40,000 students got to experience arts
Organizers at Phoenix nonprofit Act One believe every child deserves to experience the arts.
The nonprofit provides educational field trips to students at Title 1 schools in low-income communities in Phoenix and Tucson. So far this year, students have watched a live jazz band at The Nash, ballet at Phoenix Symphony Hall and Shakespeare at Mesa Arts Center.
Act One received a $7,500 Season for Sharing grant for its field trip program.
The organization also partners with libraries across the state to provide library cardholders with a Culture Pass. Culture Passes give cardholders an opportunity to experience the arts in Phoenix, Tucson and Sedona.
“In Arizona, schools increasingly do not have funds for educational arts field trips, and this is especially the case for Title 1 schools in low-income communities,” said Juliet Martin, vice president of strategies and programs.
“Act One was founded to address the many issues faced by schools and arts organizations alike when organizing field trips.”
Martin answered questions about her organization’s work and how Season for Sharing aided those efforts. Some of the answers were edited for clarity.
developed?
How was the program
Although many theater companies offered student matinees and museums offered tours, low-income schools could not afford the tickets. Increasingly, arts organizations provided low- or no-cost tickets to highneed schools, but it didn’t solve the secondary problem: the cost of busing to get students to the field trip, which averages $3.50 per student.
The solution became Act One’s flagship venture, the Act One Field Trip Program. Act One makes field trips easy for teachers. We partner with 57 arts partners to offer more than 100 different field trip opportunities, providing teachers a ‘one-stop-shop’ for field trip planning.
By filling out one form, teachers can request a field trip. We take care of the field trip details so arts organizations can focus on what they do best: producing art and educating their audiences.
How many individuals does your nonprofit help each year?
In the 2018-19 school year, Act One brought 43,257 K-12 students and their chaperones on educational arts field trips. We have the capacity to bring more than 51,000 students and chaperones during the 2019-20 school year.
As of Nov. 1, more than 50,000 students and chaperones have been confirmed for arts field trips this school year. The Act One Culture Pass annually offers the opportunity for more than 500,000 people to visit 60 arts organizations for free by checking out a Culture Pass at one of 64 libraries. How do you gauge your success? Success comes as we have the ability to fund more students on arts field trips and meet demand from schools, see an increasing number of teachers interested in bringing students on arts field trips and receive feedback from teachers about the impact of their field trips on students and how they integrate the arts into their curricula.
How many employees do have?
Six full-time employees. What is your greatest need? you
More financial support. The demand from schools for arts field trips has greatly outpaced what Act One can afford to supply. This year, more than 53,000 field trip seats were requested on the first day we began accepting field trip requests — more than were available.
Through public donations, Act One can bring more students on educational arts field trips. It costs an average of $10 to bring one student on an arts field trip, which includes the ticket and busing to and from the field trip venue.
How did you spend your Season for Sharing grant?
The Season for Sharing grantfunded arts field trips for students attending Title 1 schools where the majority of students receive free or reducedprice lunch.