Wondering what it looks like to have a free, trauma-informed expressive arts program show up at your site every week? Here's what we bring — and what 37 years of practice has taught us about doing it well.

DrawBridge provides free expressive arts programs for children and youth experiencing housing instability. We come to you — shelters, transitional housing, affordable housing, domestic violence shelters, and community centers — because we've learned that removing barriers to participation starts with being where children already are.

Our programs have always been completely free to the children and families we serve, made possible by the generosity of donors who have subsidized this work for 37 years. Here's what a DrawBridge program brings to your community.

What You Can Expect

Every week, a trained DrawBridge facilitator arrives at your site with high-quality art materials and a developmentally appropriate art prompt. For one hour, children have a safe, predictable space to create — guided by a skilled adult grounded in trauma-informed practices who shows up consistently, builds trust over time, and follows each child's lead.

We don't prescribe what a child should make or how they should feel about it. We offer space, materials, a consistent adult presence, and trust. Every child sets their own direction, pace, and depth of exploration. Every session is an invitation, not an assignment. And every community we work in shapes how that invitation is offered, because what works in one neighborhood may look different in another.

The Values Behind the Work

Our approach is guided by a set of values co-created and affirmed by our board, staff, volunteers, and facilitators — tested across 37 years of creative service:

• Child-Centered- We prioritize process over product in secure, judgment-free spaces that honor each child's autonomy and unique creative voice.

  
  

• Safety- Our programs are led by skilled, compassionate facilitators grounded in trauma-informed practices.

  
  

• Reliability- We build trust through consistent weekly programs and a steadfast commitment to meaningful, high-quality experiences.

  
  

• Cultural Responsiveness- We honor the individuality of each young person and their community.

  
  

• Creativity- We embrace imaginative play and self-expression, integrating high-quality art materials into every program activity.

  
  

• Well-being- We create conditions where exploration, trust, and self-expression can emerge through consistent and skilled facilitation.

  
  

• Accessibility- We deliver free, quality art experiences directly in the communities where young people live, removing obstacles to participation.

What Makes a Partnership With DrawBridge Different

When DrawBridge comes to your site, you're not getting a one-off workshop or a rotating cast of volunteers. You're getting a relationship — a program model refined over nearly four decades, backed by impact partnerships with Dominican University and UC Berkeley School of Public Health interns, and delivered by facilitators who commit to your community for the long term.

As we grow, we're able to offer even more to our partner sites: access to evaluation tools that help you demonstrate impact to your own funders, graduate-level clinical capacity through our Dominican University partnership for children and families who need deeper arts-based support, and connection to The DrawBridge Way — our approach to trauma-informed expressive arts.

We currently serve 14 sites across seven Bay Area counties — San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Sonoma, and Santa Cruz — with 15+ communities on our waitlist. As we explore sustainable ways to expand, we believe the strongest partnerships are built on shared investment in the children and families at the center of this work. We'd love to explore what that could look like together.

Let's start a conversation → send us an email at info@drawbridge.org

DrawBridge has provided free, trauma-informed expressive arts programming to children and youth across the Bay Area since 1989.