EPACENTER 2025
ANNUAL REPORT
Reflecting on 2025
A Letter From our Executive Director
Dear Friends of EPACENTER,
As we come to the end of the year, I am counting the many reasons I am grateful for a place like EPACENTER in East Palo Alto. It is a place where young people, families, and neighbors of all ages have come together to learn, create, and celebrate.
Over the past year, our building has felt more alive than ever, with close to 1000 youth and young adults served through our own and partner programs.
Alongside our core arts education programs for children and teens, we have been expanding the ways the whole community can experience EPACENTER. We held our first student work exhibition in our gallery. We launched new film series events, family art days, and concerts that brought families together for evenings of music, storytelling, and conversation. We hosted community gatherings that filled our theater, studios, and outdoor spaces with dance, poetry, and shared meals. And we did this while keeping programs low-cost or free for East Palo Alto residents, because we know how much families are juggling in one of the most expensive regions in the country.
We launched a partnership with AbilityPath, which has allowed us to welcome adults with developmental disabilities into our studios for arts experiences tailored to their strengths and interests. Seeing participants light up as they paint, dance, or make music alongside our teaching artists has been a powerful reminder that creativity belongs to everyone.
Partnerships have been at the heart of this growth. With the Peninsula Open Space Trust, we launched arts and nature programming in which students learned to use their creative skills to preserve the environment. With the East Palo Alto Community Archive, we have been lifting up local stories and histories through exhibitions and events. With Step It Up Dance and Raíces de Mexico, we have offered dance and cultural programming that reflects the heritage and spirit of our community. These collaborations help us honor the cultures of East Palo Alto while opening doors for new audiences to discover EPACENTER. In the coming year, we plan to continue and expand partnerships like these so that more organizations, artists, and neighbors see this building as their creative home too.
Looking ahead, we are excited to build on this momentum. In the new year, we will continue to offer high-quality arts classes for children and teens while expanding large-scale concerts and public programs for all ages. We are planning more family-friendly film nights, live performances, and community events that make it easy for grandparents, parents, and young people to experience EPACENTER together. We will also keep developing offerings for our youngest and oldest community members so that toddlers, adults, and elders all have a place in our studios and on our stages.
Through it all, our commitment remains the same: to keep EPACENTER as accessible as possible for East Palo Alto families. Seventy-two percent of our constituents live in the City. We will continue to prioritize free and low-cost programs, offering scholarships, and designing events that feel welcoming, joyful, and affirming for everyone who walks through our doors.
Thank you for being part of this work. Whether you joined us at an event, enrolled a young person in a class, partnered with us on a program, or made a gift, you helped EPACENTER grow into the vibrant community arts hub it is becoming. I hope you will read this annual report with pride in what we have accomplished together this year – and with excitement about the many ways we will continue to create, connect, and celebrate as a community in the year ahead.
With gratitude and hope,
Nadine Rambeau,
Executive Director,
EPACENTER
Expanding our mission
Since our founding in 2015, we’ve been driven by a bold vision: to open doors for young people to discover their creativity, amplify their talents, and shape the world through art, design, and technology.
In Spring of 2025, EPACENTER began a new chapter and major transformation with Board approval to broaden our mission beyond our original focus on creative youth development exclusively for youth. 2026 will be the first year of a major transformation—expanding our mission and the opportunities we offer.
While our heart remains with the youth of East Palo Alto, we’re now igniting creative potential and building deeper community connections by delivering inclusive, high-quality education, experiences, and career pathways for people of all ages and abilities through the arts. We envision East Palo Alto shining as a beacon of creativity, where every generation has ready access to the arts, cultural pride is celebrated, and artistic innovation fuels individual growth and economic opportunity.
Our core educational programs remain strong—thirty weeks of after-school and weekend classes, a summer program, and in-school residencies at partner schools. By welcoming seniors, adults with developmental disabilities, and people of all ages in the broader community, we’re creating a vibrant space where everyone belongs. We will maintain and enhance our cultural relevance, ensuring EPACENTER continues to thrive even amidst demographic and economic shifts in the region.
new in 2025:
EPACENTER Ignites a Year of Creativity
This year, EPACENTER deepened our commitment to fostering creativity, learning, and community engagement in East Palo Alto and the Bay Area Peninsula. Thanks to the generosity of our dedicated individual donors and foundation grants, we were able to offer a 6-week-long all-day summer program for 180 youth. This program meant that young people had six weeks of safe, full-day creative learning, giving families consistent, affordable support that made it easier for them to work, manage responsibilities, and thrive.
Community support from the City of East Palo Alto has also made it possible for us to launch a robust calendar of public programs. Beginning in November 2025 and continuing through June 2026, EPACENTER will host film nights, family art days, and family-friendly concerts designed to spark joy, inspire creativity, and welcome new audiences. These programs are more than events—they are opportunities for connection, growth, and shared celebration.
With your continued partnership, we are removing barriers and expanding opportunities so that everyone in our community can participate in and benefit from the arts. As we embark on this new chapter, we invite you to join us in building EPACENTER into a true center for art and creativity—one that reflects the hopes, talents, and diversity of East Palo Alto and the Bay Area Peninsula. Thank you for your belief in our mission and for your unwavering support.
Our IMPACT in 2025
Students served this year Including interns and students
Hours of Instruction offered for free
Who did we serve?
Winter — Spring — Fall 2025
demographics
Latino/Hispanic
Mixed Race
African-American
Caucasian
Asian
Pacific Islander
Middle Eastern
Native American
Participant City of Residence
East Palo Alto: 78.84%
Menlo Park: 6.90%
Palo Alto: 6.90%
Redwood City: 4.45%
Mountain View: 1.11%
Sunny Vale: 0.45%
Hayward: 0.22%
Huron: 0.22%
Santa Clara: 0.22%
San Carlos: 0.22%
San Mateo: 0.22%
San Jose: 0.22%
Participant Post-program responses
said they liked their classes a lot
said they were proud of the work they created at EPACENTER
said their classes helped them be creative
said they would recommend this class to others
Parent Post-program responses
Said their child had fun and looked forward to coming to every session
Said their child talked positively about the activities
Said it would be difficult to find another program of equal quality
Would recommend the program to other families
Art for youth of all ages
Providing Free Arts Education Classes
2025 was a year of boundless creativity at EPACENTER! We proudly provided free arts education classes in cutting-edge and traditional disciplines, including
- AI
- Culinary Arts
- Robotics
- Architecture
- Percussion
- Piano
- Visual Arts
- Content Creation
- Rap and Singing
- Environmental Art
- Painting
- Ballet
- Beat Making
- Costume and Fashion Design
- Animation
- Music Production
- Digital Painting
- Japanese Culture Club
- Gymnastics
Plus many more!
Kids and teens from East Palo Alto, East Menlo Park, Belle Haven, and Redwood City didn’t just attend classes—they explored passions, discovered talents, and built confidence. From private music lessons that unlocked their inner artist to energetic dance sessions that filled our studios with rhythm and joy, every experience was designed to inspire.
And it wasn’t just about art—it was about preparing for the future. Culinary classes taught students how to create healthy, home-cooked meals, while tech and design programs opened doors to high-wage careers and leadership opportunities. Every brushstroke, every beat, every shared moment was a step toward empowerment and possibility.
A FOUNDATION WE CAN ALL COUNT ON
Rising to Meet the Needs of Our Community
FEATURED ON TELEMUNDO ÁREA DE LA BAHÍA
Even in the face of reduced funding, EPACENTER has never wavered. We stand firm in our promise to provide free, high-quality programs for every young person in East Palo Alto—because creativity and opportunity should never be out of reach.
Day after day, our spaces pulse with energy and hope. Students leap across dance floors, learning not just steps but confidence, discipline, and the thrill of performing on stage. In our kitchens, laughter mingles with the aroma of fresh ingredients in culinary classes where young people learn how to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals—skills that nourish both body and spirit.
“Come to EPACENTER ARTS!!! Watch your kid grow!
— Ripley, Age 10
“At EPACENTER, kids come together to help one another.”
— Isabella, 5th Grade
“DREAMS OF A CITY” Project
“WE’RE STILL HERE”
With funding from California Humanities, EPACENTER began the “We’re Still Here” multimedia storytelling project with 50 middle school students at The Primary School in East Palo Alto. Guggenheim Fellow Kameelah Rasheed, and EPACENTER alumna, consulted on the project, which empowered youth to creatively explore how citywide changes affect their lives and future dreams. The project taught media skills to East Palo Alto youth to bring powerful storytelling to create community media, explore the impact of gentrification on their lives and examine what it means to “still be here” in East Palo Alto.
Because East Palo Alto continues to experience gentrification and shifting demographics, EPACENTER remains committed to functioning as an anchor for the historic residents of the area. As the project expanded, it was re-titled as “Dreams of a City”, hosting a cadre of programs highlighting the intergenerational local voices of East Palo Alto. We use multimedia exploration to investigate the histories of East Palo Alto as told through documentary films, archival materials and recorded interviews. Through dialogue and discussion, we considered the types of spaces we need to thrive and create multi-media representations of those places.
Because East Palo Alto continues to experience gentrification and shifting demographics, EPACENTER remains committed to functioning as an anchor for the historic residents of the area. As the project expanded, it was re-titled as “Dreams of a City”, hosting a cadre of programs highlighting the intergenerational local voices of East Palo Alto. We use multimedia exploration to investigate the histories of East Palo Alto as told through documentary films, archival materials and recorded interviews. Through dialogue and discussion, we considered the types of spaces we need to thrive and create multi-media representations of those places.
Youth Leadership Initiative
Workforce Development
Summer Programs
This summer at EPACENTER was a tremendous success. Over the course of six weeks, 180 campers immersed themselves in the arts, supported by an inclusive program design that included calm-down rooms and free-choice activities, ensuring every young person could fully participate. Families repeatedly told us that our all-day schedule with before- and after-care was a lifeline for working parents.
Camper Data & Parent feedback
Featured Programs
Our all-day summer program featured classes in visual art, dance, music, robotics, bookmaking, photography, and film. Highlights of the summer program included:
- A Large-Scale Puppetry Showcase and Parade at Cooley Landing: With Obie Award-winning artist Greg Corbino, students researched the ecology and civic history of Cooley Landing, then designed and debuted giant puppets in a celebratory parade to the park.
- Music and Movement Collaborations: Under DJ and teaching artist Ayo Nish, youth produced original beats and starred in two music videos titled “Show Up” and “It is Up to You”, while piano, samba, merengue, and dance classes joined forces for a culminating showcase.
- Creative Academics: Campers built robots, prototyped architectural models of Dreams of a City, and strengthened literacy through bookmaking and journaling.
- Cultural Preservation: In partnership with the East Palo Alto Community Archive, campers were trained in interviewing, capturing the histories of community elders, and envisioning the city’s future.
Shared visions: shared success
Partnerships at epacenter
EPACENTER partners with other arts and cultural and youth-serving non-profits to provide free and low-cost space for their programs, classes, rehearsals and performance space.
Throughout 2025, partner organizations such as AbilityPath, Step It Up Dance, Anamatangi Polynesian Voices, the Walt Disney Family Museum, and Raíces de México brought an additional 270 students to the facility throughout the year. this past year. By supporting each of their missions, EPACENTER helped the entire region thrive.
Following the significant expansion in our mission, we launched a new partnership with AbilityPath to offer daytime arts classes for 150 adults with developmental disabilities, along with training opportunities for transition-age youth interested in working in the arts and disabilities fields.
Community Events
This fall, EPACENTER lit up East Palo Alto with something truly special—a bold new slate of weekly and ongoing events designed to bring our entire community together in a celebration of creativity, culture, and connection. And we’re just getting started.
EPACENTER started hosting film screenings that spark conversation, visual arts showcases that turn imagination into reality, and music and dance performances that fill the air with rhythm and joy. And the best part? Every event is free and open to all.
Our goal? To create spaces where neighbors, families, and friends can gather, share experiences, and discover the transformative power of the arts. And the response has already been incredible! Over the course of next year, we expect to welcome thousands of community members into this vibrant circle of creativity.
These events aren’t just entertainment—they’re opportunities to build bridges, strengthen community ties, and ensure that art belongs to everyone. Whether you’re watching a film in our BOOM Theater, painting alongside your child at The SPLAT, or dancing to live music at The AMPHITHEATER, EPACENTER is where joy and creativity meet.
