The Detroit Partnership for Arts Education (DPAE) was established through a National Endowment for the Arts “Arts Education Collective Impact Grant” awarded to Connect Detroit and DEYA: Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts. DPAE is a cross-sector platform committed to ensuring equitable and abundant arts education opportunities for all Detroit youth. DPAE advocates for Arts Education as a necessity, not just enrichment for the uniquely gifted. Access to arts education empowers Detroit’s youth, helping them become well-rounded, productive citizens who can positively impact their families and communities. Similar advocacy efforts in other cities have led to increased resources, access, and policy support for arts education.

National Endowment for the Arts Collective Impact Grant

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Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts (DEYA), a collective impact initiative that convenes and catalyzes cross-sector stakeholders to build an equitable and abundant youth arts sector in Detroit, has received a National Endowment for the Arts “Collective Impact” Grant.

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NEA Collective Impact grants “transform schools and communities by providing access and engagement in the arts for all students through collective, systemic approaches.”  As an NEA “Emerging Project” DEYA is in the initial phase of work to establish an arts education plan for the city of Detroit in collaboration with Connect Detroit. NEA funded activities include cultivation of cross-sector partners, convenings, creation of an arts education data initiative, and any other activities that support the development of a plan.

The City of Detroit's Mayor's office and DPSCD's Superintendent are on board as

Honorary Co-Chairs of Detroit Partnership for Arts Education (DPAE)

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With Detroit's Deputy Mayor Melia Howard and DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti serving as honorary co-chairs, DPAE is a cross-sector platform for the creation of this arts education action plan and for ongoing advocacy.

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“I am excited by DEYA as it is designed to address barriers to engagement in the Arts for Detroit young people and create equitable access to cultivate artistic talent through its support of the entire Detroit youth arts sector. My team and I look forward to continuing to work with DEYA to create a future where all Detroit youth have abundant access to their rich cultural legacy and to transformative arts experiences.”

-Mayor Duggan

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“We have to think of art and music the same way we think about math and reading. Every school in the District now has at least one art or music teacher, and many have become exceptional incubators for Detroit's young artists. With that said, there is still a great deal of room for progress in this area. For this reason, I am proud to partner with Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts (DEYA) which leverages the power of cross-sector collaboration to buttress artistic experiences in schools.”

-Dr. Vitti

Detroit Healthcare Leaders at the Table

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DPAE’s steering committee represents all sectors, including – for the first time nationally in support of an arts education initiative – leaders of Healthcare. Henry Ford Health CEO Robert Riney, WSU's Dr. Herman Gray, and Children's Hospital CEO Archie Drake bringing to the forefront that “Inequity in Youth Arts is a Public Health Issue” This unique focus on the health and wellbeing impact of the arts for Detroit young people will make Detroit a leader in this area nationally.