NBAF has established a deep and sustained partnership with local APS middle schools through a Move/Dance! Program, working closely with the administration and teachers to define needs, structure, approach, performance/success metrics and outcomes that best supports the school’s academic, health and arts education goals.

Move/Dance! Program offers a new curriculum on Black dance, a dance competition and public presentation, dance instruction by teaching artists, scholarships linked to a small-scale financial literacy program. The project is designed to have a measurable impact on the school, specifically on academic achievement, arts education and appreciation, the health of the students and, by extension of their families. The program and project is replicated within Atlanta and potentially throughout the region in years to come.

The NBAF NextGenArtists Program is a signature program for young artists that identifies and recognizes the next generation of talented artists and supports them in the early stages of finding and developing their creative voices and in establishing themselves as professionals. The goal of nurturing the creativity, supporting the talent and professional development of emerging artists of African descent is a core value of NBAF’s mission. The NextGenArtists Showcases offers public showcases of the artist’s work in creative disciplines and industries, including the performing, visual arts, film, multimedia, and fashion-artists in select public schools.