Opening Act, Inc.

Organizational Background

Opening Act was founded in 2000 to address a clear need for teens attending the most under-served public high schools in New York City to feel a greater sense of empowerment and purpose in life.

Opening Act targets the city’s highest need schools with disproportionately less access to resources than other schools in the system. These schools are often flagged by the DOE as “under-performing” and are at risk of closure. Since inception, we have grown to reach over 3,500 teens. Today, our free, year-long, after school theater program serves 56 schools throughout New York City, including our partnership with the city’s alternative school district, where we are working with young people who are formerly incarcerated, homeless, and/or teen parents.

Growth & Strategic Plans

Opening Act is in the midst of a period of incredible growth, in which the expansion of our programs and impact has been matched by increased organizational and financial capacity. This growth has been marked by a more than doubling of our revenue in the past two years to $2 million, increased partnerships to 56 high schools, and an increase in the size of our team from 5 to 11 full-time staff members.

We are also nearing the end of a 3-year Strategic Plan in which Opening Act has deepened its work in the city’s alternative school district, launched a new program – Act 2 – to support our students in successfully navigating the transition to college and work, and piloted our first-ever middle school program.