With support from the California Arts Council, ArtReach will provide free and low-cost visual arts programs for over 7,000 young people annually, focusing on those with limited access to creative opportunities, including youth from low-income families, newcomer and refugee communities, Native youth, and LGBTQIA+ youth and families. General Operating Support will help sustain ArtReach’s in-school and community-based programs and strengthen the team’s capacity to meet growing demand across San Diego County. Funding will support staffing, artist wages, and the continued activation of ArtReach’s new community arts center in Hillcrest, an inclusive and intergenerational space that welcomes diverse communities, especially those living in the lowest quartiles of California’s Healthy Places Index. This support is vital to ensure long-term sustainability and equitable access to arts engagement for historically marginalized populations.
ArtReach San Diego is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing access to visual arts education for youth, especially those from under-resourced schools and communities.
ArtReach offers the following programs:
In-School Programs: These programs utilize an inquiry-based, standards-aligned, and sequential curriculum designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. With a strong focus on supporting social-emotional learning goals, the lessons help students build confidence, resilience, and emotional awareness through artistic exploration.
Mural Programs: ArtReach engages youth in collaborative public art projects, where they design and create large-scale murals that promote teamwork, community pride, and artistic achievement. Additionally, ArtReach offers commercial mural projects that provide youth apprentices with real-world work experience, helping to support reduced-cost murals for Title I schools.
Community Programs: ArtReach hosts accessible art workshops and classes for families and individuals in a variety of settings, including our two in-house art studios, libraries, and community centers. These workshops focus on process-based techniques led by local artists, creating opportunities for authentic connection through the arts.
ArtReach employs local artists as teaching artists, ensuring that its programs not only deliver valuable arts education but also support the local creative economy. These programs are offered county-wide, providing free or low-cost services to Title I schools and underserved communities across San Diego County.

