Feb 20, 2026
Grants for accessible spaces coupled with hands-on expertise helped organizations regain clarity — and keep doors open to the community.
When the Prebys Foundation expanded its Arts Ecosystem initiative last year, San Diego nonprofits had been grappling with new challenges in an unusually turbulent financial landscape. The foundation responded with an innovative two-pronged approach: pairing grants with hands-on consulting teams to strengthen organizations at a critical moment.
The move came as local arts groups navigated rising expenses and shifting funding streams while community demand for programs continued to grow. The idea was simple — flexible dollars can open doors, but expert guidance helps organizations walk through them.
That dual approach is already delivering results.
Through a partnership with Amplified Impact Partners, Prebys funded a new rapid-response program called Flex Teams: two-month pro bono consulting engagements designed to help nonprofits make time-sensitive decisions without slowing programs.
For two local arts organizations — Mosaic Theatricals in Escondido and A Reason To Survive (ARTS) in South County — the combination of funding and expertise became a turning point.
Grants plus guidance
Prebys’ Venues & Spaces grants focus on keeping creative spaces accessible and affordable, recognizing that theaters, studios, and community hubs are essential to neighborhood well-being. But foundation leaders also saw that many nonprofits were navigating shifting revenue streams, rising costs, and new operational pressures.
As part of its BRIDGE Initiative, Prebys moved to address these needs by investing in Amplified Impact Partners to pilot Flex Teams — connecting nonprofit leaders with experienced professionals who could help organizations analyze options, clarify strategy, and act quickly.
The goal was to help nonprofits “move at the speed of need.” Since launching, five Flex Teams have completed engagements, reporting accelerated timelines and strong participation from volunteer consultants.
Mosaic Theatricals: finding the right identity
Mosaic Theatricals provides community theater, youth education, and workforce training in Escondido. As its programs expanded, leaders realized the organization’s former name and messaging no longer captured its full mission, making it harder to reach new audiences and donors.
“It was like alphabet soup, and the name didn’t mean anything to the average person seeing a flyer,” Crespo said. “A rebrand was going to be important for attracting new donors, but it’s an expensive process.”
Working in close partnership with Amplified’s Flex Team, Mosaic analyzed financial scenarios, refined its story, and guided a community-informed rebranding effort.
“Working with Amplified Impact Partners was one of the most productive and responsive consulting experiences we have had,” Crespo said. “Their collective counsel profoundly influenced my own professional growth, and their objectivity, honesty, and compassion created a safe space for feedback as we navigated difficult decisions during a time of industry-wide change.”
Late last year, the organization relaunched as Mosaic Theatricals before a gathering of donors, educators, and civic leaders. The new identity quickly resonated with the Escondido Union School District and city partners.
“It’s easier to explain and understand,” Crespo said. “The name allows us to focus on what we do and why — the mosaic of our work and our supporters, where every piece contributes to a greater whole.”
The Prebys Arts & Venues grant also enabled Mosaic to activate two city-owned spaces for after-school programming, covering utilities and start-up costs during the critical hours when many working families need safe, creative options.
“With the shift in federal and state funding, Prebys rising to the moment with these grants has been a saving grace,” Crespo said. “For youth, the arts are central to identity... and this allows us to create welcoming spaces and provide programming during those hours when parents can’t pick their kids up yet. It’s been a game changer.”
ARTS: planning ahead while demand grows
A Reason To Survive, known as ARTS, operates a 20,000-square-foot creative hub in National City offering transformative arts experiences rooted in creative expression, design thinking and cultural equity. Participation has grown steadily as more youth and families seek spaces for connection, expression and celebration.
As the funding landscape shifted, ARTS leaders wanted to ensure their model could keep pace with demand and remain sustainable for the long term.
“We realized that we needed strategic support — not just more of our team being stretched across multiple roles — creating stronger, more sustainable ways to navigate an ever-evolving ecosystem,” said Lucy Eagleson, executive director of ARTS.
Amplified’s Flex Team spent time on site helping leadership map revenue opportunities, explore earned income uses for the facility, and identify strategic priorities to meet community needs and plan for future sustainability.
“They immediately saw opportunity while the narrative around us was focused on deficit,” Eagleson said. “Their work helped set us up for a future strategic plan and gave us clarity during a critical moment.”
Amplified Partners Kurt Chilcott and Ryan Bordelon with ARTS Executive Director Lucy Eagleson
At the same time, a Prebys venues grant supported front-of-house renovations and listening sessions to shape how the space evolves to better meet youth and community need.
“Young people come for connection and belonging,” Eagleson said. “Art is where creativity and care intersect. It creates community, meaning, and legacy, uplifting creative projects where youth see themselves as part of the future.”
An approach others can follow
For both nonprofits, the value was not only the dollars or the consulting, but the way the two worked together. Grants created breathing room; Flex Teams helped leaders decide how best to use it.
“Partnerships are everything,” Crespo said. “If we don’t partner, we end up operating in separate silos, and that doesn’t further the work we’re all trying to do.”
Amplified has now completed five Flex Team engagements, reporting accelerated timelines, strong engagement and follow-on support from volunteer consultants, and early signs of lasting impact.
For Eagleson, the experience restored a sense of momentum. “It helped us prioritize and dream again — to imagine a bigger future for ARTS filled with possibilities far beyond immediate challenges,” she said.
As communities continue to rely on theaters, studios, and creative hubs, the experiment underway in San Diego suggests that pairing innovative grants with high-touch consulting may be one of the most effective ways to keep those doors open.
Organizations interested in Flex Teams can learn more and apply at amplified.org/apply.