By Chelsea Landry, Program Partner
Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

On October 16th, Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation (M&MFF) Program Partner Chelsea Landry presented with long-time grant partner Detroit Opera (DO) at the Grantmakers for Education conference. The conference, which gathered more than 800 sector employees, featured a theme of “Education for a Thriving Democracy: Truth, Discourse and Transformation” and explored some of the most pressing issues in education philanthropy.

Chelsea was joined by Branden Hood, Director of Education at DO, in a session that highlighted “Storybook Opera”, an early childhood arts and literacy program. The Foundation has funded Storybook Opera since 2020, though its relationship with DO spans nearly two decades.

Photo caption: Branden Hood, Director of Education at Detroit Opera, and Chelsea Landry, Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation Program Partner, present at the 2024 Grantmakers for Education Conference

Branden led the presentation, highlighting the unique and interactive nature of Storybook Opera. “Storybook Opera offers a unique experience for students by promoting early childhood literacy through the lens of opera,” Hood explained. “By blending classic storytelling with operatic elements, it introduces young audiences to literacy concepts that enhance their vocabulary and comprehension skills.”

Teaching artists engage small groups of students through dynamic re-telling of operas, guided by specially designed children’s books that are age-appropriate and culturally responsive. This grant has evolved throughout the years, expanding in scope to include more schools, more students, and to fairly compensate the many artists involved in the program.

A focus of the Grantmakers for Education conference was embracing innovation to solve pressing inequities in education, something that Storybook Opera embodies in its unique programmatic design. Focusing on young students not only helps students engage in literary arts at a young age, but also helps address pipeline challenges that many arts venues face.

Chelsea Kotula, Director of Institutional Giving at DO, emphasized that the success of this program was only possible due to the strong partnership between M&MFF and DO. “[Our organizations] have enjoyed a legacy partnership for over a decade. Our Program Partner, Chelsea Landry, is regularly in dialogue with the Detroit Opera to stay current on the opportunities and challenges the company is facing, along with success stories and organizational learnings. It is because of these partnership qualities – an approach that we find unique to the Fisher Foundation’s way of grantmaking – that the concept for Detroit Opera’s ‘Storybook Opera’ was born.”

“[These conversations] shaped a pilot grant program that was successful in meeting both DO’s and the Foundation’s organizational priorities,” said Kotula. “We could not be more thrilled that the dialogue continued to create two more grants since that time, all focused on refining, expanding, and maximizing our impact with pre-K students in Detroit. The partnership has truly been collaborative, organic, and beneficial to both organizations — the best kind!”