NEW YORK, NY — JUNE 1, 2023 — Young Audiences Arts for Learning (YA), the nation’s largest arts in education network, is pleased to announce that David Falk has joined its national staff as Director of Development. In this role, he will design and implement fundraising strategies capable of supporting the robust depth and breadth of YA’s impact on the field of arts in education.
David brings to YA more than 25 years of experience in development and communications across the media and nonprofit sectors. After spending the bulk of his career as a book publishing executive, rising to VP/Publisher-level positions with Simon & Schuster and Houghton Mifflin, David made a deliberate shift to mission-based work. The catalyst came through publishing three books with charitable goals, partnering with and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes—The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Safe Horizon, and the ACLU. “I caught the bug,” he reflected, “doing well by doing good was addictive—I wanted much more.”
Before joining YA, David served as Director of Philanthropy with Yaddo, the nation’s preeminent artist residency program, completing a $10M capital campaign to restore its 1893 National Historic Landmark Mansion. He then signed on as Senior Advisor launching a minority-led, mission-driven investment fund, offering investors a proven vehicle to invest in thousands of companies led by those historically shut out of venture capital funding—chiefly women of all races and Black and Latino men. He later helped launch an associated nonprofit, building bridges to connect VC investors with the best startups led by overlooked founders.
“The Young Audiences network's massive reach and lasting impact are astonishing and unmatched,” David shared. “It’s an honor and a privilege to become part of a seven-decades-old organization that places our children and youth at the center of its work, and a passionate team who believes that an arts-integrated education is vital to the complete development and mental health of all students.”
About Young Audiences Arts for Learning
Founded in 1952, Young Audiences Arts for Learning is the nation’s largest art in education network, impacting around 5 million young people each year. Young Audiences works to support its diverse network of affiliated organizations that are each dedicated to playing a decisive role in young people’s personal, artistic, and educational development. To learn more about Young Audiences’ mission to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts, please visit: www.youngaudiences.org.
Contact
Emily House
Director of Marketing & Communications
emily@ya.org
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