August 24, 2015

Menlo Park, CA–Art in Action has recently received nearly $75,000 in grants to deliver its visual arts education program to schools with need in East Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose, San Francisco and Monterey County.  The grants were awarded by the Palo Alto Community Fund, the Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation, the Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation, Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund and the Adobe Foundation.

The funding will help further Art in Action’s mission to make arts education accessible to all children, specifically in Title 1 schools that do not have the resources to provide a visual arts program.  In addition, these grants enable Art in Action to hire Art Coordinators who will provide the schools with on-site training, and support as well as act as liaisons with the teachers, parent volunteers and administration at each school.  Nearly 2,700 students in twelve schools will have Art in Action during the 2015-2016 school year through this support.

“Without funding for the Art in Action program, our students would never have this rich opportunity to learn through art,” said Kelsey Rothrock, a teacher from Horace Cureton Elementary in San Jose. “Most of them know something about art of their own culture, but this program opens their eyes to other cultures and gives them a chance to learn how other cultures are similar to their own, something they rarely get to do.”

Charley Lewis, Corporate Responsibility Manager for Adobe, said “The Adobe Foundation supports programs and organizations that help make our communities better, stronger more vibrant places to live. Art in Action’s visual arts education program uses an innovative approach to ignite creative thinking in their students, something that the Adobe Foundation believes is critical for the success of future generations.”

Art in Action currently reaches more than 50,000 students in nearly 2,000 classrooms nationwide.

Founded in 1982, Art in Action, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, transforms school communities and their students through an engaging, hands-on curriculum that teaches 21st century learning skills through art history, appreciation and practice. Find Art in Action on FaceBook and Twitter and at artinaction.org.

-end-