At the BUSD school board meeting on Thursday, May 15, Trena Pitchford, Director of Development for the Burbank Arts For All Foundation (BAFA) announced the recipients of $25,518 in grants for arts education programs in the school district.
Grant applications from Roosevelt, Washington, McKinley and Jefferson Elementary Schools along with Burbank and Burroughs High Schools were selected from 25 applicants by the BAFA Board in April for the spring grant cycle. The funds will directly affect programs for more than 8300 students in the coming school year.
“We see ourselves as venture philanthropists, willing to underwrite creative programs in their infancy, to add additional resources to a teacher’s, principal’s, school booster club’s or PTA unit’s school day curriculum program,” commented Pitchford. “To fortify the district’s 10-year Arts For All plan.”
In the past seven years, since the Foundation was created in 2007, BAFA has funded over 160 grants, spending over $250,000, said Pitchford.
Parent booster and PTA donations along with BUSD and BAFA funding for arts-related programs in the schools total nearly $600,000 since 2007, according to Dr. Tom Kissinger, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services for the district.
Pitchford mentioned a few of the programs and projects funded this cycle, including the first 3D printer for the district, the creation of an arts library resource center at the high schools, and funding cross-curricular programs for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) participants in grades 3-5.
The $25,518 will be matched with $53,923 from BUSD’s Arts For All funds, parent-driven booster clubs and PTA units, to support the selected arts education programs.
While Pitchford acknowledged the chosen programs, she noted that the total amount requested by the initial 25 applicants totaled over $63,000.
