Throughout the past month, we checked in with our 2025 grantees to learn how their funded programs, projects, and initiatives are progressing – and to better understand the impact they’re making across Los Angeles. Now, we are excited to share these interviews, with stories of growth, challenges, and community transformation. [Find each of their stories here.]

CoachArt received funding through the LA2050 Grants Challenge from the Goldhirsh Foundation to support its adaptive STEAM programming, which connects chronically ill youth and their siblings to free, high-quality learning experiences through virtual and in-person programs. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation with their team.

Interview Participants:

Molly Dirr, Executive Director

Erick Rodriguez, National Program Director

Sarah Williams, Brand Manager

LA2050: CoachArt is expanding access to STEAM education for chronically ill youth through adaptive programming and technology. How does your model help ensure that children who are often excluded from traditional learning environments can stay engaged, build confidence, and experience a sense of belonging?

CoachArt: Children impacted by serious illness often miss school, extracurriculars, and important social milestones because of hospitalizations, compromised immune systems, fatigue, and ongoing treatment. Many spend long periods at home or in medical settings, separated from peers and from the everyday experiences that help young people discover their interests and sense of self. CoachArt’s model is designed to remove the financial and logistical barriers that can make participation feel out of reach. By offering free STEAM opportunities that students can access from home or in their communities, we help young people stay mentally engaged, explore new interests, and look forward to something beyond medical appointments. Families consistently share that these programs help children reconnect with curiosity, creativity, and joy.

CoachArt also sees these programs as a way to rebuild confidence and belonging. Serious illness can leave children feeling defined by what they cannot do, but CoachArt creates spaces where the focus shifts back to what they can do. Through art, sports, creative projects, and STEAM learning, students are encouraged by volunteer coaches and peers who celebrate effort and growth. For many families, that has been transformative: children who once felt isolated begin to participate more fully, take pride in learning new skills, and feel connected to peers who understand similar realities. This sense of belonging is one of the most powerful parts of the model, because it allows children to feel not excluded or accommodated, but simply like kids again.

LA2050:Your work combines virtual and in-person learning with a custom platform to match students and volunteer coaches. What challenges have you encountered in scaling that model, and what successes have you seen in reaching and supporting young people and their families?

CoachArt: One of the biggest challenges in scaling CoachArt’s model has been adapting from a fully in-person approach to a hybrid one that can work sustainably over time. Children with serious illness are geographically dispersed and often primarily at home because of their health, making them one of the hardest populations to reach consistently. The shift required CoachArt to rethink the structure of its programming, including scaling back frequent in-person commitments and investing more intentionally in virtual access. Building referral pathways with trusted adults like social workers and child life specialists has also remained essential, but time-intensive, since families often rely on those relationships to discover programs like CoachArt. Reaching underserved communities also requires ongoing outreach and a strong digital infrastructure.

At the same time, we have seen important successes through this evolution. CoachArt found that many families actually prefer the virtual option because it removes transportation barriers and reduces health risks for immunocompromised children. The virtual platform has helped ensure that geography is no longer a barrier to participation, allowing students to form friendships and engage in meaningful learning from the safety of home. We are continuing to build out high-quality in-person experiences through cultural and STEAM-focused outings, including partnerships with institutions like the Natural History Museum and exploration of future activities with groups such as the La Brea Tar Pits and Griffith Observatory. Together, these efforts are helping CoachArt maintain both accessibility and depth of experience as it grows.

LA2050: What do you hope to achieve in the last six months of the grant, and how can the broader LA2050 community support?

CoachArt: In the final six months of the grant, CoachArt is focused on deepening both program delivery and learning. Its goals include hosting two additional in-person STEAM group activities, shipping 76 more lesson kits to Los Angeles students participating in one-to-one STEAM matches, and conducting a comprehensive evaluation of its clubs and one-to-one lesson models to better understand which approaches are driving the strongest engagement. We are also continuing to analyze LA-specific data on student participation and outcomes, while measuring impact across several areas, including confidence, fun, stress relief, skill-building, parental support, and the influence of positive adult role models.

The broader LA2050 community can support this work through strategic connections. CoachArt is especially interested in introductions to STEAM experts who can serve as volunteer coaches or guest speakers, as well as technical support to strengthen its platform and partnerships with other nonprofits and foundations that can help grow referrals and awareness.

Photo Credit: Coach Art