Disney Future Storytellers

Young Storytellers is a nonprofit that equips young people to be the driving force of their own narratives. Disney supports the Young Storytellers Script to Stage program by matching elementary school students with employee VoluntEARS who serve as one-on-one mentors as students write scripts that are entirely their own. These stories are then performed by professional actors live on stage for the students, their classmates, and their families.

For over 25 years, Disney has proudly supported FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a robotics community committed to introducing youth to STEM through team-based robotics programs. An example of FIRST programming is “Build the Future” powered by Star Wars: Force for Change. A collaboration involving Disney and Lucasfilm, “Build the Future” has provided FIRST teams around the world the opportunity to tell their own unique stories about using their STEM skills for good.

Disney Musicals in Schools builds sustainable theater programs in under-resourced public elementary schools. Through the program, elementary school students and teachers join professional artists to produce their very own Disney musical on stage. Launched in 2009, Disney Musicals in Schools has supported students in schools in the United States and the United Kingdom, providing inspiration and opportunity to families and audience members.

Image Credit: Lorenzo Ciniglio

Ghetto Film School was founded in 2000 to educate, develop, and celebrate the next generation of great storytellers. Disney is proud to work with Ghetto Film School to support the GFS Fellows program, a multi-year intensive storytelling course that gives high school students access to meaningful professional experiences in entertainment, like providing hands-on technical training, helping students build portfolios, connecting students with paid internships, and offering opportunities to be inspired by top filmmaking talent.

The Hidden Genius Project trains and mentors Black male youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills to transform their lives and communities. Through its award-winning 15-month Intensive Immersion Program, The Hidden Genius Project has served Black boys and young men through high school and beyond, developing computer science, leadership, and entrepreneurship skills. With the support from Disney, The Hidden Genius Project will continue to engage youth of color through their array of innovative programs designed to ignite interest and exposure to technical career pathways.

Chicas en Tecnología is a non-profit civil society organization in Argentina that seeks to reduce the gender gap in technology in Latin America. Since 2020, Disney’s investment in Chicas en Tecnologia allowed the launch of “Protagonistas del Futuro,” a free online program for female young people between 16 and 21 years old. Through “Protagonistas del Futuro,” participants learn how to program an application with a social impact focus, building the skills needed to pursue technology careers in Latin America. In addition, an opportunity to receive scholarships in Full Stack Development certification will open this year.

Disney has longstanding relationships with multiple nationally recognized scholarship organizations that provide support to young people from diverse communities. Since 1998, Disney has supported the Hispanic Scholarship Fund through grants that fund scholarships, support services, programs, and events. Additionally, Disney has supported the United Negro College Fund since 2009 and created the Disney UNCF Corporate Scholars program in 2021. Scholars receive an annual scholarship, a paid summer internship at Disney, mentorship opportunities, and assistance with securing possible full-time roles with Disney upon graduation. We also fund scholarships through Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Scholars, American Indian College Fund (AICF), Cal Arts, Florida A&M University (FAMU), and more.

In 2021, Disney launched a three-year collaboration with The Prince’s Trust to help young people break into the world of fashion and product design. As part of this investment, Disney is working with aspiring designers aged 18-30 to create Marvel-inspired product lines, featuring clothing, bags, and more. This program consists of a series of workshops, hosted by Disney, that teach program participants about the product design industry and offers meaningful mentorship opportunities.

Disney collaborates with Exceptional Minds to help source, skill, scale, support, and sustain neurodiverse talent. Our continued investment will be used for scholarships, academy faculty, career support services, and facilities and technology. Many of the program’s graduates are offered full-time employment at Disney, Marvel, and other studios.

Disney has been investing in the American Film Institute (AFI) for more than two decades. AFI is dedicated to celebrating excellence in the art form and to creating national education initiatives that inspire artists and audiences alike. Disney’s recent support of AFI includes investments in a scholarship program to support historically underrepresented students as well as programs to advance gender equity through resources, workshops, and mentorships.

HBCU in LA works to provide college students from minority-serving institutions across the country with valuable professional experience in the cities where the entertainment industry thrives. Disney’s support of HBCU in LA helps to remove barriers to entry into the industry by supporting summer housing, professional development, and networking opportunities throughout the duration of the program.

Since its inception in 1961 when Walt and Roy Disney were part of the founding of the school, Disney has worked closely with the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to support education for generations of young artists. Today, Disney supports scholarships across all four years for a select group of students majoring in Character Animation. Disney also supports the Patty Disney Center for Life and Work Bridge to Industry Fellows Program, increasing access to hands-on, industry experiences and targeted education for aspiring creatives. Disney’s support also impacts the broader community. Through Community Arts Partnership, CalArts offers free after-school and school-based arts programs for K-12 youth across Los Angeles county.