ACSF programs are full steam ahead and we have several exciting videos to share which highlight the work of our REAP and DREAM students! The In Real Life After-School fall session concluded on the 10th, TAPAAS Teaching Artist residencies have just begun, Scholarship applications are now open, Educator Grants and Professional Development funds are being awarded, AND our Racial Equity Ambassadors have begun their projects for this year!

These transformational opportunities for our students, educators, and school staff would not be possible without our community's support. We're thrilled to share the following highlights from this fall!
Our goal for this year’s annual report is to share not only what we accomplished during the 2021-2022 school year, but who we are. On each page, we will share our impacts through the stories of the folks most proximate to our work. Although you may not be directly delivering our programming, we consider you a vital part of our ACSF family. Our accomplishments are your accomplishments.

Thank you to Rod Murphy of Collective Projects for his support creating this video!
Students in the Racial Equity Ambassador Program (REAP) recently experienced a TAPAAS (Teaching Artists Presenting in Asheville Area Schools) Residency led by artists Cleaster Cotton and Ginger Huebner at their annual retreat. Cleaster and Ginger set an honest and creative tone by having students create pieces that reflected the feeling and experience of equity. We’re so grateful to have such rich conversations, experiences, and relationships through our REAP and TAPAAS programs.

Our programs are grounded in a pursuit of equity and the desire to magnify the genius, encourage the curiosity, celebrate the joy, and support the aspirations of our students, teachers and staff. We intentionally create a leadership continuum for our students at each stage of their educational journey in order to uplift the experience, gifts, and wisdom of our youth. Continue reading to see concrete examples of our student leaders in action!
Earlier this month, ACSF and student representatives Nancy Membreno, Juvae Mullings, and Paiden Castelblanco presented our session Beyond Just Listening to Youth Voice: From Ideas to Action at the statewide North Carolina Center for Nonprofits 2022 Conference in Durham, NC. Students shared how youth leadership transformed the ways we engage with our education community, partners, funders, and ourselves, and discussed the continuation and expansion of our interconnected student leadership opportunities, including DREAM Team High School Internship Program, Racial Equity Ambassador Program, and our Student Board of Director positions. We are so proud of these three amazing students for not only leading the way in our organization, but for leading others across our state.

High Five Coffee has selected ACSF as their community partner this quarter! From November-January, a percentage of all H5 branded merch will be donated to ACSF AND you can add a donation to your coffee order at any of their 3 locations! H5 merch is the perfect gift for the coffee loving friend, loved one, or teacher in your life!
Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. This Giving Tuesday, your gift will support our paid high school DREAM Team mentors as they provide near-peer mentorship to middle schoolers in the In Real Life After-School program! Donate on November 29th to help us reach our goal of $20,000 and DOUBLE your impact thanks to a generous matching sponsorship from Mosaic Realty!

ACSF is thrilled to be part of the 2022 Give!Local Campaign again! This year, we are joined by 47 other incredible local nonprofits working to make our community a place where all can thrive. The Mountain Xpress offers a single platform that makes end-of-year giving easy with a shopping cart that allows donors to direct a single gift, whether for $5 or thousands of dollars, to just one or to many Give!Local nonprofits. Added plus: all online processing fees are covered!

ALL donations up to $5,000 will be matched by our generous anonymous donor, and all gifts $20 or more will receive an "ACSF I Love Public Education" koozie. Click below to learn more and join us!


Donations may also be made via cash, check, wire transfers, or online. Cash and Checks may be mailed to: Asheville City Schools Foundation, PO Box 3196 Asheville, NC 28802. Please contact Rebecca Abide, Development and Communications Director at (828) 350-6179 to receive banking information for wire transfers or to gift shares of stock. Visit our website for more information about additional ways to support ACSF, including planned giving options!
A huge THANK YOU to Second Gear for selecting ACSF as their Nonprofit Partner of the month in October! Second Gear donated 1% of all sales last month in support of our public school students and teachers. We love our local businesses and are so grateful for their support!

Click here to view a full list of community businesses supporting our students.