Support the Arts and Humanities

AmaZing Theatre Co. (amazingtheatre.org), which is nestled in a historic district, provides workshops to encourage actors and playwrights, and produces socially significant plays based on current and historical events that affect the lives of Americans, particularly in Black/African American communities.

Headquartered: Ashton/Sandy Spring

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $125 supports the tuition for a six-week acting workshop for a child or adult.
• $5,000 underwrites the cost of theater productions to keep ticket prices affordable. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Assist with special events.
• Monthly: Help manage AmaZing Theatre’s social media presence. 
• SSL
• Internships

Arts for the Aging (artsfortheaging.org) engages older adults and caregivers with diverse abilities and backgrounds in health improvement and life enhancement through regular participation in the multidisciplinary arts. 

Headquartered: Rockville

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $50 creates one heART Kit—a custom visual, tactile and literary art-making kit that helps bridge the digital divide.
• $500 covers video production of a monthlong program series. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Provide Spanish translation for heART Kit instructions and other workshop materials. Must be fluent in written Spanish and English, with demonstrated success on previous translation projects.
• Weekly: Give behind-the-scenes tech support for the virtual workshop series. 
• SSL
• Internships

ArtStream (art-stream.org) offers performance opportunities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—including autism—through classes and theater companies.

Headquartered: Rockville

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $100 pays for a Super Social Saturday workshop for two students to build communication skills and make new friends. 
• $500 supports 15 actors with disabilities as they create an original musical theater show to be performed onstage. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Help with theater load-in or load-out.
• Weekly: Mentor actors with disabilities as they create an original show or participate in a performing arts class.
• SSL
• Internships

CityDance (citydance.net) is a nonprofit dance institution dedicated to developing the next generation of dance artists and innovators. With studio locations across the D.C. region, CityDance trains young dancers for professional careers, nurturing talent and achievement through dance. 

Headquartered: Washington, D.C.

Serves: Metro region (including campuses in North Bethesda and Silver Spring)

What a donation buys:

• $50 sponsors a dancer to take a professional guest artist master class.
• $250 supports the production costs for performances.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Usher at a dance performance.
• Monthlong: Support the marketing team with grassroots efforts. 
• SSL
• Internships

CREATE Arts Center (createartscenter.org) engages diverse communities with meaningful, accessible and equitable art education programs, and arts-based mental health services with licensed art therapists. For 35 years, CREATE has worked to level the playing field by ensuring that everyone has access to innovative art therapies and approaches to learning through the arts.  

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $75 provides materials for the Teen Mentorship & Portfolio Program. 
• $250 pays for a student in a semester of smARTkids, a free after-school program for children from low-income households. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Weekly: Help staff with administrative and studio tasks. 
• Weekly: Assist teaching artists with weekly art classes. 
• SSL
• Internships

GB Youth Media (GBYM)  (youthmediamd.org) provides fine and media arts classes for middle and high school students, and promotes media arts careers. All classes and events are free. GBYM promotes youth voices and students’ completed artworks and films at the annual Montgomery County Youth Media Festival.   

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Silver Spring and approximately a 5-mile radius

What a donation buys:

• $300 supports hiring two teaching artists to teach one 1½-hour filmmaking class for up to 35 students.
• $500 covers 20% of the annual art and film supplies budget.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Visit a GBYM class and talk about your career in law, journalism, arts, film or advocacy.
• Weekly: Assist staff managing the studio on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings.
• SSL
• Internships

Imagination Stage  (imaginationstage.org) empowers all young people to discover their voice and identity through performing arts education and professional theater. 

Headquartered: Bethesda

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $250 provides a scholarship to one student for a weeklong summer camp.  
• $2,500 provides a 10-session in-school residency for an underresourced school.  

Volunteer Opportunities:

• None at this time.
• SSL
• Internships

InterAct Story Theater (interactstory.com) is a touring educational theater company that brings interactive arts-based learning opportunities to children and families in schools and communities throughout the area. 

Headquartered: Wheaton

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $150 supports a virtual or in-person early childhood drama-based literacy workshop for one classroom. 
• $350 supports virtual or in-person play-building workshops for a grade level (65 to 90 children). 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Provide support for events (ushering, translation, etc.). 
• Weekly: Help with administrative, fundraising or event support.
• SSL

interPLAY Orchestra (interplayorchestra.org) presents up to three concerts each season at the Music Center at Strathmore, featuring everything from Bartok concertos to Brazilian jazz. Alongside renowned musicians from nationally recognized orchestras and jazz ensembles, members play drums, bells and tambourines—and most have moderate to severe cognitive, intellectual or physical disabilities. Reading music is not required, and most musicians learn their parts through intense listening, repetition and mastering one note at a time. 

Headquartered: Bethesda

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $100 provides sheet music or CDs for two orchestra members.
• $500 provides instruments for two orchestra members.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Ongoing: Serve as a “Bandaide” volunteer, supporting orchestra members while playing.

Kalanidhi Dance (kalanidhi.org) inspires appreciation for Kuchipudi dance through artistic excellence, creative performances, high-quality educational programs, and collaborations. More than 20,000 people have attended Kalanidhi’s live and virtual performances, Salon and Dancing Stories programs. Kalanidhi has a worldwide reach of over 10 million viewers through social media performances.

Headquartered: Bethesda

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $100 gives the gift of a merit-based scholarship for a student preparing for a solo dance debut.
• $500 pays for artists/performers to provide free Salon and Dancing Stories performances (serves 1,500 participants).

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Help with special events at Kalanidhi Dance.
• Weekly: Assist staff with administrative and pre-event tasks.
• SSL
• Internships

Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and Academy (MBT) (mbtdance.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing arts opportunities and professional training to dancers of all ages and backgrounds in a positive environment. MBT is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion to develop well-rounded dancers who have a strong sense of identity and appreciation for arts and culture. Committed to bringing arts to the community, MBT serves over 9,000 people annually through performances and outreach programming.

Headquartered: Montgomery County

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $100 helps support the free ticket giveaway program.
• $1,000 supports one student’s annual tuition.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Usher a performance.
• Weekly: Participate in grassroots marketing events.
• SSL
• Internships

Montgomery Community Media (MCM) (mymcmedia.org) produces unique content that educates, entertains and inspires those who live and work in Montgomery County. MCM is the only independent nonprofit organization providing access to public media (public access television and broadband) directly to Montgomery County’s more than 1 million residents as well as local nonprofits, associations and businesses. MCM is also a community media center, offering media training, affordable production services, studio space and more.

Headquartered: Rockville

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

• $75 helps sponsor the production of one news article. 
• $150 helps fund MCM’s internship program for aspiring young journalists. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Help with a special event at MCM’s offices. 
• Weekly: Provide data entry and research support. 
• SSL
• Internships

Montgomery Symphony Orchestra (MSO) (msomd.org) provides musical programs of the highest quality for the community and gives local amateur and volunteer professional musicians the opportunity to play and grow.

Headquartered: Takoma Park

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $45 covers one rehearsal space rental.
• $500 buys printed programs for one concert.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Help MSO with setup and tear-down on concert days (four concerts per year). 
• Weekly: Join the MSO (musicians at most skill levels welcome). 

New Orchestra of Washington (NOW) (neworchestraofwashington.org) strives to build a world in which transformative musical experiences are available and accessible to all. Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez from Mexico and Executive Director Grace Cho from South Korea founded NOW guided by six values: Collaboration, Representation, Education, Advocacy, Technology and Experimentation (CREATE), and the belief that music connects people and brings communities closer.

Headquartered: Rockville

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $200 supports a musician visit to an MCPS school to work with students in K-12 music programs.
• $1,000 supports a small ensemble concert at a Montgomery County playground.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Day of event: Volunteer as an usher for a community concert.  
• Prior to event: Help print and collate programs.

Olney Theatre Center for the Arts (olneytheatre.org) produces and curates performances for the diverse audiences in the community, and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. Olney Theatre cultivates the creativity of the community by producing and presenting family-friendly musicals, reimagined classics, thought-provoking new plays, jazz concerts, poetry slams and more. It also enriches learning for thousands of students through performances and workshops at Olney Theatre and in schools across the nation. 

Headquartered: Olney

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $75 allows five students to attend a free matinee.
• $500 supports artist fees for free community performances.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Support community celebrations like SummerFest.
• Yearlong: Serve as an usher to help welcome audiences.
• SSL
• Internships

Sandy Spring Museum (sandyspringmuseum.org) is a catalyst for community building by allowing opportunities for community-driven creative engagement in educational programs and a range of cultural arts.  

Headquartered: Sandy Spring

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $250 underwrites one History Happy Hour. 
• $1,000 underwrites the use of the museum for community events like open mics, bluegrass jams and summer beer gardens. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Help with special events. 
• Weekly: Serve as a front desk receptionist. 
• SSL
• Internships

Sutradhar Institute of Dance & Related Arts (dancesidra.org) offers classes in classical Indian dance, martial arts (Thang-Ta), vinyasa yoga, storytelling and visual arts. Along with an annual summer program, the institute hosts workshops and panel discussions, and is creating an extensive archive on dance.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $100 helps fund scholarships for deserving children.
• $500 aids in the creation of the dance archive.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Assist with an event or in maintaining the meditation gardens.
• Weekly: Help the director and associate director in the office and in class.
• SSL
• Internships

VisArts (visartscenter.org) offers art classes and camps for students of all ages, skill levels and abilities, and provides discounts and scholarships to ensure accessibility for all. VisArts’ contemporary art galleries feature emerging to midcareer artists from around the world and supports artists through paid fellowships and residencies, stipends and studio space. VisAbility Art Lab provides studio and career support and guidance for neurodiverse artists. VisArts’ free public art programs include partnerships with other nonprofits, installations, workshops, online classes and the annual Rockville Arts Festival. 

Headquartered: Rockville

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $250 covers supplies for free public art programs.  
• $750 provides camp scholarships for one child. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Weekly: Help with administrative tasks, camps and the galleries.
• SSL
• Internships

The Writer’s Center (writer.org) supports writers and anyone who wants to write. The organization offers 300 writing workshops every year in all genres and for all experience levels, as well as dozens of free literary events, both virtual and in person. 

Headquartered: Bethesda

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $50 provides a scholarship for a writer to attend a one-session workshop. 
• $150 covers the honorarium to bring a nationally renowned author to a free public event. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• None at this time.
• Internships

Young Artists of America (YAA) (yaa.org) offers transformative musical theater education and performance opportunities to a diverse group of students, grades 4-12, throughout Greater Washington, D.C. Students perform with a full symphonic youth orchestra in state-of-the-art venues like The Music Center at Strathmore. YAA’s Summer Performing Arts Intensives (both day and overnight camps) help students find their voice.

Headquartered: North Bethesda

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $50 provides one student with a musical score. 
• $250 pays for one orchestra student’s tuition.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Help with a YAA special event.
• Weekly: Provide administrative support.
• SSL
• Internships

Youth Art for Healing (YAFH)  (youthartforhealing.org) brings works of art created by youths into health care environments to provide a sense of comfort, inspiration and healing for patients and their loved ones, and also for health care professionals. YAFH provides students with opportunities to develop artistic talent and empathy while creating artworks for permanent installation, and Gifts of Gratitude paintings for frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2012, 2,420 students from 51 schools have created 1,868 artworks for 31 health care sites.

Headquartered: Bethesda

Serves: Metro region

What a donation buys:

• $100 helps to buy paint.
• $500 helps to buy canvases. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• One day: Help with the 2023 art show on April 26.
• Monthly: Help with preparing for the art show. 
• SSL