Levitate Foundation - Year 3 Impact Report

YEAR 3

2025

Thank you to all these businesses, artists, and families for their support and contributions to support the Levitate Foundation and for their belief in our mission.

© 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc.

Art Donors & Board Members ART DONORS: Zella Swain Thomas Deininger Mae Cheverette Kinsey Hotchkiss Rachel Nerger Spencer Morecroft Julia Messinger Robert Babcock Thom Nyugen Woody Gouch Meg Haywood-Sullivan Michael Sullivan

Liz Haywood-Sullivan Karla Hunter Alexis Wells Colin McGuire Brian Butler Beth Bailey Kora O'Donnell Aldous Collins Tiff McCarthy Olivia Rowell Isabella McCredie Andy Jacobs

BOARD MEMBERS: Ed Farrington - Chairman Dan Hassett - President Billy Phalen Britt Ryan Chad Bruce Chris Cunio Chris Sherman Jeff Picard

Jess Hassett Katie Galaviz Ryan Vangel Sandy Olney Stephen Buckler Thomas Cussins Mark Bossey

© 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc.

Impact to Date

Made Possible by Your Support

$400K+

4,000+

350+

50+

Creative Community

projects funded

4

songwriters

100+

Dear Levitate Community, What a year! As we look back on year three of The Levitate Foundation, we are immensely grateful for the impact, creative community projects, and life-changing opportunities for artists that have been brought to fruition, all thanks to you. Yes you. Whether you were a donor, a volunteer, a sponsor, a grantee, or a customer at Levitate, you contributed to the impact we’ve created together in 2025.

Riding the growing wave of support and momentum from 2024, We kept the coals hot on our existing programs — Send A Kid To Camp and Creative Community Grants — and we were able to launch The Emerging Artist Series with our First annual songwriter’s showcase, extending a hand to budding musicians and giving them a one of a kind opportunity to push their career forward.

Most importantly, year three gave us the opportunity to see the impact of what we’ve built together to date. Talking with grantees and artists, we heard story after story of how our shared efforts are sparking creativity, self-expression, and collaboration—breathing more art, connection, and inspiration into our community and beyond.

By the numbers, Because of your help over the last year, we have: •

Brought unique creative projects and programs to life by awarding over 50 Grants to community leaders, mentors, artists and summer camp organizations.

•

Funded the Send A Kid To Camp program, providing scholarships that made summer camp accessible for over 200 kids, creating opportunities for South Shore children to experience the outdoors and engage with the arts.

•

We doubled down on Creative Excellence scholarships, helping eight next generation artists pursue their academic dreams in the arts.

•

Launched the emerging artist series, putting four boundary pushing emerging musicians on stage at Levitate Music Festival and providing a grant to bring their next album to life.

It has been an honor to help creators, educators, and artists dive deep into their craft and create access for over 4,000 people to do the same to date. And again, that would not be possible without you — your continued support is the lifeblood of these programs, and we are already excited for what’s next.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Pat Cullen Executive Director Levitate Foundation

© 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc.

2025

Community

Grants

Uplifting Communities and creators by issuing grants to artists, creators, and leaders tackling creative, Community-focused projects.

Our grant programs from 2024 came back for another year of impact in 2025 — this time with an exciting update: we’ve merged our Passion Projects and Varsity Arts grants under one banner — Community Grants. And that’s the only thing that changed: we’re still in the business of supporting creators, mentors, and outdoorsmen aiming to tackle inspiring projects that will better their communities!

We’re firm believers that doing what you love, committing to your passions, and sharing your work and enthusiasm with those around you are key ingredients to becoming the best version of yourself and giving back to your community. Fortunately, and to no surprise, we’re not alone in this belief. In total, we have received over $300k in thoughtful grant requests, from folks across the region (and beyond!) eager to bring creativity, connection, and vibrancy to their community through creative community projects.

Thanks to both our supporters and the amazing members of the Levitate Community with big Dreams were able to help 25 incredible community projects come to life in 2025! In line with these grants being underpinned by creativity, there was no shortage of variety in these wonderfully impactful programs and projects. Some local leaders hosted free art workshops or developed evergreen creative programming for kids in need, some were local leaders in training – including a group of teens that put on a performance to inspire their community, and others introduced the next generation to their nature based passions by hosting educational and hands-on events.

Whether it’s teaching a craft to the next generation, creating art that inspires, or improving shared spaces, we’re proud to play a role in turning big ideas into reality thanks to your support!

Impact to date:

Access to the arts and outdoors for 3000+ people 50+ creators, mentors, organizers, and projects supported $150k + awarded

Learn more about the projects we’ve backed to date and how you can get involved by scanning the QR code here!

Everybody dr

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Alice by Heart

2025 Project Highlights •

Youth Art Expo: Teaming up with local artist Zella Swain, 21 children were given top of the line

•

Alice By Heart by Caitlin Visconti: High School Senior Caitlin Visconti is a rising community leader,

•

art supplies, an inspirational brainstorming worksheet, and two weeks to create whatever their hearts desired, which was then displayed and sold (with proceeds going directly to Provincetown Art Association and Museum) at a raucous gallery opening!!

and she approached The Levitate Foundation with a dream to fully produce a performance of “Alice By Heart” with her friends at a local theatre in Connecticut. The performance was free for her community, and inspiring those around her to tackle their next big community project!

Mindfulness Art Club At Little Light Farm: Emmy from Little Light Farm approached us wanting to run Art workshops infused with mindfulness elements for members of her community to make sure everyone had access to their creative side, encouraging artists and those interested in the arts to pursue their interests.

•

t Expo

Youth Ar

Everybody Draw Everybody For Local Artists: Brian used his community

grant to operate a free everybody draw everybody workshop for Artists, and Art Educators, and Art students. This workshop gave them a few inspired hours to create freely, away from the pressures that can accompany working in the arts and in the company of others looking to get in a self — expressive groove.

o see our “It was great t m into a studio transfor e where community spac fortable others were comed.” and inspir

“This found the push tha ation was teenage girl’ t made this s idea come aliv far-fetched will never be e, and there to express m enough words y gratitude.” © 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc.

2024 Community Grants

Continued

IMPACT

JPH at F

erry Hill

Looking back on creative community projects and programs from 2024 that are continuing to make waves!

In 2024 we started the Levitate Foundation’s Community Grant initiative — originally named Passion Project and Varsity Arts grants — and saw how much potential there was to better our communities by empowering local leaders to create arts and outdoors focused projects and programs. We received some amazing reports and feedback from 2024 grantees, learning first hand how these programs quickly became a total game-changer, giving local leaders and creators the ability to tackle projects that would otherwise not be possible. Throughout the year, we’ve kept in close touch with our grantees as their projects continue to make an impact this year and beyond —­from some of last year’s grantees:

Rawkstars Second An Art Throw nual down

Co Creativ

e Sessions

“On a personal note- just wanted to say these foundation events… have really brought back my enthusiasm for my own art. So thank you for doing these kinds of things that get me (and others like me) EXCITED TO MAKE ART AGAIN”

Continued impact from 2024 Projects: •

Music Education on The South Shore: Teaming up with JJ from Rawkstars INC. again for 2025 we helped JJ expand his signature music programs to now include the Boys and Girls club of Marshfield And The Boys and Girls Club Of Plymouth. JJ and his crew of talented musicians, music therapists, and teachers, have reinvented music programming at both the clubs, focusing on the student’s interest and sparking a lifelong passion for playing music!

•

Second annual Art Throwdown: Back and somehow better than ever, Meghan Dinsmore

and the MHS art department, hosted a dream project in The Art Throwdown — Bringing 8th graders into the high school and connecting them with High School seniors for a day of collaborative creation! The kiddos walked out of this day feeling enriched, energized, and the 8th graders ready to sign up for art programs for their freshman year!

• Ordinary People Diving Extraordinary places: Charlie and a hardcore crew of divers pioneered

a dive 100 miles out to sea at Cashes Ledge, where they documented what our coast looked hundreds of years ago: teeming with life and diversity that at large no longer exists in New England. They used the content from this trip to remind our region of the importance of protecting our oceans, and their work helped spark efforts to preserve this slice of history through long-lasting policy and protections.

• Webster’s Working Herb Garden: We teamed up with the The Daniel Webster Estate and a

local eagle scout to create a working herb and vegetable garden at the Daniel Webster Estate, used to educate kids at Marshfield public schools about the town’s agricultural history, with all produce being donated directly to The Marshfield Food Pantry!

•

Art Room Improvement Grant - JPH at Ferry Hill: Last year, we answered the call from JPH

to help them improve their art space for the kids and adults who visit their space to connect with the land, themselves, and their creative side. In total, over 900 people of all ages and backgrounds used the space to get a mental boost from creating!

• Co Creative Sessions: Working with Dena Haden in both 2024 and 2025, we’ve supported

her efforts to bring incredible, world-renowned artists to the Co-Creative Center in New Bedford, MA, where they lead workshops covering their journeys, creative practices, and business tips in the arts for her community. Dena also hosts hands-on workshops for folks of all ages and mentors local artists through this initiative — helping them launch, strengthen, and sustain their careers. In total, more than 1,000 people have accessed the arts through these sessions.

© 2025 2024 Levitate Foundation, Inc. Inc

“Creating opportunities for emerging Songwriters to expand Their Audience and Create Freely”

artist Emerging Artist Art By Alexis

Presented By

Series

Napi and Helen Van Dereck Trust

LEVITATE FOUNDATION

Songwriter's showcase Introducing: Levitate Foundation Songwriter’s showcase!

All new for this year, The Songwriter’s Showcase was launched to confront one of the biggest issues facing emerging musicians today: there simply aren’t enough career-advancement opportunities for the remarkable amount of talented artists out there.

We started to wonder: What would happen if we gave up-and-coming musicians the opportunity to play on their biggest stage yet, the support they need to produce their next album, and the pedigree and guidance to take their creative journey to the next level? After running the Songwriter’s Showcase in 2025, we quickly learned that this operation would have an immeasurable amount of impact, and not just for the winning musicians but also their community, and other budding musicians.

The need for this program came into clear view immediately — when we opened up applications we received over 275 thoughtful DIY submissions from musicians across the country. We were blown away by the amount of undiscovered talent in need of support, and deeply touched by the way these artists spoke about their creative journeys and how impactful this opportunity would be. So, we listened to each submission twice and narrowed things down to 10 finalists, our panel of esteemed judges — led

by Chadwick Stokes of Dispatch and 10 other industry pros — then selected four eclectic emerging songwriters who took over the Sun Stage at Levitate Music Festival in Marshfield, MA this past July.

Those four acts — Nate Ramos, Autumn Drive, Stella Starfox, and Samantha McKaige — each delivered energized, heartfelt sets that quickly became fan favorites for over 10,000 festival attendees. Nate Ramos, from right down the road in Plymouth MA, was awarded the title songwriter of the year and has been on a tear ever since the festival, performing at Leader Bank pavilion in Boston and Chiefs in Nashville.

And their journey with the Foundation will continue as each of these artists has received a $5,000+ grant to produce their next album. The preliminary reports are in and this grant has given these artists full access to professional studios, producers, and engineers for the first time, allowing them to create freely and truly bring their sound to life.

Learn more about the Songwriter Showcase, meet all ten finalists, and find out how to get involved in 2026

trategic According to S i Project lumn National Arts A t 10% of arts ou (SNAAP) only ab ates make degree gradu ving as their primary li ts working artis

Autumn

songwriter of the year nate Ramos

Drive

Stella Starfox

26

Coming in 20

LEVITATE FOUNDATION

Visual Artists showcase The roadmap isn’t always clear and the resources are rarely accessible to talented visual artists looking to pursue a life and career committed to their craft. The next steps can be daunting and skewed, and the opportunity for career advancement often comes down to opportunity and access. Enter: The Visual Artist showcase, where we will extend a hand and illuminate the path forward for 10 emerging artists and give them trajectory changing opportunities to pursue their craft in 2026.

Through this program, 10 emerging visual artists will receive $5,000 grants and the opportunity to showcase their work in front of 20,000+ people at the 2026 Levitate Music & Arts Festival, as well as at partner galleries throughout New England. Selected by a panel of artists, educators, gallery curators, and arts executives these grants are designed to open doors — helping artists keep the flame alive on their career in the arts by funding residencies, retreats, education, or passion projects they otherwise couldn’t.

At its core, this program is about providing artists with time to create works that are impactful, space to share their work and push their career forward, and putting these artists’ efforts and commitment on display for our community.

"Being an independent musician is very daunting and expensive, and it can be hard to find ways to create music and ways to get that music to be heard, but being given the opportunity to create my newest album with no financial stress, and having been able to showcase some of it at Levitate Music Festival last summer was such a gift, and I'm so grateful for it every day"

Samantha

McKaige

© 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc

Giving kids the chance to have an unforgettable summer exploring the arts and enjoying the great outdoors.

OVER 200 SUMMERS WERE MADE! In 2025, we funded scholarships and financial aid at local camps and programs to make sure every kid can enjoy their Summer through an incredible camp experience. New for this year, we added scholarships for enrichment programs – including music lessons and creative career training – so we can work towards making these experiences available for every kiddo!

You Helped Kids Attend: Boys and Girls Club Of Marshfield Mass Audubon North River Nature Camp Summer Elements The Accord School Van Camp South Shore Chorus Camp Summer Summer ARTventures Camp EXPLORE Pediatric Therapy Duxbury Bay Maritime School Happy Camp with Gnome Surf

Friends of Holly Hill Farm North River Arts Society Mckinney Vento - Marshfield Crossroads Jesse Steiglich Music School Break a Leg Theater Works Hull Life Saving Museum Launchspace Creative Sector Pathway

From the Parents “Being able to attend on a scholarship this summer changed everything.

My child found so much peace, kindness, and outdoor education.”

“He always learns something new, loves the projects he makes, and comes home excited to play in the woods and show me what he’s learned.”

“I like that it is a nurturing environment where my kids do not even realize they are learning but they do”

Marshfield High School

Art Excellence &

Creativity

Awards

the Levitate Foundation once In the spirit of supporting emerging artists at the ground floor, tment and Art Club to raise again teamed up with the Marshfield High School Art Depar ate to award 8 scholarships funds for senior scholarship awards. This year, we were fortun a career and life in the arts. to Marshfield High School students who are looking to pursue and display their art alongside We were excited to put them on stage at the Backyard Ball of their first pieces — all while some amazing local and international artists and sell some it. seeing how appreciative our community is to have them in

Catching up with Liv Rowell, 2025 Scholarship Awardee: What does self expression and creating mean to you: sometimes words can't explain “​​Self-expression for me is shown through my art because hing visually to show how I'm what I want to convey. I sometimes have to create somet g portraits of myself as a feeling. In high school, I focused my art on my childhood, paintin love of art have always been child. Through this, I wanted to show how my creativity and young artists to never give up with me and will never fade away. I also wanted to influence ce. ” on art and show them how much they can improve with practi

What did being in the Backyard Ball Gallery mean to you: It felt really special to be part “Being in the Backyard Ball Gallery was a huge honor for me. work included alongside other of something in the Levitate community and to see my , so it felt great to share artists. I don't usually get a chance to show my art to people experience gave me more something I'm super passionate about with others. The whole confidence and made me excited to keep creating.”

Liv Row

ell

© 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc.

Featuring Songwriter of the Year Nate Ramos & The Revivalists Back for 2025, the third annual Backyard Ball was the centerpiece of the summer — where supporters, friends, grantees, community leaders and artists came together for a night to celebrate our mission, surrounded by music, art, lively conversation, and all-time company.

We took things to new heights (literally, for some of us) celebrating the impact we’d created together up to that point — dancing, dining, sinking a few at the ice luge, and reveling in the night with an incredible crew in support of a community made more vibrant by access to music, art, and the outdoors for all.

Over the last three years, with support from a wide ranging group of sponsors, friends, advocates and Levitate customers, with their support of Levitate and the 1% to the Foundation pledge — we have been able to embark on a one of a kind journey and make an incredible impact. At every turn, with every new idea and ambitious project we embark on, we have been met with an amazing amount of support and warmed by the willingness of our community to lend a hand to make our corner of the world a better place. Each summer, The Backyard Ball gives us a moment to gather and celebrate with the people who make this collective impact possible. This year was no exception — on top of the usual antics, Songwriter of the Year Nate Ramos opened the night, The Revivalists delivered a lights-out set, and we shared an evening of celebration with the community that makes this work possible and continues to inspire us each day. We could not be more grateful for everyone who made the evening so special and we look forward to tearing it up with everyone again in 2026!

songwriter of the year nate Ramos

© 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc.

300

Volunteers Levitate Music & Arts Festival Volunteer Program At our Levitate Music & Arts Festival, our volunteer program combined the efforts of the Levitate Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club to help support music, art, and camp programs at the Club and in our community. Over 400 people joined our volunteer crew to help park cars and scan tickets this year, helping raise money for a great cause.

Learn more about our volunteer opportunities here

Thank you to all these businesses, artists, and families for their support and contributions to support the Levitate Foundation and for their belief in our mission.

© 2025 Levitate Foundation, Inc.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED Every time you shop, dine, drink, or attend a show at Levitate, know that 1% goes to the Levitate Foundation.

Want to join our efforts? You can donate online today!

VOLUNTEER Join the Volunteer Team at our upcoming events, including the Levitate Music Festival, beach cleanups + more!

Head to levitatefoundation.org to learn more.

APPLY for creative community grants We’re starting our grant process for 2026.

Visit levitatefoundation.org to learn more.

Are you an ARTIST looking for support?

Visit levitatefoundation.org to learn more about support available via The Emerging Artist Series.