Young Storytellers Establishes Memorial Fund in LA
The new initiative creates a permanent channel for donors to support arts education programs for local public school students.
Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Philanthropy
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The nonprofit Young Storytellers has established a dedicated fund to honor late founding board member Jamie Tarses. This initiative will support arts programming in Los Angeles public schools.
Why it matters
The fund serves as a long-term vehicle for Young Storytellers to sustain its scriptwriting mentorship programs for students. It creates a formal path for corporate and individual donors to contribute to educational arts initiatives in the city.
Jamie Tarses began her tenure as a founding board member in 2003. The fund now supports arts programs in Los Angeles public schools, though the total size of the endowment remains unknown.
The players
Young Storytellers
A Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides arts education through mentorship and scriptwriting programs.
Jamie Tarses
A pioneering media executive who served as president of ABC Entertainment and a founding board member of Young Storytellers.
The details
Young Storytellers operates by pairing volunteer mentors with students to guide them through the process of writing scripts for performance. The newly formed Jamie Tarses Fund formalizes a memorial for the late executive, who served as an ABC Entertainment president and NBC veteran. The organization sustains its work through community engagement and event-based fundraising at venues like the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.
Timeline
1987: Tarses began her career at NBC.
1996: Tarses was appointed president of ABC Entertainment.
2003: Tarses joined the board of Young Storytellers.
2021: Jamie Tarses died following a stroke.
October 29, 2026: The organization hosts a celebration event at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.
Market Landscape
This move formalizes institutional support for arts education in the wake of the 2021 death of Jamie Tarses. It follows a multi-year trend of nonprofits using memorial funds to stabilize and scale specific community-based program offerings.
Local business leaders and potential donors should note the organization’s shift toward structured memorial funding for its education programs. The upcoming event at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre provides a focal point for evaluating the nonprofit's community impact and future partnership opportunities.
The takeaway
Memorial funds serve as a mechanism for nonprofits to align donor contributions with long-term program stability. Operators looking to support local education should monitor the organization's progress on fundraising targets as a signal for future collaborative opportunities.
Further reading
For broader trends in regional support, see the latest updates in Philanthropy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TheWrap.
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