About the Fellowship of the Annunciation

Members of Scala Foundation's Fellowship of the Annunciation commit to recurring donations (monthly, quarterly, or yearly) to support Scala's mission to transform culture through beauty, creativity and joy.

An Epidemic of Despair

Once, all were formed to love the beautiful order which underlies all classical literature, music, the arts, and the natural sciences. But now, too many are squeezed through soulless technical training programs, pushed into embracing violent political ideologies, and abandoned to a culture of hedonism.

We face an epidemic of despair—the natural consequence of this widespread alienation from traditional education for divine beauty. Generations of those who have the potential to be inspired doers, thinkers, and creators of a noble culture can neither envision a future where their lives have enduring meaning nor where their work effects lasting good, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation.

Beauty, Creativity and Joy

Scala exists to challenge this cycle of meaninglessness. By creating paths to an encounter with true beauty – and connecting beauty to personal vocation and the common good – we are reversing the damage done to our culture by an ideology of misery, despair, and anger.

Since its founding in 2016, Scala has brought together students, artists, teachers, and scholars at the intersection of arts, liturgy, and higher education. We’ve produced videos, hosted conferences, written books, published interviews, and conducted speaking tours. Now, we’re leveraging this network of influence to scale up our efforts for exponential impact.

By pioneering the Way of Beauty process of formation, we have already developed the model for personal mentorship that transforms lives – connecting master artists, grassroots educators, and young people. Like the Medicis, patrons of great artists of the Renaissance, we can build a network of creative leaders in many professions whose work will outlast any election cycle.

Scala’s Vision

Winning political arguments and passing legislation cannot replace misery with deep, abiding joy. Political advocacy – thought vital and necessary – won’t provide the substance needed to live with courage, creativity, integrity, and hope.

Culture is the DNA that informs every aspect of life through which we find meaning and direction. An ugly culture breeds discontent, uncertainty, and vice, generation after generation.

To ensure the youngest generations don’t keep getting drawn into ideological movements, we need to rebuild a beautiful culture. By re-establishing the architecture of traditional spiritual formation, we can transform hearts and offer hope, joy, and creativity to the world – a creativity that can inform every human activity, from fine arts to the natural sciences.

Our Unique Approach

Scala’s mission and approach are unique because we are dedicated to transmitting this personal formation of creativity for beauty for all. Through our growing network of mentors, we are pairing personal vocational discernment with an education that forms the habits for a lifetime practice of joy and creativity in all that we do.

The formation we provide does more than change opinions; it changes how people see themselves, empowering them with the ability to find joy, meaning, and fulfillment. We inspire people to contribute to the common good through creativity in study and work in arts and science. Through this, people discover joy in the everyday labors of a family and a career.

We Are at a Crossroads

Today’s cultural entrepreneurs are fleeing the mainstream institutions in droves, but they don’t know how to use their talents for the common good. We have an unprecedented opportunity to spread our Way of Beauty model of formation, increasing our offerings to schools and colleges, after-school programs, parishes, and community groups. Scala is uniquely positioned to seize this opportunity – with your support.

That’s where you come in. We stand at a crossroads, and the time for incremental thinking is over. The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in Scala—it's whether you can afford not to.

Join Us Today!

The Scala Foundation welcomes recurring donations of any amount to the Fellowship of the Annunciation by clicking the donate button on the top of this page.

If you wish to make a one-time donation to Scala, visit our website. For information on other ways to give, please email us at info@scalafoundation.org . Scala Foundation is a non-profit public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States. All donations to Scala Foundation are tax-deductible.

Learn More about Scala Foundation

Scala is led by Margarita Mooney Clayton and David Clayton. Margarita is a tenured faculty member at Princeton Theological Seminary, a prolific author and sought-after public speaker. David is an internationally renowned iconographer who founded Pontifex University’s Master of Sacred Arts program and author who writes about cultural transformation.

Online Resources about Scala

In addition to deep work in Princeton and Oxford to bring together artists, students, teachers, and scholars, Scala also publishes books, blogs, articles, interviews, and hosts public events like conferences, webinars and lectures open to the public.

Scala Foundation's website

Scala Foundation's YouTube Channel

Margarita Mooney Clayton's Substack The Graced Imagination

David Clayton's Substack The Way of Beauty

FELLOWSHIP OF THE ANNUNCIATION

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