The Power of a Hot Dog
Life consists of little things, consistently experienced over time. Eleven years ago, a neighborhood church started the movement that became Thrive Collective by sponsoring a year-end BBQ for the students…
read moreSince 2014, twenty-nine NYC Council Members have provided 175 awards totaling $2.9 Million to help bring Thrive Collective to 250 schools and communities in all five boroughs. To date, Thrive has leveraged these investments to raise more than $11 Million to serve more than 35,000 students by strengthening arts, music, sports, and mentoring programs. In FY25, twelve Council Members provided 21 awards totaling $369,000.
As of 2023, Thrive Collective serves 200 schools and community centers in 42 of 51 NYC Council districts. Interactive Map.
In 2024, Thrive’s core programs worked with 5,000 students in 65 schools, producing 140 murals totaling over 40,000 sq. ft. of public art; nearly 80 art festivals, ribbon cutting celebrations, assemblies, and basketball tournaments. In addition, we helped support and produce the Boone Avenue Walls (BX), BedStuy Walls (BK), and Peace in the Park (SI) mural festivals, and our 600th mural was commissioned by The Today Show to celebrate Hoda Kotb’s 60th birthday.
Together, these visionary colleagues are helping Bring Art Back for a renaissance in public education and placemaking citywide.
Our project-based learning experiences reset the bar of possibility for all who participate. Our students learn how to develop a shared vision and bring that vision to life collaboratively with others. Tangible, immediate outcomes include murals, music, videos, events, festivals, sports leagues and tournaments, mentoring relationships, and transferable life skills essential for thriving. Click the images below to enjoy portfolios of the public art murals students have completed with Council support since FY14. Enjoy original songs and music videos by R.H.Y.M.E. here. Watch student films produced here.
Life consists of little things, consistently experienced over time. Eleven years ago, a neighborhood church started the movement that became Thrive Collective by sponsoring a year-end BBQ for the students…
read moreCongratulations once again to our amazing School Media students at PS 282. They leveraged Council Member Brad Lander’s Digital Inclusion grant to transform toys (smart phones and tablets) into tools…
read moreIt feels that way every June. This Monday, June 11th, we cut two more ribbons at Walton High School Campus in the Bronx, and Telecommunications High School in Brooklyn. Portfolios…
read more– Photos and commentary by Thrive Intern Chandler Simpson (UNC Chapel Hill) The 2018 Queens HeART Beat Festival was a carefully ordered sequence of frenetic rhythms set by DJ Tony…
read moreHow do you organize 480 middle school students at the three-hour HeART Beat Festival / field day for the NYC Council Art as Catalyst for Change anti-gun violence initiative? Arrange 14…
read moreUp to six hundred students from six Queens middle schools will converge at Roy Wilkins Park for the 2018 Queens HeART Beat Festival on May 30 from 10am – 1pm. Join us…
read moreAt Thrive Collective, we love stories that demand sequels. After proudly introducing the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs as a new partner last year, this year we saw an expansion…
read moreMayor Bill de Blasio marches in the Puerto Rican Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Sunday, June 11, 2017. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office Jeremy Del Rio proudly represented…
read moreSince 2014, eight current and former NYC Council Members have brought Thrive Collective’s Murals, Music, and Media programs to twenty-five schools in Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. We are so…
read moreOn December 12, 2016, Thrive Collective participated in the kickoff event of Thrive NYC’s Week of Action with First Lady Chirlane McCray, Deputy Mayor Buery, and actor Dennis O’Hare in…
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