(Photo Caption) Farragut Elementary students during a ukulele lesson (Culver City Unified School District). Photo by Rudy Torres.
In a year marked by wildfires, federal funding cuts, and threats to immigrant communities, LA County faced multiple crises that underscored the vital role of the arts in healing and resilience. Through the Advancement Grant Program, more than $2.6M grant dollars and matching funds were invested into school-based arts education for 36 local education agencies during the 2024-25 school year. With school districts focused on implementation of Arts and Music in Schools (Prop 28), we continued to provide expertise and guidance to ensure school districts leverage Prop 28 funds effectively and equitably in support of arts education. The Creative Wellbeing initiative also provided healing-centered arts programs for fire-impacted youth, families, and educators in Pasadena and Altadena.
This report also highlights efforts by the Arts Ed Collective to deepen arts instruction and engagement for incarcerated and at-promise youth across the County. This past year saw major strides for Creative Career Pathways for Youth, including the launch of an arts-based workforce initiative at Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility. We also celebrated the first youth cohort of the Media Career Pathways Prototype, which connected young people with mentorship and work-based learning to prepare them for careers in the creative industries, and launched the Arts Ed Collective Leadership Circle, a new community advisory body for the arts education and arts-based youth development fields.
A half-decade since the LA County Board of Supervisors’ adoption of a new Arts Ed Blueprint, we are proud to share how our work continues to ensure that all young people—across schools and communities—can engage in the arts as a vital part of their growth and development.