About the Stan Deen Foundation

The Foundation

THE STAN DEEN FOUNDATION (SDF) is a 501(c)3 organization.¹ Contributions support underserved students realize their potential and pursue their passions. OUR MISSION is to develop underserved students’ potential by teaching them resilience and integrity through the transformative power of education and the arts.  All donations to this organization are tax exempt.

The SDF believes that education and the arts are at the core of enriching community, connecting people to culture and to one another. Both areas play a transformative role in the lives of those involved. By partnering with local and national foundations, The SDF seeks to improve the quality of life for adolescents through investing in their education and artistic abilities in order to build stronger, better informed and more engaged individuals.

A significant number of children and teens in American society are exposed to traumatic life events. A traumatic event is one that threatens injury, death, or the physical integrity of self or others, causing horror, terror, or helplessness at the time it occurs, including events such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, community or school violence, medical trauma, motor vehicle accidents, suicides, etc.

The SDF believes in the inherent health and resiliency of survivors. We understand how difficult the pain of these experiences can be, and we honor the strength, courage and time it takes to heal. It is our sincerest hope and intention that the information and resources we provide help along that journey…Brave the Dark & Let Your Light Shine!

By donating to SDF today you will help to plant the seed of hope in the life of someone in need. Our actions, no matter how small, have a ripple effect and can indeed change the world.

We are deeply honored by your support.

Nathaniel Deen, Founder of SDF

What We Do

The Stan Deen Foundation has three programs it is focused on:

1. Scholarships
   • We partner with organizations to fund scholarships that assist qualified individuals in their academic pursuits in line with our mission.
2. Need-based Grants
   • We believe that just because students have opportunities to pursue their education does not mean they can thrive. Need-based grants are available to help with items like transportation and food expenses for under-resourced individuals, so they can focus on their education.
3. Apprenticeship and Mentor Program
   • Mentorship has been shown to correlate with better academic engagement and outcomes. The Stan Deen Foundation plans to offer students apprenticeship opportunities to learn skills in various academic and art initiatives. We also plan to develop a consistent mentorship program that students can leverage.

Inspiration

Each and every one of us can have a large and profound impact on the lives of those around us. There is an extraordinary power that can be unleashed by reaching out a helping hand to someone in need. How do we know this is true? Because Nathaniel Deen’s story is a real example of how something as simple as a candy bar, an act of kindness, changed his life forever (see Nate’s story). His life story of survival, hope, and unconditional love centers around his experience escaping the darkness of his past, with help from one of the most unlikely people: a teacher, Mr. Stan Deen. Stan not only planted the seed of hope but helped to nurture that seed as he and Nate became a family. For this reason, THE STAN DEEN FOUNDATION has been established.

On the closing day of every GSPA show, Mr. Stan Deen would send his student off with this inspiration…

“If there’s anything I could really encourage you all to do is have some visions and dreams for what you can become. Because everybody has been given certain abilities, certain talents and aspirations, and I would hope that you would use those to their fullest, wherever you go.”