ELM Foundation is a non-profit organization in North Brooklyn with a mission to promote the healing power of the arts.

Free Arts Education for All Children.

At ELM, we believe art should be accessible, inclusive, and empowering! Our free after-school program gives young people the chance to create the way real artists do, using not just basic supplies but a fully equipped multimedia studio. Students build skills, confidence, and community through hands-on, professional-level arts experiences.

Classes we offer:

Screen Printing & Intro to Printing

Kids learn the process of designing, burning screens, and printing on multiple surfaces. Intro students explore various printing methods.
❤️ Proud moment: A long returning student licensed his artwork for a local musician’s album cover.
🎯 Goal: Expand class sections to serve students on our waitlist.

Stop Motion Animation

Students make short films using DSLR cameras and professional software—feeling like real directors.
❤️ Proud moment: A student who once struggled to leave their home now thrives at ELM and plans to pursue a career in the arts.
🎯 Goal: Make our current test class of Blender Animation for older youth a permanent offering, and open a new Stop Motion class to address the long waitlist.

DJ & Music Production

Students DJ on REV-1 decks and create original tracks in Serato Studio, then perform at community events.
❤️ Proud moment: Two students created original soundtracks for video games they built at home.
🎯Goal: Launch Girls Can Too to support and empower young female DJs and producers.

Open Studio

An advanced, mentor-guided independent study for returning students. Youth develop self-directed projects and deepen their artistic skills.
❤️ Proud moment: Students built portfolios with us and were accepted into their dream art schools.
🎯Goal: Add a track focused on the business of art and portfolio development.

We are raising $20,000 to support our growing classroom needs.

We're a small organization that dreams big! We have many goals and dreams but here's what we need to address now.

Expand the Classroom to Help More Students

Our waitlists have grown exponentially, so we need to add more classes and more students per class. This means we need more resources to pay teaching mentors, buy supplies and add equipment. All the things that go into our dynamic art classes.

Nearly half of our students are neurodivergent. Many come to ELM after struggling to find environments where they feel safe, understood, and celebrated. At ELM, they finally feel seen.

To better support them, we also aim to bring on an Occupational Therapist, ensuring every student gets the care, structure, and encouragement they deserve.

When you're considering donating, remember...

All ELM programming is FREE. We believe EVERY CHILD deserves a high level of arts education, no matter what.
Our space has been generously donated to us. It is a tremendous gift, and it also means all funding we receive goes directly into our programming.

Your donation will directly help:

Students on the waitlist desperate to join a class.

Students who want to pursue a career in the arts and need the right tools to do so.

Students who need a safe and supportive place to grow and create.

Donate today to support the healing and transformative power of the arts for our children and the community.

ELM Foundation End of Year Giving

By Elm Foundation Inc

ELM Foundation End of Year Giving

Help Our Kids and Support ELM’s Free Arts Programs!