EdVestors Awards more than $500,000 to Support Arts Education in Boston Public Schools

Grants will reach 85 schools, 36 local nonprofits, and 70 arts teachers and teaching artists working in BPS

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 BOSTON – EdVestors, a Boston-based school improvement organization, today announced it has awarded more than $500,000 in arts education grants to 85 Boston Public Schools and 36 local nonprofits. Additionally, 70 BPS arts teachers and teaching artists received grants to support work in 49 schools. The grants will support equitable, quality arts education for the 2026-2027 school year in every neighborhood in the City of Boston. 

“The arts are essential to a well-rounded education and play a critical role in helping our students succeed,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “Through our longstanding partnership with EdVestors, we have expanded access to high-quality arts education and created more opportunities for students to express themselves, build confidence, and discover new ways of understanding the world around them. For nearly 20 years, EdVestors has demonstrated the powerful impact the arts can have on student learning and outcomes, making these awards a meaningful celebration of our students, educators, and school communities.”

Since its inception in 2009, BPS Arts Expansion has increased the number of BPS students receiving arts education by nearly 17,000 annually, establishing Boston as a national leader in expanding access to arts education.

"Seventeen years ago, EdVestors doubled down on the idea that arts education was vital to schools and students across Boston," said Marinell Rousmaniere, President & CEO of EdVestors. "Today, nearly 17,000 more students receive quality arts instruction each school year compared to when we started. That didn't happen by accident. With intention, schools, nonprofits, and philanthropy kept working together year after year. These grants are the continuation of that commitment, and at a time when arts programs elsewhere are at risk, Boston is showing the rest of the country what's possible when a city decides every student deserves access to the arts."

The positive impact of arts education on students is well-documented. Research indicates that regular arts instruction can increase attendance rates among chronically absent students and increase a sense of belonging. 

BPS Arts Expansion brings together local foundations, BPS, arts organizations, higher education institutions, and the Mayor’s Office. Lead funders include the Barr Foundation, The Klarman Family Foundation, and the Linde Family Foundation, with key support from the Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser Foundation, Lohengrin Foundation, and the Lubin Family Foundation, among others.

More information on BPS Arts Expansion is available here. A full list of grantees is available here.