Two legacies.
One shared future.
Your gift today helps write the first chapter of this united organization — and ensures that the next generation of Bay Area youth has access to the arts education they deserve.
This Giving Tuesday, we're celebrating something extraordinary: Youth Art Exchange and Leap Arts — two of the Bay Area's most beloved arts education organizations — are now one. Together, we're building a stronger, more sustainable organization with the power to reach more young people, deepen our community impact, and keep creativity at the heart of how young people grow.
For decades, these two organizations have, in parallel, put professional artists in classrooms and community spaces across San Francisco and the Bay Area — opening doors for young people to build skills, find their voice, and imagine futures they might not have seen before. Now, those doors open wider.
Your gift today helps write the first chapter of this united organization — and ensures that the next generation of Bay Area youth has access to the arts education they deserve.
Our Impact
When you give to Youth Art Exchange & Leap Arts, you're investing in more than classes. You're investing in a young person's sense of possibility — their creative confidence, their leadership, their belief that their voice belongs in the world.
[ XX ] students served across the Bay Area
[ XX ] schools partnered with across SF
[ XX ] teaching artists employed each year
Statistics from the 2024–2025 program year.
[ 20+ ] years of free arts programming for public high school students
Why Your Gift Matters
When the arts are cut, young people lose more than a class.
Across the Bay Area, arts education in public schools has been disappearing for years — and the students who feel that loss most acutely are the ones who already have the fewest resources. We exist to close that gap.
We primarily serve public high school students, the majority of whom are youth of color, and our staff and faculty reflect the communities we work with. Racial equity isn't an add-on — it's central to how we design programs, build partnerships, and hire the artists who teach.
Your gift ensures that:
Young people have free, high-quality arts programming — not a paywall between them and their creativity.
Professional teaching artists are paid fairly for the vital work they do in classrooms and community spaces.
Students develop creative, technical, and leadership skills they carry into every part of their lives.
Art remains a tool for self-expression, civic voice, and belonging — not a privilege reserved for the few.
Ways You Can Give
Make a One-Time Donation
Your gift today fuels free arts programming, paid teaching artists, and creative community for Bay Area youth.
Become a Sustainer
Recurring monthly or quarterly gifts provide the steady support that lets us plan ahead, hire artists, and keep programs free. Sustainers are the backbone of our work.
Honor Someone With Your Gift
Make a gift in honor of a teacher, a mentor, or a young artist in your life — and let them know they inspired you to invest in the next generation.
Host a Fundraiser
Bring your community together around creativity. Host a fundraiser, share our story, and expand the circle of people who believe every young person deserves access to the arts.
What Your Gift Makes Possible
Free Afterschool Programs
School Residencies
Youth Camps
Youth Leadership
Stay Inspired. Stay Connected.
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