Hartford Performs receives $100,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation to expand arts education programming for Hartford Public Schools

Hartford, Conn. – November 22, 2013 – Hartford Performs announced today that The Prudential Foundation has approved a grant of $100,000 to support the continued growth of its organization and its Arts Integration Program, a ground-breaking collaboration between Hartford Public Schools and more than 100 regional arts providers. The grant will allow Hartford Performs to expand programs and services to ensure every Hartford Public School student has access to quality arts education.

The Prudential Foundation is Hartford Performs’ Legacy Sponsor, having provided support for the 2009 Task Force that researched other arts education partnerships in the country and that developed the original framework for Hartford Performs. Sarah Keh, Program Officer for The Prudential Foundation said, “The Prudential Foundation has always had a strong commitment to arts education as a key component of a high quality education. Hartford Performs, in partnership with the district and the city’s arts community, is an exemplary model across the country for providing high quality arts instruction to Hartford Public School students.”

In its fourth year of program implementation, Hartford Performs manages a database of nearly 200 vetted arts integration programs that align to Common Core and State Learning Standards and are available at no cost to participating Hartford Public Schools, thanks to the generous support of funders. The programs connect the arts to core subject areas, and offer new pathways to learning for students and teachers alike. Today the Arts Integration Program has expanded to serve 26 of Hartford’s Pre-K to 8 schools, with the goal of partnering with all Hartford Public PreK-8 schools by 2015.

“We look forward to being good stewards of this incredible gift and to building on the strong foundation that we have already put in place,” said Robert Warren, Executive Director of Hartford Performs. “The range of committed schools, arts providers, community organizations, and funders like The Prudential Foundation that are already deeply engaged makes me feel confident that the arts can and will make a significant difference in the lives of Hartford students and for the city as a whole.”

ABOUT HARTFORD PERFORMS
Hartford Performs is an arts education collaborative made up of teachers, students, artists and the Hartford community, coming together with the common goal of supporting and inspiring students’ success through the arts. Since Hartford Performs’ inception in 2009 it has provided arts experiences in the four disciplines of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, to a growing number of PreK-8 classrooms in the Hartford Public School District. Hartford Performs is supported by its fiscal sponsor, the Greater Hartford Arts Council. To learn more about Hartford Performs visit hartfordperforms.org.

ABOUT THE PRUDENTIAL FOUNDATION
The Prudential Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU). Its grant-making strategy is focused on education, economic development and arts and civic infrastructure; and it supports community engagement efforts of Prudential employees through Matching Gifts and other programs that recognize their volunteer work.