Founded in 1963, the Arts and Education Council (A&E) is a privately funded arts fundraising organization whose geographic reach benefits the 16-county, bi-state St. Louis metropolitan region. The Arts and Education Council enriches the vibrancy of the St. Louis community by investing in arts organizations and growing the base of local arts supporters. A&E owns and manages the Centene Center for the Arts in St. Louis' Arts District, providing arts organizations of all sizes below-market rent, free rehearsal, meeting and performance space, professional development opportunities through workshops and roundtables and access to fiber optic internet, servers, etc.