Young Audiences Arts for Learning (YA) has awarded five Affiliate Development Fund (ADF) grants for 2026–27 to support innovative projects across the national Young Audiences Arts for Learning network (YA Network). Each year, the ADF program supports initiatives at the affiliate level that strengthen organizational capacity, advance arts education, and create opportunities for learning and collaboration across the network.
Congratulations to this year’s awardees for their leadership, vision, and commitment to advancing the YA Network and the young learners we serve. Read below to learn more about each ADF-funded project.
Arts Ed Collaborative – Pittsburgh, PA
Leveraging Arts Education to Develop Durable Skills in K–12 EducationArts Ed Collaborative will use ADF support to explore how arts education can help students develop the durable skills needed to thrive in an AI-enabled economy. Building on regional arts education data, as well as expertise in facilitation and evaluation, Arts Ed Collaborative will investigate how arts learning can be more intentionally connected to workforce readiness. This early-stage initiative will help Arts Ed Collaborative identify opportunities to strengthen the role of arts education in preparing students for the future while expanding access to high-quality arts learning across Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Arts for Learning Virginia – Norfolk, VA
The Sunlight Metrics InitiativeArts for Learning Virginia will lead a collaborative effort to develop and pilot a shared system for measuring the impact of performance-based arts education programming. Through the Sunlight Metrics Initiative, Arts for Learning Virginia will explore practical ways to assess educational outcomes, audience engagement, and community impact across its programming. By developing a common evaluation framework, the project aims to help YA affiliates better understand and communicate the value of performance-based programming while creating opportunities to compare findings, identify trends, and strengthen programs across the network.
Arts for Learning Indiana – Indianapolis, IN
The AFL Teaching Artist ToolkitArts for Learning Indiana will develop a standardized instructional toolkit to help teaching artists deliver consistent, accessible, high-quality arts-integrated learning experiences across diverse classroom settings. The new toolkit will provide a shared collection of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)-aligned materials, social-emotional learning resources, accessibility supports, reflection tools, and discipline-flexible art supplies, alongside a field guide reinforcing instructional practices. By equipping teaching artists with practical tools they can use every day, Arts for Learning Indiana aims to strengthen classroom practice, support more inclusive learning experiences, and build a sustainable model that can inform future resource development across the YA Network.
Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) – Chicago, IL
Strengthening CAPE’s 3-Part Assessment (3PA) for Equitable Arts-Integrated LearningWith ADF support, Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) will strengthen its ability to measure student learning through the coordinated implementation of its 3-Part Assessment (3PA) pre- and post-survey system across in-school and afterschool programs. Projected to reach over 2,000 students in Chicago and West Chicago, the project will gather student perspectives and survey data from CAPE’s Artist/Researcher Partners program and SCALE afterschool programs. Findings will help teaching partners better understand student learning, compare insights across program settings and arts disciplines, and use timely, equity-centered analysis to inform lesson planning, reflection, professional development, and action research.
Think 360 Arts for Learning – Denver, CO
Healing Through the Arts: A Colorado Teaching Artist PathwayThink 360 Arts for Learning will design and pilot a Colorado-specific onboarding and professional-learning pathway to help teaching artists support student mental health and well-being through arts learning. Building on YA's existing National Teaching Artist Credential (TAC) initiative and other professional learning resources, the project will adapt foundational materials to reflect the needs of Colorado’s diverse communities. Think 360 Arts for Learning will collaborate with a qualified health expert, teaching artists, staff, and statewide stakeholders to develop and test a multi-part training experience with a cohort of teaching artists. The project will explore how culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches can strengthen teaching practice, support statewide partnerships, and connect arts learning with broader health and well-being outcomes. Think 360 Arts for Learning also plans to share key findings and adaptable tools with the YA Network, creating opportunities for other affiliates to apply these resources to their own state and community priorities.
At the heart of the ADF grant program is the belief that investing in the organizational development of individual affiliates can benefit the entire YA Network. By supporting these five projects, YA is helping affiliates hone new practical approaches and share knowledge that can advance our collective mission to to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts. ADF support helps enable affiliates to design projects that respond to their unique needs and visions for change, while contributing to the continued growth and development of the network.
Questions about ADF? Please contact Melissa Gawlowski Pratt, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Network Relations, at melissa@ya.org.
