BSA Board of Overseers and Foundation

Together, the BSA Board of Overseers and the BSA Foundation help to preserve the integrity of the school’s charter and the fulfillment of its mission. The BSA charter granted the Board of Overseers independent authority and responsibility for the school. The charter also authorized the establishment of a 501c(3) to raise private funds to supplement city funding for academic and arts programs.

The Baltimore School for the Arts Foundation is the independent fundraising arm of the Baltimore School for the Arts. Through its endowment and annual fund drives, the Foundation supplements the annual budget provided to the school by Baltimore City Public School System. BSA Foundation funds are the backbone of the school's combined academic and arts education. These funds make possible summer study scholarships for juniors and last-dollar scholarships for seniors; they bring to the school master classes and provide necessary items like pointe shoes for dancers, paint brushes for visual artists and musical instruments, scores and CDs for musicians. These funds also cover the costs of performances and exhibitions.

Supporting Organizations

The BSA has many passionate and involved volunteers in its two supporting organizations -- FANS (Friends Assisting New Stars) and Stage One. The FANS board was formed in 1981 to be advocates and volunteers in support the school's mission. Stage One, BSA's young leadership group, was created in 2000 to cultivate the school's next pool of leaders, advisors and donors. Members of the Board of Overseers, FANS, and Stage One represent the breadth and depth of our community. They are artists, educators, business-people and parents who share a dedication to the school, its students and the community it serves.

Expansion

In 2004, the BSA launched a three-year, two-phased, 30 million-dollar campaign for expansion and renovation of its facilities. The capital project was completed at the end of 2007. It includes a three-story dance tower; ensemble rehearsal and teaching studios for music and theatre; an additional keyboard lab; new academic and science classrooms/labs; a new lecture hall; a new physical education facility; a video/audio/design lab for theatre production; a library/media center/computer lab; a digital photography lab and a music MIDI studio. The school’s original 712 Cathedral Street building connects to a historic Brownstone at 704 Cathedral Street, giving the BSA an additional 29,000 square feet of space.

The project will enable the BSA to increase the number of high school students to 375 and grow the TWIGS program to 800 students in the coming years.

Additionally, BSA has ambitious plans to expand its role in the community as a center for arts education, offering Saturday workshops for students and their families, a Family Performance Series, summer arts workshops for elementary and middle school students and teacher training workshops in the arts.

For more information about the Baltimore School for the Arts or its Foundation, please contact Carter Polakoff or Christine Kouwehoven in the school's Development Office at 410-347-3043, cpolakoff@bsfa.org/ ckouwenhoven@bsfa.org, or Baltimore School for the Arts, 712 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201