grow & sustain use in 2026

Join our patreon!

USE: Underground Skills Exchange is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, EIN 84-2083925. All donations are deemed tax-deductible absent any limitations on deductibility applicable to a particular taxpayer. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution.

Become a Vital Part of the USE Community!

USE wants to build a lasting relationship with you! There are many ways in which a valued community member can support us. Your monetary support is a major avenue that enables us to sustain our programming and provide valuable opportunities for artists to perform, grow, and thrive. Whether you're just starting your journey with us or you're ready to make a major impact, each giving level below will allow you to build the relationship you want with USE!

Space Sustainer

Amount: $100–$249 annually

One-time pledges or recurring contributions welcomed.

As a Space Sustainer, you are the heartbeat of our Evenings of Sharing — a free, accessible, and trusted space where artists feel welcomed, supported, and brave enough to let curiosity lead them, take creative risks, and grow. 

Because of you, artists know they have a place to “try anything”
Because of you, new voices step into the room.
Because of you, our community is built one song, scene, and comedy sketch at a time.

In 2026, we plan to grow Evenings of Sharing so it reaches more artists, more often. Your support directly makes that possible by helping us rent rehearsal and performance spaces and hire accompanists throughout the year.

Perks:

  • Donor acknowledgment in USE’s event programs

  • Admission to USE’s SummerStage Cabaret (June 2026)

  • Personal invitation to USE Community Nights

Skill Builder

Amount: $250–$499 One-time pledges or recurring contributions welcomed.

Skill Builders are the champions behind our artists’ growth.

Because of you, USE has produced four original theatre works in the past several years — each one shaped by artists responding to the world as it is and imagining what it could be. You invest in rehearsal space, creative resources, developmental time, and the hiring of devising facilitators and stage managers, all essential elements that allow meaningful work to come alive.

You believe artists deserve room to explore, collaborate and reimagine. 
 You support stories that are bold, urgent, and deeply human.
 You help ensure that the artists telling the story are the ones who need to be telling it.

Your investment today is shaping the work we have not yet made — but cannot wait to share.

Perks:

  • Donor acknowledgment in USE’s event programs

  • Admission to USE’s SummerStage Cabaret (June 2026) and Speak ART Mainstage (2026)

  • Personal invitation to USE Community Nights

  • Invited access to rehearsals and exclusive Development Lab showcases

Process Protector

Amount: $500–$999 One-time pledges or recurring contributions welcomed.

Process Protectors ensure that USE doesn’t just survive — it grows with intention.

Over the past several years, your generosity has sustained our administrative team of four and made it possible for one core staff member to receive consistent compensation for three to six months each year. That stability is what allows programs to launch, artists to be paid, and our vision to move from dream to reality.

Looking ahead to 2026, your continued support makes our next chapter possible:
 the creation of a Development Director role — someone solely dedicated to cultivating partnerships, expanding revenue, and building long-term sustainability for USE.

You are protecting the foundation so something greater can rise.

Perks:

  • Donor acknowledgment in USE’s event programs

  • Personal invitation to USE Community Nights

  • Invited access to rehearsals and exclusive Development Lab showcases

  • Invitations to Wine & Cheese gatherings before performances 

  • Full Season Pass: All USE performances - SummerStage Cabaret, Speak ART Mainstage, and That's A Wrap!

Devising Defender

Amount: $1,000 or more One-time pledges or recurring contributions welcomed.

As a Devising Defender, you are investing directly in artists’ lives.

Because of donors like you, USE has hired over 25 performers, facilitators, and stage managers to create new work for Speak ART. A single annual gift at this level supports the stipends of three ensemble members — artists who bring our mission to life onstage and in the community.

Your commitment has allowed us to not only maintain artist pay, but increase it — honoring creative labor with compensation that reflects its value.

Because of you, we dream bigger.
 Because of you, our ensembles grow.
 Because of you, artists are paid what they are worth.

Perks:

  • Donor acknowledgment in USE’s event programs

  • Personal invitation to USE Community Nights

  • Invited access to rehearsals and exclusive Development Lab showcases

  • Invitation to Wine & Cheese gatherings before performances

  • Full Season Pass: All USE performances — SummerStage Cabaret, Speak ART Mainstage, and That’s A Wrap!

  • A special experience with the founders — an exclusive opportunity to connect with Kelly & Laura, leaders of USE

Join us today and be an essential part of the future of performing arts! Together, we can continue creating space for artists to thrive and for our community to grow.