Toledo Opera has received a $21,000 FY 2026 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support Opera On Wheels, the company’s educational outreach program that has been running for 40 years. The funding retroactively covers the program’s January through May 2026 season.

Opera On Wheels reaches more than 18,000 students annually with age-appropriate productions across Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. During the grant period, Toledo Opera presented 40 performances at 36 venues, reaching approximately 14,000 K-6 students, 450 educators, and 400 community members at churches, libraries, and parks. This season featured “The Bear Who Couldn’t Fish,” an original children’s opera with music by Matthew Fossa and libretto by Joshua Borths.

General Director James M. Norman said the funding “helps us inspire creativity, curiosity, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts in thousands of young people throughout our region.”

Source: https://www.toledoopera.org/news/2026/05/27/releases/toledo-opera-receives-national-endowment-for-the-arts-grant-to-support-opera-on-wheels/