Behind Every Student Artist is a Foundation of Support

The LACHSA Foundation was founded to answer a simple but vital question: How can we ensure LACHSA’s lasting impact?

Since 1985, we’ve worked behind the scenes, raising critical funds, building partnerships, and advocating to make public arts education accessible, equitable, and powerful.

LACHSA and LACHSA Foundation’s legacy spans four decades, from its humble beginnings to its national recognition. And it’s the visionaries, philanthropists, artists, educators, and families who made it all possible. 

Explore the moments that have shaped our story and led to LACHSA becoming the #1 public high school for the arts in the nation.

The 1980s

The 1980s was the beginning of this public/private partnership. Four visionaries led the efforts: L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, philanthropist Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stuart Gothold, and Assemblywoman and State Senator, the Honorable Teresa Hughes. Together, these visionaries and LACHSA Foundation acquired support from the Educational Foundation of America and philanthropists like Barry Manilow. Then, this public, tuition-free arts high school opened its doors in September of 1985.

As LACHSA started its educational journey, the LA County Board of Supervisors became its champions and moved LACHSA’s governance and administrative support to the LA County Office of Education (LACOE). Gradually, LACHSA grew from just hosting 11th and 12th grade student artists to a four year public high school on the campus of CalStateLA.

The 1990s

By the 1990s, LACHSA grew to accept more students into its four-year program; however, budget cuts continued to impact public arts education. Thanks to the ongoing work of the LACHSA Foundation, student artists never stopped creating. LACHSA’s reputation as an opportunity for students who were born to create began to attract students from all socioeconomic backgrounds across L.A. County. As arts programs in schools shuttered across the U.S., LACHSA became a refuge.

The 2000s

The 2000s ushered in a period of artistic elevation and national recognition for LACHSA. The Foundation established its endowment and provided critical funding that launched programs and events to expand student opportunities across all disciplines. Our students performed in major venues, earned national awards, and pushed boundaries in every discipline, showing the world what public arts education can achieve.

The 2010s

For nearly 3 decades, LACHSA thrived without a permanent home. That changed in the 2010s, when LACHSA Foundation launched a major capital campaign to build LACHSA’s building on the campus of Cal State L.A. In March 2013, students walked into a state-of-the-art facility designed to support their growth as artists and scholars, cementing LACHSA’s future and stability for decades to come.

The 2020s (so far…)

These past 5 years have tested us all, especially in public education. From wildfires to budget crises to a global pandemic, LACHSA students faced obstacle after obstacle. But they kept showing up. Kept creating. Kept rising. With the partnership of LACHSA and the LACHSA Foundation, students accessed virtual training, emergency aid, and innovative programming that helped students courageously share their art with the world.

Our support for LACHSA has evolved over the decades. We don’t just write one check a year. Our mission touches nearly every corner of life at LACHSA.

  • We connect with individual donors, corporate sponsors, and national philanthropic organizations to secure grants, multiyear philanthropy, endowments, and partnerships that bring opportunity to LACHSA’s student artists such as performing at the LA28 Olympic Games Partnership Summit.
  • With your donations, we directly fund the school’s budget allowing for LACHSA’s arts departments to sustain its excellence for all 550+ student artists.
  • We manage LACHSA’s ticketing for its 40+ performances and exhibitions generating over $200K per year. That’s over 10,000 tickets per school year.
  • We also oversee merchandise and concessions to show off that LACHSA pride and build community at LACHSA.
  • We produce fundraising events, socials, donor salons, and multi-year capital campaigns as any charity would do for their cause.
  • We are fiscal managers, supporting the important work of the LACHSA Parent Association and we administer scholarships for student artists.
  • In our marketing efforts, we share LACHSA’s story, the accomplishments of its incredible alumni, and we champion the importance of arts education across Los Angeles County, raising awareness of just how extraordinary this public high school is.

Your gifts, your partnership, and every bit of advocacy we do together makes it possible for LACHSA’s student artists to focus on what matters most: honing their craft, finding their fearless and authentic voices, and shaping the future of the arts and humanity. That’s the heart of what we do and why the LACHSA Foundation is honored to play such a vital role in the LACHSA family.

But we’re far from finished!

So, what’s next? What can you do to guarantee the next 40 years for LACHSA? We welcome everyone’s help to bring in resources, to donate, to guarantee the next 40 years of LACHSA’s legacy. Check out our 40th Anniversary Campaign and Celebration page for more information on upcoming events and ways you can get involved.

Ways to Give