News & Press

MOBILE, Ala. –  Thanks to grant funding from the Community Foundation of South Alabama’s Closing the Opportunity Gap Initiative, Mobile Museum of Art was able to provide low-cost field trips for area Title I schools that promoted equitable opportunities for students to grow creatively, intellectually, and emotionally through their exposure and interaction with art.

In Academic Year FY24/25, this partnership with the Community Foundation of South Alabama’s Closing the Opportunity Gap Initiative allowed the Museum to serve 1,645 Title I students from 25 schools in Mobile County and southwest Alabama. Grant funds were instrumental in helping the Museum more than double the number of Title I students served over the prior academic year.

The mission of the Mobile Museum of Art is “to bring people together and inspire creativity through the power of art.” School field trips can open new doors, and Mobile Museum of Art’s Title I School Field Trip Program has benefitted schools across Southwest Alabama by providing low-cost, grade-level appropriate themed field trips and accompanying art activities that incorporate core-curriculum-based principles. For many students, these Title I School field trips provide their first opportunity to experience a museum of any type. Visiting an art museum can ignite student interest in learning and help them gain competencies vital in today’s workforce, such as problem-solving, decision-making, and teamwork.

The Community Foundation of South Alabama’s Closing the Opportunity Gap Initiative provided funding to 36 non-profits across its eight-county footprint in Southwest Alabama. These funds have supported vital programs, including Mobile Museum of Art’s Title I School Field Trip program, that narrow the opportunity gap present among our local youth.

Jon Carfagno, Executive Director of Mobile Museum of Art, affirmed the impact of this grant program, stating that, “We are so very grateful for the Community Foundation of South Alabama’s investment in the creativity and achievement of our region’s students. Support from their Closing the Opportunity Gap Initiative was essential to eliminating barriers and allowing more than 1,000 more students than in our previous year to access the transformative power of learning in a Museum.”

The Community Foundation of South Alabama’s Closing the Opportunity Gap Initiative has supported Mobile Museum of Art’s efforts to give under-resourced schools in our area equitable access to art and creative exploration. To learn more about Mobile Museum of Art’s Title I programs for academic year FY25/26, please contact the Education department at 251.208.5205.

PRESS CONTACT: Mary Beth Lursen, MaryBeth.Lursen@MobileMuseumofArt.com