Portland Public Schools has received $1M to invest in arts and music programs and start new collaborations between them and the local cultural organizations.

Portland Public Schools announced that it has been granted a $1 million anonymous donation to boost arts and music education, a district record. The gift is one-half art and music programs and the other half is given with unrestricted monies.

This is the largest single donation the Foundation has had in more than 30 years of fundraising activities to promote school opportunities in Portland. Andi Summers, Executive Director, explained that the donors are Portland school alumni keen on seeing that arts and music are limited by tight budgets.

These funds will initiate a PPS Arts Partnership involving schools and their surrounding cultural organizations which include the Portland Museum of Art, Maine Academy of Modern Music and Portland Ovations. It will start with a pilot of five schools in the fall with all of the district schools enrolled by the 2026-27 academic year.

The donation will also be donating supplies of bigger equipment to art and music teachers such as stage lighting. Summers indicated that arts and music enhance interactions, creativity, and academic achievement but are usually not given due consideration in school budget plans.

Such is a community culture and education investment, the Summers said. It also allows students to express themselves and attach them to arts.

The Foundation seeks to fill gaps in the district that may have gone unmet, having previously provided services like musical instrument repair and developing local history curriculum. Its most recent donation will help Portland Public Schools improve its art and music programming so that creative education can continue being an important part of all students' lives.