Initiatives

Funding

With a focus on access, inclusion, innovation, and ingenuity, we provide support for the bold initiatives and original programs and projects that help make Asawa SOTA a local and national model for arts education and arts-based learning. If you believe in the power of the arts to transform our lives, our communities, and our world, join us in funding an education revolution.

 
 
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Support

We help identify and support crucial initiatives and programs that are outside of Asawa SOTA’s budget.

Highlights include helping to identify, seed, and launch modern, accessible arts departments — such as Architecture + Design, Spoken Arts, and World Dance — and partnering with the Black Student Union to bring Black History Month assemblies and curricula to the school.


Image: #3 Wave-stallation, an award-winning submission by Clarissa (Architecture + Design 2022) to the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco 2020 Design Ideas Collective Competition. Four other Asawa SOTA A+D students also won awards in this competition to conceptualize pandemic-era gathering spaces.

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Grants

Our application-based grants provide funds for student, teacher, department, alumni, and community projects.

Among them are grants to seniors to help them realize their capstone projects — in-depth explorations with real-world applications that integrate the academic, artistic, cultural, and personal experiences of an arts-based education.


Image: TheLastLetter (Johannesburg, South Africa) at Big Leap Collective's 2021 virtual music festival. Ellie (Musical Theater 2020) founded Big Leap Collective — an outlet for indie musicians and artists — as a capstone project and took it to the real world (and the whole world).

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Fiscal Sponsorship

We offer nonprofit status and funds management for mission-aligned projects that need access to grants or tax-deductible donations.

We administer over $30,000 in student grants from the Youth Empowerment Fund — a YMCA leadership program for youth-led change — and host crowdfunding and other fundraising campaigns for department and club projects.


Image: A mentor of One Voice Mentors. Founded by Julia (Vocal 2021) as a capstone project to provide free music lessons to children during the COVID crisis, One Voice Mentors received a $5,000 grant from the Youth Empowerment Fund.

 
 

Header image: A still from the video 3 Wayz. The capstone project film was choreographed, danced, and edited by Breslin (World Dance 2021).