Hamden, CT — March 16, 2026 — Arts for Learning Connecticut (AFLCT) is pleased to announce it has received a $4,000 grant from the Red Rhino Fund at The Taft School to support arts learning programs serving students across the Greater Waterbury region during the 2025-26 school year.
The grant will support AFLCT’s “Arts for All: Creative Learning Across Greater Waterbury” initiative, which will deliver performances, workshops, residencies, and community-based arts programming for students in Waterbury, Cheshire, Middlebury, Southbury, and Woodbury. Through these programs, AFLCT expects to engage more than 5,000 K-12 students and partner with 10 or more schools and community institutions in the region.
Led by AFLCT’s roster of professional Teaching Artists, programming will include interactive experiences in music, theater, dance, storytelling, and visual arts. These hands-on learning opportunities are designed to strengthen student engagement, encourage creative expression, and support positive school culture.
“Arts learning helps students build confidence, communication skills, and a deeper connection to their own creativity,” said John-Michael Parker, Executive Director of Arts for Learning Connecticut. “We are grateful to the Red Rhino Fund and the students of The Taft School for their continued support of arts learning in Greater Waterbury.”
The project will prioritize partnerships with Title I schools and communities with limited access to arts education, helping ensure that all students, regardless of background, have opportunities to experience high-quality, culturally responsive arts learning.
Programs will be implemented throughout the 2025-26 school year, including school-day workshops and performances, extended artist residencies, and community arts programs.
The Red Rhino Fund, a student-led philanthropy initiative at The Taft School, supports nonprofit organizations working to improve the lives of individuals and communities across the region.