HOW R&B WORKS

We don’t fund moments. We fund trajectories.

One pipeline. One cohort. One community. Three years of infrastructure that outlasts any single season.

We don't fund moments.We fund trajectories.

  • 🌱 Year 1 (2026–2027)

    Proof & Pipeline

    High school dance teams funded. 40–60+ youth in free Saturday training workshops. Zero scholars announced until funding is fully secured. We prove the model before we make promises to families.

  • 🌻 Year 2 (2027–2028)

    First Scholar Cohort

    16 scholars. Full Mentor Family. 70–100% performing arts cost coverage. Three-year graduated partnership. Selected from the pipeline — relationships already built.

  • 🌾 Year 3 (2028–2029)

    Growing the Model

    Ages 8–18. ~30 scholars across two cohort years. Rising Roots pipeline for ages 8–10. One Generational Grove family. Saturday pipeline serving 40–60+ open-access youth. The infrastructure R&B was built to become.

LOOKING AHEAD

Dance is the starting point. Not the finish line.

R&B is a performing arts equity organization. Dance opens the door because it’s where our founder’s expertise runs deepest. But the barriers we’re breaking don’t stop at the studio.

  • 🌺 YEAR 4 (2029–2030) — Theatre Track Launches

    Dance + Theatre.

    50+ scholars across both disciplines. Theatre scholars ages 11–18 receive the same mentorship, family ecosystem, and graduated partnership that dance scholars do.

    New grant pathways. Same mission.

  • 🌳 YEAR 5 (2030–2031) — Full Performing Arts Model

    70+ scholars. Dance and theatre operating in parallel. Saturday pipeline serving 60–80+ youth across disciplines.

    Alumni mentoring the next generation. Evaluating community demand for the next discipline.

“The sunflower grows tall before it spreads its seeds.”

THREE WAYS TO BE PART OF R&B

Find your track.

Whether you’re a coach, a family, or a studio — there’s a track built for you.

  • 🏫 Tier A — HS Dance Teams

    TEAM INVESTMENT

    Who this is for: Cedar Valley HS coaches, ADs, and team parents

    R&B funds registration fees, state competition fees, and summer training for high school dance teams whose athletes have the talent to compete at state level — and have never had the infrastructure to get there. Every Tier A team receives a Team Mentor and access to R&B’s Saturday Pipeline and quarterly Garden events.

  • 🌱 Tier B + Pipeline — Studio Scholars

    SCHOLAR TRACK + PIPELINE ACCESS

    Who this is for: Parents of competitive dancers ages 8–18

    Interested in Year 2 scholars? You start here. Every family who expresses interest in the Year 2 scholar cohort is automatically enrolled in R&B’s Year 1 Saturday training pipeline — free, open-access workshops every Saturday starting July 2026. Pipeline participation is how scholars are identified, relationships are built, and readiness is proven before any scholarship is announced.

  • 🌻 Generational Grove — Sibling Families

    FAMILY TRACK

    Who this is for: Families with two or more siblings in competitive performing arts

    The Generational Grove is R&B’s named track for sibling families where the generational impact is exponentially larger. Accepted every 2–3 cohorts. Selective. Intentional. The Schilling sisters — Brylee, Isla, and Esmae — are R&B’s first Generational Grove family.

THE MENTOR FAMILY

Every scholar gets a whole team.

Not one mentor — a Mentor Family. Four distinct roles, each filling a gap the others cannot. This is what separates R&B from every other performing arts access program in the country.

  • 🌿 Root Mentor

    SCHOLAR NAME: ANCHOR

    Weekly presence. Tracks the whole scholar — not just dance. Shows up every week regardless. Life navigation, academic accountability, generational cycle-breaking.

  • 🌸 Bloom Mentor

    SCHOLAR NAME: VISION MENTOR

    Monthly vision work. Holds the scholar’s future when they can’t see it themselves. Asks: who are you becoming? Future-casting, identity development.

  • 🪴 Stem Mentor

    SCHOLAR NAME: RESILIENCE MENTOR

    Competition-activated. Pre and post-performance presence. Must have lived experience with high-stakes performance. Biography is the credential.

  • 🌻 The Garden

    COMMUNITY ANCHOR

    Program-wide quarterly community events. Every scholar, every mentor, every family in the same room. Sunflowers grow in fields, not isolation.

Become a Mentor →