Teen Studio Night is a year-round drop-in program for young artists ages 14-17.

The Art on the Move program reaches over 4,500 youth in school grades K-12 and age 3-6 years in Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties.

The mission of AYS is to create an accessible, reliable, enriching community where every child and family thrive beyond the school day and offer year-round programs. Summer Days is offered to families in three central Indiana (urban and rural) school districts that serve a population that is over 50% economically disadvantaged. AYS welcomes visiting artists to deliver hands-on lessons and/or performances that expose campers to various art forms. Kids are able to participate and create as well as watch and imagine.

Barnstone Art for Kids uses the power of art and community connection to foster resiliency in children facing adversity. Since 2012, Barnstone has provided trauma-informed art programs for children 3-18 years of age. The range of programs serve hundreds of children annually and provide thousands of direct service hours. The mentored art programs provide nearly 60 kids and teens with 36 hours of services across the academic year. All programs are completely free to kids. The estimate of the retail value of these services is over $225,000.

Beyond Bars began as a music program to serve youth who have been incarcerated; or are children of those incarcerated. Through accessible musical spaces and programs, tailored to meet youth during crises or periods of divestment, we aim to cultivate their self-esteem, enhance self-expression skills, and integrate them into a broader network of resources and support. Our goal is to create an ecosystem that empowers the remarkable youth in our city to not only flourish as artists but also evolve into leaders fostering healing within our community.

The mission of the Blue Sage Center for the Arts is to provide education and expression in the arts and humanities in order to enrich the North Fork community, creating access and experiences with art in all its forms. The North Fork Valley, located in rural Delta County Colorado, is considered “at-risk” by the Distressed Communities index. Our youth art program, ArtReach, is now in its 10th year. And includes our Art Club, serving 2nd-5th grade individuals, and Teen Art Studio. In 2023, total attendance numbers were 1,008, with average weekly class attendance rates of 18 for Art Club and 8 for the Teen Art Studio.

B&G operate five club sites with over 500 youth each day. More than 70% are from single-parent and foster homes. Students are from low income, racially diverse neighborhoods where substance abuse, unemployment and violent crimes are the highest in the city. Programs in music, dance, sewing, crochet, no sew fabric projects, weaving, theater, and general hands-on creative artistic projects are provided. The membership fee is $15 for the school year. If families are financially challenged, the fee is waived. It is anticipated that 215 youth will be served in Project Art during 2024-2025 school year.

BGCH provides before-school, after-school, and summer programming for youth, grades K-12. Membership is just $10 for a year, because price cannot be an obstacle for families for quality out of school time care. Two programs are currently offered in the Arts: Dance and Creative Canvases. The dance programs for Cadets, Juniors, and Teens. The organization would like to expand and offer more creative opportunities for all the children served.

Provides programs for youth in some of the poverty stricken and underserved neighborhoods using the transformative power of visual and performing art. BuildaBridge has transformed delivery of art-making to youth across Philadelphia via a digital platform.

CMDance offers programming during the school day and after school, removing barriers for participation, especially for low-income kids. Programming is concentrated in economically disadvantaged communities with 80% of the children participating qualifying for school lunch program. These dance classes are often the students’ first exposure to dance, igniting a new-found passion for dance through programming that no other organization is providing in the area.

Colorado TINTS is committed to bringing under-reported stories to the public through theater to highlight the achievements of under-recognized social change makers and making theater accessible to low-income populations.. This is achieved by utilizing to non-traditional theater venues; parks, schools, churches and community centers. My Voice Matters is an 8 -week creative arts project for 40 youth ages 9 to 4 in Salida, which includes weekly creative writing/acting/art workshops that culminate in a public performance. Via partnerships with local Social Services, Boys and Girls Clubs, mentor programs and schools to reach atrisk and vulnerable youth and provide a safe nurturing environment for youth to express themselves through the creative arts. MVM at offered at a low ($25) cost or or no cost to participants.

Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra’s mission is to provide access to musical understanding, fostering social growth, self-esteem, and a lifelong love of music for all aspiring musicians. Miles High Strings is a CYSO program offered at no cost to youth-at-risk elementary and middle school youth music education and the ability to learn an instrument. The program provides students with lessons, instruments, and books at no cost.

Concrete Couch was founded by teachers, artists and environmentalists to engage youth to build community projects. The mission is to work with kids to create works of public arts and is 100% free to all participants.

The mission of Creative Strategies for Change (CSC) is to mobilize arts and education for social justice. Based in the historic 5 Points neighborhood in Denver, CSC has been working at the intersection of the arts, restorative practices, and social justice since 2012, and has become a local leader in the field, amplifying the voices of Denver youth, artists, and residents.

Darlington Arts Center builds community by providing Every Art for Everyone. Our Arts Education Outreach Program focuses on access to the arts, specifically for students in historically marginalized and under resourced communities. We have been providing arts programs free of charge to thousands of students in historically marginalized and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities for three decades. These programs are unique to the needs of the partner. Some of our programs include Suzuki Violin, Literacy Programs, and Theater Arts. Last year, we expanded to include visual art. Expenses are covered by individual and institutional giving.

Youth are referred to Art Partners for a variety of family, community and educational disadvantages. They are also required to have a keen interest in art. Art Partners matches youth (23 in 2023) with an art mentor based on artistic interest. Staff provides ongoing art workshops allowing participants to explore new mediums. Services and supplies are at no charge.

The Neighborhood Choir Program provides weekly musicianship education and performance opportunities for 141 children, ages 7-18, around the Denver Metro area. After community feedback, the Choir found transportation was a barrier to access and decentralized to multiple locations creating the Neighborhood Choir Program. Locations are chosen by factors such as high rates of families on the F/R Lunch Program. Currently, 68% of children enrolled receive financial aid and 60% are children of color.

The DYAO has been providing music education for students 7 -23 years-of-age for over 40 years. No student is turned away based on financial need for any DYAO program. DYAO offers tuition assistance to the more than 200 regional students in our orchestra programs. Additionally, students qualify for Pathways to offset the cost of private lessons, instruments, transportation, and concert attire. In 2023, 28 Pathways awards were given totaling $11,500.