Young Audiences of Louisiana Awarded $350,000 Towards Arts Education Programming
Young Audiences of Louisiana (YALA) received a combined award of $350,000 towards arts education programming to benefit children in the Greater New Orleans Area and beyond. The funding provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The Price Fund, singer Lauren Daigle’s global foundation, will support YALA’s Louisiana Wolf Trap Early Learning and After School Arts Enrichment Programs. YALA, Louisiana’s largest provider of arts education programs, served 40,000 children in 2022 alone. The awards will help the organization continue providing quality arts education programming to children of all ages through partner schools, early learning centers, and community centers.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has been a longtime supporter of YALA’s work in the Greater New Orleans Area and the recent award provides $125,000 per year over the next two years to support YALA’s Louisiana Wolf Trap Early Learning Program. YALA, is the Louisiana affiliate of Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, an internationally respected program that provides innovative arts-based teaching strategies and services to early childhood teachers, caregivers, parents, and their children from 0 to 5 through the disciplines of drama, puppetry, music, and movement.
“The generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has been instrumental in Young Audiences of Louisiana's ability to root Louisiana Wolf Trap in our community,” said Jenny James, YALA Executive Director. “Over the past 9 years, we have witnessed the growth of our youngest learners in language, math, and social emotional skill building as compared to their peers who have not participated in LWT residencies. This newest award will provide much needed support for YALA to expand our focus on students and teachers to include deep engagement with caregivers. We are so excited to partner with all of the adults making an impact in young children's lives.”
The Price Fund, Lauren Daigle’s global foundation, awarded YALA $100,000 towards Afterschool Arts Enrichment Programs and Louisiana Wolf Trap Early Learning Program in an award ceremony at the Saengar Theatre on December 10, 2022.
“She’s an inspiration,” said Richard Bates, YALA Executive Director. “A lot of people talk about how important New Orleans music is, but she is actually using her goodwill to start and maintain music programs, like the one at Young Audiences Charter Schools Uptown [formerly Lawrence D. Crocker College Prep].”
Daigle, a Louisiana native, founded The Price Fund in 2018 to help those in need through community initiatives and outreach and this is the third year the foundation has supported YALA’s work.
About Young Audiences of Louisiana
Young Audiences of Louisiana was founded in 1962 with the mission to inspire, engage, and unite children and communities through education, arts, and culture. Over the last 60 years the organization has grown from presenting school performances of chamber music to our current position as the state’s largest provider of arts-integrated and afterschool programs. To learn more about our mission, please visit our website at www.ya4la.org.