Alicia Keys and Roc Nation Donate $60K to Save NYC Performing Arts Program

Alicia Keys and her record label, Roc Nation, are stepping up to support the performing arts program at her alma mater amid financial challenges.

Teaming up with Grammy winner Alicia Keys, Roc Nation made a generous $60,000 contribution to a GoFundMe campaign spearheaded by 7th-grade student Tennyson Artigliere. The campaign’s goal is to save the theater program at the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) in New York City, where Keys once studied.

Alicia Keys just donated $60,000 to help save the theater program at her alma mater, the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City

With an additional $53,000 raised, the total funds will exceed the $102,000 needed to maintain the school’s partnership with theater company Waterwell.

Notably, fellow PPAS alumnus Jeremy Allen White encouraged his followers to donate, emphasizing the program’s importance and urging support.

The contribution, which was made along with her label Roc Nation, helped 7th grade student Tennyson Artigliere surpass the GoFundMe campaign's $102,000 goal

Keys expressed her dedication to continue fundraising until the city can provide the necessary funding, assuring Artigliere of her ongoing commitment.

The 12-year-old student, Artigliere, was overwhelmed by the response, reflecting on the collective effort to preserve a program that has brought joy and unity to many students.

Keys also told Artigliere she will continue to help raise money for the program until the city is able to fund it

While the current funds secure the continuation of the partnership with Waterwell beyond the April 12 dеadline, the PPAS community will decide how to allocate the funds in the coming weeks.

For Keys, this initiative holds deep personal significance, as she was also 12 years old when she enrolled at PPAS, launching her music career shortly after graduating. With 16 Grammy Awards to her name, Keys continues to champion arts education and creativity.

It's a personal cause for Keys, who was also 12 when she enrolled at PPAS, getting signed to her first label shortly after graduation

Last year, Keys debuted her off-Broadway musical “Hеll’s Kitchen,” inspired by her adolescent years in Manhattan Plaza.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Allen White, also a PPAS graduate, recently received his second Golden Globe for his role in “The Bear,” adding to his accolades, including an Emmy Award in 2023.

Fellow PPAS alum Jeremy Allen White also donated to the campaign, urging his followers to do the same

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The PPAS community boasts other notable alumni, including Britney Spears, Claire Danes, Jesse Eisenberg, Lana Condor, Sarah Hyland, and Josh Peck, highlighting the school’s legacy of nurturing talent and fostering artistic excellence.