When visitors enter the offices of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, they are often taken by the art on display. The collection is striking and vibrant. Like all good art, each piece makes a statement--sometimes quietly, but boldly. When foundation staff proudly tell guests that the exhibit was created by Boston high school students, the reaction is frequently one of astonishment. The artwork is the creation of student-members of Artists for Humanity (AFH), a nonprofit social enterprise whose mission is to provide urban youth with keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts. The foundation has partnered with the after-school arts program since 2000. At least once each year, foundation staff select pieces of work by the young artists for display in their Quincy, Massachusetts, office. The Nellie Mae Education Foundation provides grants to programs that take on some of the most critical obstacles to educational success, and one of its four areas of focus is after-school learning. Students who participate in after-school programs, especially underserved students, tend to be more engaged in learning, have improved attendance and grades, and higher achievement in reading and math. Long-term investments, such as the one the foundation makes in AFH, represent the best strategy for high-impact grantmaking. This article describes how AFH began and how it seeks to ensure that all young people have access to the life-changing experience of the creative process; the opportunity to hone their questioning skills and discover new forms of expression; and the chance to explore the arts as a valid career choice.