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Excerpts from the June 2024 Newsletter
June 13, 2024![](https://billedwardsfoundationforthearts.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/LittleMermaidMahaffeySneaks2024-575-150x150.jpg)
Class Acts Program Presents ‘The Little Mermaid JR’
July 30, 2024
Last Thursday, St. Petersburg’s faith-based foundation Speer Dream Foundation awarded Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts with a grant to assist with costs associated with the Class Acts youth field trip program. With the help of this grant, Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts can continue to ensure free admission and affordable transportation for local schoolchildren to attend educational performances and participate in BAM! (Books, art, and music) festivals at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater.
Founded in 2023, the Speer Dream Foundation has roots with the long serving Speer Foundation and the Speer family who founded the Home Shopping Network (HSN). With a responsibility and passion to serve and uplift others, the Speer family has been supporting non-profit organizations for decades. To more intentionally support their individual communities, an additional foundation has been created, resulting in the Speer Dream Foundation located in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Speer Dream Foundation is a faith-based philanthropic organization committed to making a meaningful impact in the Tampa Bay region. The foundation is built on the belief that addressing critical community needs requires a comprehensive approach and a commitment to innovation and collaboration. The foundation focuses on four key pillars: education, military and first responder assistance, medical support and community outreach by supporting nonprofit organizations in the Tampa Bay area semiannually. The foundation just completed its first grant disbursements by awarding over $2.3 million in grants to twenty-one local nonprofit organizations serving the local community. Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts is grateful to be among the nonprofit organizations awarded and looks forward to the continued collaboration with the Speer Dream Foundation to ensure that the arts remain an integral part of the wellbeing of our community!
Speer Dream Foundation’s Mission: Grounded in faith, the Speer Dream Foundation is committed to fostering positive change in our community by addressing critical needs, uplifting others and ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to thrive. We are committed to undertaking what others may not, and achieving what others cannot.
Learn more about the Speer Dream Foundation here.