Grantees

Youth with disabilities or from low-income families are often defined by the challenges they bring to a classroom, yet rarely recognized for their leadership. It is perhaps no surprise that these students are in a higher risk category and are less likely than their non-disabled peers to complete high school, obtain gainful employment, or achieve successful independent living. These students are often left-out from after-school enrichment activities because their support services end with the final school bell, or because their family doesn't have the resources to provide tuition, transportation, or a snack. For students to thrive in school, their families must have access to afterschool activities and community resources. For adults to support these students, they must have proper training. This program provides opportunities for at risk students and their families, while also providing training for staff from multiple organizations so they can better serve youth with disabilities.

ACORN Youth Arts is creating a Regional Literary Arts Program to connect rural VT youth with VT authors for a series of day long workshops culminating in a published literary journal and public reading at the VT State House.

To provide a drama experience for middle school children attending Vergennes Union Middle School.

Support Very Merry Theatre's new "All Children Take Center Stage" initiative focused on expanding VMT's year-round classical drama and literature-based productions into Burlington's Old North End and King Street schools and neighborhoods.

The Art in School Partnerships project will support community building and individual resilience for elementary school students through exploratory art making aligned with the school’s values. This program is a partnership between River Gallery School of Art (RGS) and Brattleboro’s Oak Grove elementary school to establish a partnership model that can be extended to other public elementary schools.

River Gallery School’s Art in Schools (AIS) residency program places teaching artists in three elementary schools in Southern Vermont. The 2024-2025 school year was their 4th year offering this program to local students in the Brattleboro area. Younger grades receive monthly visits by the same teaching artist, building relationships, artistic identity and confidence in students over the course of the year and culminating in a year-end showcase community event. Older students participate in a month-long intensive in the spring, building art installations in their classrooms, schools and communities. AIS supports community building and individual resilience for elementary students through exploratory art making aligned with the school’s values.

Art VanGo: The Arts Bus Ever is seeking Project funding for an all-weather vehicle (cargo van) to continue with the magic we’ve created in our award-winning, growing & going Ever After Kids Program (and other programs New RouTEEN, Art from the Start). We expect that within 90 days of funding we will begin impacting over 1,200+ kids in Year 1 with weekly art enrichment, likely to double by Year 5 – and this ‘project’ should keep on rolling for a decade of thousands of children’s empowerment thru art! The research-supported, needs-based Ever After Kids Program is based on 2 systemic facts: 1) there will FOREVER be children at-risk in AFTER care programs; and 2) quality art education will ALWAYS be sacrificed from school budgets. We started with routinized year-round teaching 3-5x/week in afterschool, daycare & summer camp settings, but with the onset of the Covid pandemic, we altered course by starting the Kits4Kids initiative to deliver creative & high-quality guided art enrichment & supplies to remote areas. We are now fully engaged year-round and need a vehicle that can accompany our work to fulfill our mission!

Creative Lives, a non-profit devoted to helping children thrive, will expand our current partnership with Hartford Rec. Departments "Ventures Summer Camp" (an eight-week day camp). Our new programs include a two-week musical theatre intensive for 4th-12th graders and week-long introductory camp for elementary students. BroadwayVentures will culminate in a full-length, well-known musical production.. Off-Broadway Magic will include a performance for parents and peers. Campers will be fully immersed in every aspect of the stage experience and will participate in a unique character education program based in the Creative Lives holistic approach to learning. Camps foster positive self-esteem, relationship skills, and wise decision-making.