How the Educational Theatre Foundation expanded access and social justice through theatre education.
ETF Impact
As the charitable arm of EdTA, the Educational Theatre Foundation amplifies the impact of school theatre: Through ETF’s funding opportunities, more students experience the power of theatre education, and more theatre teachers receive the tools to transform lives.
Nationwide, a full two-thirds of public schools don’t offer theatre during the school day – and that deficit goes up to 73 percent in schools with majority Black student populations. ETF’s signature program, JumpStart Theatre, is working to close that gap by building sustainable middle school theatre programs across the country.
How the program works: Five regional theatre partners administer JumpStart Theatre in nine states. After a rigorous application process, schools make a three-year commitment. Through partners iTheatrics and Music Theatre International, each school receives $12,000 worth of services, training, mentoring, and support annually to produce a full-scale show for their community.
JumpStart Theatre also provides teacher stipends and modest budgets for sets and costumes. Students are involved in every aspect of the production: performance, costumes, sets, technical support, and design. The support continues for three straight years until the program becomes sustainable.
In 2023. JumpStart Theatre served 1,064 students and 228 teachers in 28 schools through our partners in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Frostburg, Md., and La Jolla, Calif. The impact of JumpStart Theatre extends well beyond the stage:
“Working through table readings and blocking scenes with students greatly impacts their cognitive development, problem solving, and social skills,” said Gabrielle Caruthers, drama teacher at Rutherford Winans Academy in Detroit. “Ethical community engagement builds relationships with gifted and the most vulnerable inner-city youth. Community engagement acts as a resource for underserved youth to explore other avenues with the performing arts sector.”
A teacher at Marston Middle School recounted the story of a student who was nervous to join the JumpStart Theatre production. “A few weeks before the show, his mom told me that he is really struggling making friends, and being a part of this production really changed his disposition,” said the teacher. “She said he had friends for the first time this year, and she was almost in tears telling me how happy she was, driving him and his castmates home from rehearsal, listening to them laugh and sing and share funny stories from the show. This makes it all worth it.”
ETF also provides grants that expand access to school theatre. The Thespian Growth and Excellence Fund, which began as a pandemic-relief initiative, now provides five types of grants for schools to develop their theatre programs. The grants range from $229 — the cost of chartering a Thespian troupe — up to $5,000 for equipment upgrades. ETF awarded 48 grants totaling $44,022 in 2023, impacting 4,563 students.
ETF is proud to offer grants and scholarships that support racial equity. In a nationwide expansion, five schools received Pathway grants for the 2023-24 school year, serving 365 students. A program inspired by the late producer Craig Zadan, these $10,000 grants enable schools to produce productions that foster racial dialogue and hire professionals of color to mentor the students.
“We hope that by working closely with actors and behind-the-scenes technicians that look like them, it will help our students see aspirations to pursue a career in musical theater as valid and attainable,” said Elena Muzzi, theater director at Pathway grant recipient school KIPP DC College Preparatory.
“We are closely watched as a model for fledgling theatre departments and provide mentorship, technical, design, and facilities support,” said Jennifer Leija from Pathway recipient Detroit School of the Fine Performing Arts. “This grant [will] assure the future of our young program, support the birth of new programs, and allow us to continue producing high quality work within the community for decades to come.”
ETF awarded 20 scholarships worth $48,250 in 2023, including multiple opportunities prioritizing students of color. Those include the Marion Combs Career Inspiration Award, launched in 2023 in memory of ETF’s former vice president of development, and the Grace Kelly scholarships offered in partnership with the Princess Grace Foundation.
And 16 schools received $10,000 grants to perform The Unsinkable Molly Brown, a new initiative in partnership with The Music Man Foundation and Music Theatre International.
In December, ETF added six new trustees to its board, including artists who will serve as mentors and high-level advocates within the entertainment industry — and continuing ETF’s transformation to support the organization’s shared vision.
DEIA progress:
- Pathway racial equity grants expanded nationally to five schools in Detroit; Miami; Washington, D.C.; Columbus, Ohio; and Salinas, Calif.
- To foster social justice work through theatre, ETF provides grants to perform productions focused on issues such as race and culture, immigrant rights, and women’s rights.
- JumpStart Theatre continued building access to theatre in schools, addressing a massive access gap for students of color.
- Half of ETF’s scholarships are specifically for or prioritize the selection of students of color.
2023 Impact
Grants Awarded
Scholarships Awarded
Students Impacted By ETF
