the education fund

At theatre works! we want to make sure that a young person’s theatre experience doesn’t stop when the curtain falls.

That’s why we’ve launched a campaign to raise £30,000 ($40,000), enough to fund a part-time educational coordinator for three years and support our charity’s wider work.

We know from our grant evaluation feedback just how effectively theatre can spark fresh perspectives, encourage empathy and broaden horizons. That supports the driving belief at theatre works! that access to the arts isn’t just a “nice to have” but a fundamental part of children’s emotional and intellectual development. Now that over 15,000 children have benefited from a theatre works! grant, we want to ensure that we’re not just providing tickets, but also a targeted support package that will maximise the life-enhancing potential of these trips.

This may be the start of our fundraising effort, but the project itself is well underway. We’ve already identified an individual with plenty of experience and passion who can unwrap the full benefits of a theatre trip. That might take the form of Q&A sessions, workshop materials, or providing teachers with tailored resources to explore a play’s themes.

We know £30,000 ($40,000) is an ambitious target. If we don’t reach it, then we remain committed to wrapping this educational element around each child’s theatre experience. We’ll just have to accept that it may take a little longer as we balance that focus against other costs, such as the size or number of grants awarded.

And if your generosity helps us to exceed our target? Well, once we’ve stopped dancing then we’ll be able to expand our ambitions for this project. Most exciting of all, it means we’ll be able to accelerate our core mission to bring the transformative joy of theatre to even more disadvantaged young people.

So please, if you share our belief in the power of theatre, then support our campaign. Every donation is very gratefully received and allows us to advance our mission to inspire young lives. Thank you for all your support so far and we can’t wait to update you on this next exciting step for theatre works!

US donors will continue to receive their normal tax benefits. We’ve partnered with the Chapel & York US Foundation to facilitate US donations in support of our charity. This partnership allows us to avoid the costs of running our own US 501(c)(3) while still giving you the opportunity to make tax-deductible donations, so your contributions can have an even greater impact.

Your donation will be made to the Chapel & York US Foundation, which will then issue grants to theatre works! After submitting your donation, a member of our team will reach out to confirm whether you would like it directed to the Education Fund or our Core Donation Fund. The Core Donation Fund pays for theatre tickets for children from economically or socially deprived backgrounds. All overhead charges are paid by the charity's founders.