Elevated Thought Competitors

Celebrating 30 years on the playground, Playworks believes in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. Since 1995, Playworks has helped 5.3 million children across more than 6,000 schools and community organizations get in the game by building skills, forming friendships, and staying active through play. Today, Playworks partners with schools, districts, and community-based organizations to provide a range of services, including Playworks Coach on-site coaches, Playworks Pro training for staff, Playworks TeamUp and Reboot consultative support, and our digital tool SparkPlay. Mission: Playworks’ mission is to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play. Vision: Playworks’ vision is that one day every child in America will have access to safe, fun, healthy play every day.

As a national nonprofit leader in visual arts curriculum, Art in Action has proudly served over a half million kindergarten through 8th grade students since 1982. We provide classroom lessons to develop the skills of what the World Economic Forum is referring to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, chief of these skills are creativity, critical thinking, and complex problem solving, through hands-on learning with art. Today we reach 80,000 students and train nearly 2,000 teachers and parent volunteers in more than 300 schools and after-school programs nationwide. 50% of those we serve are Title I schools in underserved communities. Art in Action strives to be relevant to today's students and schools. In addition to our original Legacy curriculum line, developed by founder Judy Sleeth, we developed art forward STEAM lessons and lessons that teach students cultural understanding, social justice, healing through art, art appreciation and technique. Our lessons are aligned with Next Generation Science, Common Core, and National Core Art Standards. Art in Action has 9 full- and part-time employees and a 12-member Board of Trustees made up of current and former business leaders, community volunteers, and professionals in the tech industry. The organization seeks earned and raised revenue with nearly half of its budget funded through individuals, corporations and foundations.

Young Audiences Arts for Learning is the nation's largest arts-in-education network, serving more than 5 million young people each year. The National Office of Young Audiences Arts for Learning helps the broad network of Young Audiences affiliates play a decisive role in all young people’s education and development. Young Audiences envisions a future in which the nation’s children and youth will have the opportunity to engage in quality arts learning experiences that nurture creativity, build cultural understanding and enhance the development of their learning and life skills. Young Audiences Arts for Learning is an association of affiliated organizations that are each dedicated to local education and community development. The YA network collectively works together to impact arts in education practices and policies on a national level. Young Audiences advocates for the YA network and the arts-in-education field, coordinating national advocacy efforts through a National Young Audiences Week every spring. Young Audiences connects exceptional teaching artists with teachers to provide in-depth arts residencies that raise academic and artistic achievement, while enhancing and developing learning skills that translate across curriculums.