The AFTA FAQ
What AFTA Is:
AFTA is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that raises funding and awareness for arts education in Portland Metro-area schools grades K - 12.
What AFTA Does:
- Distributes funds to a variety of specific in-school arts projects via the annual AFTA Grant Program to help increase kids’ educational exposure to the arts.
- Makes it easy for the community to support arts in schools and kids’ creativity by contributing a portion of proceeds raised via their own activities and creative pursuits to AFTA’s flagship fundraising effort, the SHARE Program.
- Helps build social capital in our communities by encouraging and enabling a greater number and cross-section of people to influence positive change.
- Encourages educators to be creative and optimistic about the types of projects they are able to bring into their own classrooms
- Raises public awareness about the importance of art in a well-rounded education and in enhancing students’ emotional and personal growth
- Utilizes the Internet to create a convenient way for supporters to engage in the turn-key SHARE Program and to reduce administrative overhead.
Who AFTA Helps:
- Students grades K – 12 in public or private schools in the Portland Metro area, primarily located in underserved communities where school district and community resources are often not enough to sustain arts education
- Educators with ideas for sharing arts with their students in schools where sufficient or complete funding for those projects is not available
- A broad community of individuals, families, educators, businesses, organizations and others who understand the problem, but may not know how they can help
- The Metro-area community at-large, by ensuring that our kids receive well-rounded education in order for them to contribute positively to society.
What AFTA Doesn’t Do:
- Create or design arts-in-schools programs
- Own or operate a facility that offers arts programs
- Hire instructors or choose artists to go into the classroom.