P.S. ARTS
The 25th Anniversary endowment challenge from the Herb Alpert Foundation brings to $5 million the Foundation’s contribution to P.S. ARTS.
P.S. ARTS, the 2014 recipient of the Americans for the Arts National Arts Education award, has been providing arts education to children attending underserved public schools in California for 25 years.
Rona Sebastian, President of The Herb Alpert Foundation, remarks, “It is gratifying to see this unique program thriving in Los Angeles, becoming a model for other schools and bringing well-deserved attention to P.S. ARTS. We are delighted that this significant program helps students celebrate their differences and encourages them to become good citizens of the world.” The Herb Alpert Foundation issued P.S. ARTS a $1 million challenge grant to establish the organization’s first endowment, bringing the Foundation’s investment in the organization to $5 million, and ensuring that the organization can thrive for future generations.
Renowned educator Dr. Paul Cummins founded P.S. ARTS in 1990 with initial funding from The Herb Alpert Foundation in response to state education budget cuts. P.S. ARTS started with 250 children in one elementary school, and now, after 25 years, provides arts education to over 25,000 students. “Over the past 25 years,” says Herb Alpert, “through our support of P.S. ARTS, Lani and I have watched a generation of students thrive on in-school arts exploration and training.”
In 2004, The Foundation made a $1.5 million grant to P.S. ARTS, funding an innovative five-year arts education initiative in the Lawndale Elementary School District for 5,000 students. The grant was designed to provide comprehensive support at the outset and decrease over time as District investment increased in P.S. ARTS education programs.
The Foundation has continued to award over $200,000 annually, supporting the region-wide arts education effort led by P.S. ARTS, whose TakePART Initiative in five school districts currently provides 10,000 children with weekly arts education.