The grant funds would be used to contribute to the hiring of Teapot’s first full time staff member, our Executive Director, Sorina Vaziri. Sorina, co-founder and ED, has volunteered most of her time and has received small stipends for the work she’s done to date at Teapot. To ensure the long-term sustainability of Teapot, it is essential that we enhance our organizational capacity by having at least one full time staff member. Currently, all our staff members are part-time and contract based.
One-full time staff member enhances stability, leadership, relationship building and capacity for expansion within the organization. Their dedicated time and commitment contribute to building organizational capacity, thus allowing Teapot to effectively fulfill its mission and achieve long-term success.
Teapot offers two programs serving two different markets. Art Oasis targets system impacted youth in South Central Los Angeles, while Paradaiza is designed for artists and creatives across Los Angeles who are interested in sharing their talents with the next generation. Our program model is based on a giving tree approach, where artists generously give back to our community.
Art Oasis is a paid internship and job training program for youths aged 13-18, where they learn the marketing aspects of being an artist through hands-on event production. In one-on-one mentorships with industry professionals, participants train as producers, community organizers, graphic designers, teaching artists, filmmakers, and editors. They collaborate to design and execute a series of 6-8 free, outdoor events for their community, providing healing through art while building valuable, career-ready skills.
Paradaiza is a distinct community of 20-39 yr old creative adults interested in activism. We gather in our Paradise Garden as a common ground to share ideas, collaborate, and build community. Modeled on the ancient lifestyle around Paradise Gardens, we aim to revive the idea that culture was born in a garden, and it takes a village! Our garden serves a gathering place for artists to seed their ideas to fruition, and create programming geared towards adults. Programs like Folktales and Fire, Kimchi Forage & Ferment, and Picnic in Paradise began in our garden.

