Since 1989, DrawBridge has served more than 40,000 families through free expressive arts programs offered at shelters, affordable housing sites, and community centers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Children ages five and up are given the opportunity to connect with their community and explore playful creativity that is essential to healthy development.

Our Mission
DrawBridge provides free expressive arts programs for children and youth in under-resourced communities.

Our Vision
A world where every child — regardless of circumstance — has access to the transformative power of creative expression, fostering resilience, self-expression, and a strong sense of personal agency.

Our Philosophy
The benefits of the expressive arts should be accessible to all children.

DrawBridge programs promote a safe and supportive environment for each participant’s self-expression and exploration of the creative process. Our approach to providing child-focused art experiences allows children to establish their own direction, pace of creation, and depth of self-exploration. DrawBridge programs are always free for families and offered directly in the communities we serve, removing financial and transportation barriers for participants.

Core Program Sites

Through consistent weekly programs, DrawBridge creates safe, welcoming spaces that help cultivate trust, curiosity, self-expression, and belonging. By bringing our services directly to where kids are, we reduce barriers and ensure every child can participate

Our heartfelt focus for 37 years has been serving children and youth in homeless shelters, transitional housing, low income housing, domestic violence shelters, and community centers in underserved neighborhoods.