Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Austin Bat Cave
Legal Name (if Different): Kids Write Good
Also Known As: ABC
Mailing Address: 6448 E Hwy 290 Unit B-101
City: Austin
State: Texas
Postal Code: 78723
Main Phone: (210) 748-2332
Main Fax: n/a
Organization Website: austinbatcave.org
Employer ID Number: 46-3593848
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)(3)

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: March 29, 2024
Requested Amount: 10,000

Project Title: Austin Bat Cave’s School Year Writing Workshops for Underserved Youth, 2024 – 25
Project Description:

Austin Bat Cave is a creative community. Our writing programs empower students to find their voices and tell their stories. ABC responds to arts and educational inequities in the greater-Austin area through no-cost school-year workshops. Students learn to write creatively, hone critical expression skills, and develop camaraderie in craft. We serve students who attend Title 1 schools, are BIPOC, come from low-income families, and have limited access to art enrichment opportunities. Approximately 60% of our school-year students are at-risk and 71% are economically under-resourced. We serve nearly 1,000 students each year.

We seek $10,000 to: 1) sustain our free in- and after-school writing workshops and 2) expand our mobile program across under-resourced communities in the greater-Austin area. Our school programs operate on the academic calendar, but funds from the Hermanowski Family Foundation will be utilized during the Spring 2025 semester.

This support will contribute to the salaries and benefits of our Program Director and Program Manager, who oversee ~25 weekly creative and tutoring workshops per semester. Further, they will expand our mobile program using our Bat Mobile, a classroom and library built from a repurposed city bus. By collaborating with community partners (festivals, farmers markets, libraries), they will stage 3-5 literacy events a month (book distribution, workshops, and events with local authors). Through this expansion, we can reach ~700 students per year. Funds will support books, supplies, bus maintenance and travel.

We greatly value our low instructor-to-student ratio (1:5 to 1:8) and diverse pool of instructors. Our core pedagogy helps students maintain learning levels and recoup learning losses due to COVID-19 and summer break. ABC pays workshop instructors a fair stipend in order to provide greater stability to a wider range of teaching artists who live in the communities we serve. Funds will support these stipends.

Total Project Budget: $193,308

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): We have no current funding for the 2024 – 25 school year; however, in the past we have received regular support from Blackbaud Community Matters Grants, Applied Materials Foundation, City of Austin, and TCA Arts Respond Project. We anticipate funding from these sources, as well as the following sources where grant applications are pending: Moody Foundation Education M-Pact Fund, Afterschool Alliance, Sterling-Turner Foundation, Capital Area Council of Governments, Rae Charitable Trust, Topher Family Foundation, and the Meadows Foundation.

Project Duration: September 2024 – June 2025
Geographical Area Served: Austin, Texas and its surrounding metropolitan area
Age Group To Be Served: 6-18

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Mr
Contact First Name: Richard
Contact Last Name: Santos
Contact Title: Executive Director
Contact Phone: (210) 748-2332
Contact Email: richard@austinbatcave.org