Pollock Arts Initiative

The Pollock Arts Initiative began with that simple observation.  Founder Vanessa and her family saw that not every child in their school district had the same access to music instruments and decided to do something about it. 

Arts education changes lives, and sometimes sadly there are children who don't have the same access to that education as their classmates. Participation in music, theater, visual arts, and creative programs builds confidence, creates belonging, develops leadership skills, and opens doors that might otherwise remain closed. Yet arts programs are often among the first areas impacted by budget constraints.

Rather than accepting that reality, Vanessa’s real estate team Pollock Properties Group partnered with the Achieve Foundation to create the Pollock Arts Initiative. By partnering with her community to make this difference, Pollock Properties Group became a household name for excellent service and giving back, leading to becoming the #1 real estate group in their market.

Expanding Arts Education Opportunities

The Pollock Arts Initiative (PAI) helps underwrite music and arts equipment rentals at the elementary and middle school levels to eliminate financial barriers to student participation in arts programs, suppleents Achieve Foundation funding of teacher grant requests for arts-related projects, and may be used to help maintain the district’s inventory of musical instruments and other arts-related equipment and supplies.

Through the PAI, scholarship awards for advanced training are offered to Columbia High School students who demonstrate exceptional talent and are recommended by SOMSD faculty. Awards are tailored to students’ specific needs for private instruction, classes and/or professional quality instruments/art equipment.

Since 2015, 1153 music instruments have been rented for students in the South Orange &. Maplewood School District (NJ) and 117 private lesson scholarships have been awarded to teacher-nominated students.