Milestone Moment: A Generous Gift Marks 30 Years of Impact

In 2023, Project Success received a transformational gift – $3M from Andris (Andy) A. Zoltners and Moira Grosbard to expand opportunities for more students to participate in Project Success’ programs.

Moira has been a Project Success board member since 2015 and an incredible champion of our mission. She and her husband, Andy, grew to love the work of Project Success and all we do for students. This gift was given for Project Success to take its proven program and methodology to expand outside of Minneapolis to support more students in connecting to their purpose and planning for their futures.

In conversations with Adrienne over the years, Andy shared his experience coming to the US as a child and wishing that he had something like Project Success to connect him to new friends and new opportunities. Andy died in April 2023 and this donation is now part of Andy’s legacy to help today’s youth unlock their potential. Andy cared deeply about all we do to help students feel included and have a sense of belonging along with Moira’s passion for the work we do with students and families.

“For Andy, this gift was in honor of helping all kids to feel like they belong, and for me, this gift was in honor of Andy.”
– Moira Grosbard

Since its inception in 1994, Project Success has worked with more than 225,000 middle and high school students and their families in the Minneapolis School District through four program components: Workshops, Arts, Expeditions, and Institute. Over the years, the offerings have grown from workshops and theater experiences to offering musicals, college and career tours, global experiences, Institute certificates, and outdoor adventures.

“Our proven methodology inspires meaningful engagement from students that increases academic performance and sets the stage for their future,” said Adrienne Diercks, Executive Director of Project Success. “This generous gift serves as a catalyst for bringing our programming to greater Minnesota so we can help more students dream big, ignite possibilities, and grow exponentially.”

This gift is being used to build an Expansion Team to support this growth and create exciting plans for more students to gain access to Project Success programming in 2024. One of the exciting ways the organization is reaching more students is a new partnership with Mankato Area Public Schools, starting this past January with workshops for Mankato middle school students.

We continue to be grateful for the support of our community that makes our programming possible, including this generosity from Moira and Andy to help more students connect to their purpose.