Igniting The Future
The Spark Artistic Mentorship Program is an initiative to offer training and development in the performing arts to Black, Indigenous and students of color in the
Great Lakes Bay region of Michigan.
Spark does this through providing connections to professional teaching artists, scholarship dollars for training, and mentorship with industry professionals.
Spark Award Recipients 2025-2026
Deacon Hayward & Jecara Williams
Thank you!
Thanks to all our supporters who made Give Local Bay 2025 a HUGE success for the Spark Artistic Mentorship Program! The $7,400 raised has been matched by an incredibly generous donor, meaning Spark will add over $15,000 to its endowment fund at the Bay Area Community Foundation, solidifying the future of our scholarship and mentorship program. Your belief in the arts and the students we serve is inspiring!
That was the whole point of the mentorship—to believe you can be something great.
Deacon Hayward
Spark Artistic Mentorship Program 