Dear Friends and Supporters of MFTA,
We get it. Everyone is emailing you for #GivingTuesday. While we like to think of ourselves as unique and quirky, we still want to take this opportunity to share with you some of Materials for the Arts’ accomplishments achieved during the pandemic as we ask for your support.
When the warehouse closed to the public in March, we knew instinctively that our recipients would need us more than ever. We chose to meet the uncertainty of the world, head-on, with a spirit of innovation. Here is a look at our impact this year so far:
- Our Education Center moved all programming online and reached over 5,000 people since April. Approximately 3,250 students, 450 teachers as well as members of the general public through workshops, professional development classes, virtual school residencies and family members on virtual field trips
- Our livestreamed Third Thursday events reached 2,450 viewers showcasing the contemporary artists and thought leaders practicing and advocating reuse art
- In May, we piloted a program to drop off donations to DOE school sites serving over 750 children of essential workers.
- We recently instituted a Curbside Pickup Program to safely distribute critically needed supplies to arts and social service organizations doing live and online programming. We supported hundreds of organizations with materials to create PPE beginning in late March and through the early summer
- 42% of all those recipients we served were not-for-profit arts organizations; 33% were NYC public schools across the five boroughs, 17% were social service organizations with arts programming, and the remaining were NYC government agencies.
The need from our community has never been more apparent. As you think about organizations to give to on this #GivingTuesday, we hope you will consider our efforts knowing that a gift to Friends of Materials for the Arts is a gift that will go the distance, rippling across NYC.
Regards, |
