Talented at-risk students who aspire to be musicians, actors, dancers or visual artists are often faced with financial need that prevents many from pursuing an artistic field.
St. Pete Arts Alliance’s Funding Futures program is dedicated to helping students nurture their creative interests and develop their expressive talent by providing funding to eligible students and connecting them to local after school arts programs or summer arts camps.
Creative thinking, problem solving, communication and cooperation are attributes and skills that are learned through the making of art all of which contribute to the mental and emotional growth of a child. Students highly involved in the arts are 20% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree and 17% more likely to volunteer.
Art experiences especially help low-income and at-risk youth. Art students on free or reduced lunch were 4 times more likely to have high academic achievement and 3 times more likely to have high attendance. They were also more likely than their peers to have attended and done well in college, built careers, volunteered in the community and voted.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance’s Funding Futures Student Award program is designed to identify and encourage talented at-risk emerging artists, ages 10-17 in Pinellas County seeking St. Petersburg programs in the categories of dance, music, jazz, voice, theater, digital arts, photography, cinematic arts or visual arts.
Funds may be used for:
· Tuition for summer arts programs
· Musical instruments rental, purchase or repair
· Equipment or supplies for a special artistic project
· Individual instruction or master class tuition
Funding Futures is open to all talented artists regardless of ethnic, social or economic background, or ability/disability.
For application information, emailtracy@stpeteartsalliance.org.