STAGES Urban Arts Initiative Receives Monsanto Grant

The Monsanto Fund has presented a $30,000 grant to STAGES ST. LOUIS for the organization's Urban Arts Initiative (UAI) program. The program provides performing arts education to underserved students in the St. Louis area.

The grant will allow Stages to increase accessibility to the arts for children by expanding its collaborations with Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, Grace Hill Head Start, City Academy, Marian Middle School, the St. Louis Archdiocese Schools and Confluence Academy, as well as develop a new partnership with the Ritenour School District.

UAI provides dance, theatre, and acting instruction to students whose schools have reduced or eliminated arts programming. UAI professional teaching artists work in concert with school administrators, teachers, and parents to develop individualized programs that meet curricular and broader classroom goals.

"We are grateful for the generous grant from the Monsanto Fund. It will allow us to continue bringing performing arts education to students throughout the community who can truly benefit from the experience," said Rob Grumich, Stages Director of Education and Outreach. "Through exposure to the arts, students improve a number of skills, including spatial reasoning, critical and abstract thinking, and public speaking aptitude."

Since 2004, UAI has conducted more than 120 programs ranging from one-hour workshops to full-semester residencies, for free or at reduced cost, to over 3,000 underserved students. Currently, UAI directly reaches approximately 600 youth annually, and reaches thousands of additional youth through public performances at partner sites.

"Monsanto Fund is proud to support the Stages Urban Arts Initiative," said Deborah Patterson, president, the Monsanto Fund. "The UAI program provides young people throughout the St. Louis-area, who typically would not have access, with an opportunity to experience the performing arts, while also building skills vital to future success."

About STAGES ST. LOUIS

STAGES ST. LOUIS is the region's foremost not-for-profit company committed to preserving and advancing the indigenous American art form of Musical Theatre through excellence in performance and education. In 2011, Stages will celebrate its 25th year of producing Broadway-quality theatre. Stages is also firmly committed to providing performing arts education opportunities to our community, and serves students both at the Stages Performing Arts Academy and through numerous outreach programs.

About Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. Incorporated in 1964, the Fund's primary objective is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. The Monsanto Fund is focused on grant-making in three main areas: nutritional well-being through agriculture; science education, primarily on professional development for teachers; and improving the quality of life in communities where Monsanto employees live and work.

Visit the Monsanto Fund at http://www.monsantofund.org/asp/welcome.asp.