The Chester Cultural Arts and Technology Center (CAAT Center) is a community-based nonprofit expanding access to arts education, technology training, and workforce development opportunities for residents of Chester, Pennsylvania. Serving youth, families, artists, and emerging entrepreneurs, the organization provides year-round programming that blends creative expression with digital skills and career pathways.
At its core, the Chester CAAT Center is responding to long-standing gaps in access to resources and infrastructure. Chester is a city with deep cultural roots and a strong creative community, but one that has faced decades of disinvestment in arts, education, and economic opportunity. CAAT Center works within this context to create spaces where individuals can build skills, explore career paths, and connect to opportunities in growing industries such as media, technology, and the arts.
As the organization has grown, demand for its programs has outpaced its current facilities. The Chester CAAT Center is now working to establish a permanent home, a centralized, multi-use space that can support expanded programming, strengthen partnerships, and serve as a long-term community anchor.
The CAAT Center Story
The Chester CAAT Center was founded with a simple but clear goal: to create access where it did not exist.
Under the leadership of Tara Jones, the organization began by offering programs that combined arts education with practical skill-building in technology and media. From the start, the focus was not only on creative expression, but on connecting that creativity to real pathways for employment and economic mobility.
As programs expanded, so did community engagement. The Chester CAAT Center became a place where young people could learn, create, and build confidence, and where adults could develop new skills and explore career transitions. Over time, the organization established itself as a trusted presence in Chester, working closely with local partners, schools, and community organizations.
What also became clear was the limitation of operating without a permanent space. Programs were spread across temporary and fragmented locations, making it difficult to scale, schedule consistently, or fully meet demand.
The vision for a permanent facility grew out of these constraints. Rather than continue operating across multiple spaces, the CAAT Center set out to create a dedicated hub that could bring its programming together, support long-term growth, and serve as a stable, community-rooted space for creativity and learning.
How the CAAT Center Is Making A Positive Impact
The Chester CAAT Center is expanding access to education, skills, and opportunity in a way that is both practical and locally grounded.
Through its programs, participants gain exposure to arts, media, and technology while developing skills that can translate into real employment pathways. This includes digital literacy, creative production, and workforce readiness, areas that are increasingly important in today’s economy.
The organization also provides a consistent, supportive environment for young people. By offering structured programming, mentorship, and creative outlets, the Chester CAAT Center creates alternatives that support personal development and community stability.
At the same time, its work contributes to broader neighborhood impact. By investing in local talent and building partnerships across sectors, the Chester CAAT Center is helping strengthen Chester’s creative and economic ecosystem.
Why the UnTours Foundation Invested in the CAAT Center
The UnTours Foundation invested in the Chester CAAT Center because of its role as both a community anchor and a pathway to economic opportunity.
The organization is addressing a clear need for accessible, community-based education and workforce development, while also building toward long-term stability through the acquisition of a permanent facility. This transition from leased space to ownership represents a critical step in strengthening the organization’s foundation and expanding its impact.
Through the Shifting the Paradigm Fund, this investment supports the Chester CAAT Center in securing its permanent home, enabling it to bring programming under one roof, increase capacity, and create a more sustainable model for growth.
More broadly, the investment reflects a commitment to supporting organizations that are building infrastructure within their communities, creating spaces where education, creativity, and economic opportunity can come together in a lasting way.
How You Can Support the CAAT Center
By supporting the Chester CAAT Center, you help expand access to arts, technology, and workforce training for youth and adults in Chester. You can also support their work by connecting them with new funders, collaborators, and opportunities to grow their programming and secure their permanent space.
