Continuing its support of arts education, the Napa Valley Community Foundation has awarded a $4,500 grant to the Arts Council from the Freed Family Fund and Five Arts Fund. The funds will go directly to supporting the Arts Council Napa Valley Education Alliance (ACNVEA), whose mission is to inspire the voice and creative mind within every student in Napa County.
The ACNVEA recently launched the first ever student of the month awards and scholarship initiative to highlight the accomplishments of visual and performing arts teachers and students throughout the county. To date, 15 students have been recognized in the disciplines of theater, dance, music (choir, band, and orchestra), and visual arts (studio arts, photography and digital media). Scholarships will be awarded during a spring ceremony. The Education Alliance is also instrumental in providing leadership to support and grow arts programs throughout the county.
“Our local students deserve recognition for their achievements, particularly in the arts,” said Arts Council Napa Valley Board Chair, Colleen Schulman. “The Visual and Performing Arts Student of the Month program underscores just how important it is to nurture creativity at all grade levels. We are thrilled to receive this generous support for the great work of the Education Alliance in ensuring the arts are an integral part of the student experience.”
“We’re proud that our donors recognize that the arts play a critical role in education,” said Terence Mulligan, President, Napa Valley Community Foundation. “Not only has inclusion of the arts shown a direct correlation with academic achievement, but exposure to the arts helps youth to develop critical thinking and collaboration skills and a broader world view.”
About Arts Council Napa Valley
Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV) began in 1963, founded by a grassroots group of passionate community leaders to help organize and support the community’s arts activities. Today ACNV is a professionally-run organization designated as Napa county’s agency, executing services countywide through professional staff and expert program consultants. The primary focus is increasing public access to the arts. It does this in a number of ways, including supporting our creative industries, through advocacy efforts, programming and public will building. It participates in advocacy efforts on behalf of the arts community that include both policy level initiatives as well as efforts to increase available funding. It also advocates for public access to the arts within our community, including encouraging programming for underserved audiences, working to remove financial, accessibility and cultural barriers for public participation in the arts, and increasing arts education availability. It serves as an industry catalyst, providing a centralized location to find industry information, funding opportunities, workshop trainings, a comprehensive artist directory for all walks of the creative industry and artist networking events.
About Napa Valley Community Foundation
Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) works side-by-side with local donors and nonprofits to tackle the most important challenges our Valley faces. Now celebrating 25 years of service to the community, the foundation has distributed more than $50 million in grants to improve the quality of life for residents of the region, and currently serves as the philanthropic partner to thousands of individuals, families, nonprofit agencies and corporations in Napa Valley and beyond.
