Arts education grants pay for music instruction, visiting artists, theater productions, instruments and art supplies, teacher training and partnerships between schools and arts organizations. Who can apply depends heavily on the source: some funders support only nonprofits and government units, while others are built for individual teachers.
National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA Grants for Arts Projects program includes an Arts Education discipline for projects that provide arts learning to students and educators. Key points from recent guidelines:
- Applicants are nonprofit organizations, units of state or local government and federally recognized tribal communities. Individuals cannot apply, and schools usually apply through their district or partner with a nonprofit arts organization.
- Applicants generally need a history of arts programming before the deadline (recent guidelines require several years), and awards require a nonfederal cost share or match at least equal to the grant.
- Requests have generally started at $10,000, and organizations may typically submit one application per year to this program.
- There are usually two deadlines a year (recent cycles fell in February and July), with registration in SAM.gov and Grants.gov required first.
Read the current guidelines on arts.gov carefully, because eligibility and priorities are updated each cycle.
State and local arts agencies
Every state and jurisdiction has a state arts agency, and many have arts-in-education programs such as artist residencies, teaching artist rosters and grants for school partnerships. The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies lists them all. Regional arts organizations and city or county arts councils often fund smaller, local projects and may accept applications from schools. See our arts councils listing.
Federal education funds
For public schools, the largest source of arts money is often inside the district budget:
- ESSA Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment) supports a "well-rounded education", and the law lists programs that use music and the arts as tools to support student success among allowable activities (20 U.S.C. 7117). State guidance gives examples such as artist residencies, arts integration and teacher professional development. Funds must support programs and activities rather than supplies alone.
- Title I schoolwide programs can include arts activities that are part of the school improvement plan.
Your district federal programs office decides how these funds are used, so bring them a clear proposal.
Private foundations and corporate programs
Private funders of arts education range from national foundations to local family foundations. A few starting points:
- Music education foundations that donate instruments or fund school music programs; many publish annual application windows.
- Community foundations, which often have arts or youth funds. See our community foundations listing.
- Corporate giving programs focused on communities where the company operates.
Our arts and culture grants page lists many arts funders with links. To check whether a foundation funds arts education, read the grants list in its Form 990-PF on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Options for individual teachers
- District or local education foundation mini-grants.
- State arts agency arts-in-education programs that place a teaching artist in your classroom.
- Classroom crowdfunding, subject to district policy.
- Professional association awards and grants in music, theater and visual arts education.
Making the case
Describe arts learning, not just activity
Funders want to know what students will learn and create, how the project fits your curriculum or state arts standards, and how you will document growth, for example through portfolios, performances, rubrics or student reflections.
Show partnerships
Partnerships between schools and arts organizations are attractive to most arts funders. A letter of commitment from a partner strengthens the application.
Budget carefully
List artist fees, materials, instruments, transport and teacher time separately, and show any match from the school, district or partner. For NEA applications, the cost share must be documented.
Project ideas funders recognize
- Artist residencies: a teaching artist works with the same classes over several weeks, ending in a performance or exhibition.
- Arts integration: teachers and artists co-plan units that teach another subject through drama, music or visual art.
- Instrument and equipment programs: building a lending library of instruments, or equipping a media arts lab.
- Teacher professional development: summer institutes or coaching for classroom teachers who teach the arts without a specialist.
- Access programs: transport and tickets so students can attend professional performances and exhibitions.
Timeline
Federal arts grants such as the NEA program require registration in SAM.gov and Grants.gov first and are decided many months after the deadline, so they suit projects planned well in advance. State arts agency and local grants usually move faster. Note each funder's deadline, decision date and earliest allowed project start date before you plan the calendar, because many funders will not pay for activities that happen before the award.
Frequently asked questions
Can a school apply for an NEA arts education grant?
Public school districts, as units of local government, and nonprofit organizations can apply. Individual teachers cannot. Many schools take part through a partnership with a nonprofit arts organization that applies.
Can Title IV-A funds be used for arts education?
Yes. The law lists programs that use music and the arts to support student success among well-rounded education activities. Districts decide how funds are used, following state guidance.
Where can a teacher get an arts grant for a classroom?
Local education foundations, state and local arts agencies, professional associations and community foundations are the most common sources for individual teachers.
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