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Finding the Money
General
Information
Advice to Fund Seekers
Government Funds
New York
State
Federal Government
Foundations
Service Organizations
Appendix
We open The
Toolkit with a section on
funding despite the fact that in
reality, funding should follow
thinking about programs, not precede
it. We also know, however, that our
constituents have often experienced
the frustration of thinking of great
programs only to hit a wall when the
question emerged regarding who will
pay for the dream. Therefore, we
have created three sections devoted
to ways and means of finding the
money to support arts education in
its many guises.
Readers should be warned that going
for money just because the
opportunity is there does not always
work in an applicant’s best
interests. Those who apply for
support from the government or
private sectors will be wise to
weigh the opportunity for money with
the capacity to spend it well. This
means that applicants for funds
should consider whether their
organization can do the job for
which money is sought, whether the
arrival of a grant is going to be
“good news” (you got the grant) or
“bad news” (now you have to do what
you indicated your were willing to
do in your proposal.) That said,
proceed with caution as you
investigate sources of support for
your school district, your arts
organization or for yourself.
Advice to Fund Seekers
Before searching for funds, we urge
grant seekers to adhere to the
following advice:
1.
Plan your grant seeking
strategies at least one year in
advance.
2.
Submit proposals that adhere
to the source’s guidelines.
3.
Don’t go after money that
does not fit your mission.
4.
Do not send out mass
requests; most are not even read.
Establish contact with a foundation
officer before going to the trouble
to develop a proposal for their
consideration.
5.
Every proposal, in one format
or another asks the following
questions:
a.
Who are you
organizationally? How long have you
been in business? What is your
mission?
b.
How much money are you
requesting? Make sure it is within
the guidelines of the foundation.
c.
What will you use the money
for? Who will benefit?
d.
How will you know that the
program/project for which you seek
money has worked?
e.
Who are the key personnel (by
name) who will make sure that this
program works?
Be prepared to answer all the above
questions before you even consider
writing a proposal.
Government Funds
In this section we provide links to
some of the key governmental
organizations supporting arts
education and arts in education at
both the state and national level.
These are “go-to” sites for the
latest in news and resources for
teachers, artists, and
administrators, parents, and arts
advocates. Use these sites to
familiarize yourself with the
players, learn the “arts ed” lingo
and find links to additional
information to help in your search.
New York State Sources
The
New York State Government
Information Locator Service
(NYS GILS), a program of
the New York State Library,
provides a single point of
access to information on grants
provided by New York State
Government agencies, the State
Legislature and the Judiciary. The
grants database includes funding
opportunities that are available
through the Education Department,
the New York State Council on the
Arts, and the New York State
Assembly.
The
New York State Department of
Education Office of K-16 Initiatives
and Access Programs
administers millions of dollars in
grants, contracts and scholarships
to colleges and universities;
schools, school districts and BOCES;
community based and non-profit
organizations; and students. The
Office provides technical assistance
on innovative strategies armed
primarily at improving graduation
rates for ethnic, cultural and other
underrepresented and or
disadvantaged students, as well as
to close the achievement gap for
students in need of academic
intervention.
Many of the NYS Education Department
services are brokered through the 38
regional
BOCES
(Board of Cooperative Educational
Services).
Each BOCES is a public organization
created by the New York State
Legislature to provide shared
educational programs and services to
school districts. There are
currently 38 BOCES incorporating all
but nine of the 721 school districts
in New York State. BOCES membership
is not available to most large urban
school districts such as New York
City, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers
and Syracuse, except in special
circumstances.
Every Teaching Artist should take
note of the BOCES funding process.
BOCES aid is a form of State aid
which reimburses school districts
for a percentage of the costs of
services provided by BOCES.
Districts pay for these services in
a given school year and are
reimbursed the following year. A
Co-Ser (Contract for Service) is an
approved agreement to establish a
shared service for one year between
a BOCES and two or more schools or
districts. If a Teaching Artist or
arts organization is brought in to a
school through the Arts Coordinator
at a BOCES, there is a good chance
that funds spent by the district
will be partially reimbursed by the
State and may be set aside by the
district for arts education in
future
years. This is a great way for
districts to maximize the effect of
parent association contributions and
grants to enhance their arts
education budget. More information
about BOCES in your area can be
found by linking to the
BOCES Arts Coordinators site,
or by using the
state map of BOCES services.
The New York State Council on the
Arts
(NYSCA) is a state agency that
supports, among other categories,
arts-education activities of
nonprofit arts and cultural
organizations in New York State.
NYSCA achieves its arts education
goals primarily through grant
programs to not-for-profit arts
organizations. NYSCA allocates
funds to every county across the
state for partnerships between
schools and arts and cultural
organizations. There are two
distinct local funding programs:
Decentralization and Local Capacity
Building.
The Decentralization program (DEC)
is made up of sites which are local
grant making organizations that
grant modest NYSCA funds to a wide
range of arts disciplines through a
formal application process. Grants
range up to a maximum of $5,000,
though awards typically range from
$1000 to $2,500. Some of the grants
are awarded in response to requests
to support arts-education activities
in schools. To find the contact
person in your Decentralization
area, go to
http://nysca.org/public/resources/local_dec.htm.
Local Capacity Building (LCB) grants
are available to support arts in
education partnership projects on a
somewhat larger scale. There are
two types of LCB grants: School Arts
Partnership (SAP) grants and
Technical Assistance Program (TAP)
grants. SAP grants provide matching
funds to pay for artists and/or
cultural organizations to partner
with schools to support
arts-in-education projects. TAP
grants
provide schools and non-profit
cultural organizations funds to hire
consultants to pay for travel
expenses related to technical
assistance, and for expenses related
to professional development
opportunities for arts education
programs benefiting children Pre-K
to 12th grade.
Partners for Arts Education,
located in Syracuse, administers SAP
and TAP Grants.
NYSCA also funds
Empire State Partnerships
(ESP) which are designed to improve
the state of arts in education in
New York State.
ESP grants are dedicated to
identifying, supporting, and
developing promising practices in
collaborations between cultural
organizations and schools. Each ESP
project is aligned with the New
York State Learning Standards and
aims toward improvement of teaching
and learning in New York Schools
through long-term arts-in-education
partnerships. NYSCA offers
competitive ESP grants and
underwrites professional development
opportunities through CITE NAME AND
WEB SITE In addition to rants,
Summer Seminars and Regional Network
meetings, as well as helpful web
resources, enable schools and their
cultural partners to enhance
arts-in-education goals throughout
New York State.
The
New York Foundation for the Arts
(NYFA) is also funded by NYSCA
(among other funders) and offers
financial support to individual
artists and arts organizations
through a competitive grant
process.
NYFA Source,
its online search engine, includes a
national directory of grant awards,
services, and publications for
individual artists.
In Fiscal Year 2006, NYSCA awarded
237 organizations over $4 million to
support arts in education. To find
out which organizations in your area
receive NYSCA funding, visit the
NYSCA website.
Federal Government Sources
There are a number of federal
government agencies that fund arts
education and arts-in-education
projects and professional
development. The most prominent
agency is the
National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA), a public agency dedicated to
“supporting excellence in the arts,
both new and established; bringing
the arts to all Americans;
and providing leadership in
arts education.” There are several
categories of grants that arts
organizations in partnership with
schools can apply for. Note that
the requirements for
evaluation/assessment are usually
very rigorous.
The
U.S. Department of Education
(ED) provides funding to states and
school districts, primarily through
formula-based grant programs.
Grants are funded to improve
elementary and secondary schools and
meet the special needs of students.
The ED website offers clear
explanations of the
requirements and procedures
associated with applying for ED
funds. Find a
full list of the Department of
Education’s programs,
grant opportunities, and a
searchable database.
Keep in mind, however, that other
federal agencies, such as the
Department of Housing and Urban
Development and the Department of
Health and Human Services, for
example, offer many funding
opportunities in the arts and
education. Go to
www.grants.gov for a full
listing of federal grants. Using
the
search feature, you can find
grants that meet your funding needs
by employing keywords such as “after
school program,” “cultural enrichment,”
and “at-risk youth.” The search
engine will retrieve grant
descriptions according to your
search from all of the federal
agencies.
Foundations
Non-governmental support comes from
many sources, including private
foundations such as the Ford,
Rockefeller, Wallace, and Dana
Foundations, local Community
foundations, small family
foundations, individual donors, and
corporate foundations. Occasionally
corporate marketing divisions offer
funds and technical assistance to
support arts education in schools.
New York State has many foundations
that are listed in the Foundation
Directory developed each year by The
Foundation Center. Arts
organizations and school districts
are urged to consider joining the
Foundation Center whose members can
access online information pertinent
to their needs. Non-members who
need to research grants availability
can usually find a branch of The
Foundation Library in their region.
Service Organizations that Advise
about Grants
There are many not for profit
organizations whose purpose is to
advance arts education/arts in
education. Some specialize in
giving up-to-date information
regarding what funds are available,
what non-monetary supports are
available, or what research findings
will help you advocate for your own
programs. Some are more
educational, others are more about
the arts. But all define their
success by how much they can serve
their clients, in our case, members
of the arts education/arts in
education communities.
Americans for the Arts
partners with local, state, and
national arts organizations,
government agencies, business
leaders, individual philanthropists,
educators, and funders throughout
the country. It provides extensive
arts industry research and
information as well as professional
development opportunities for
community arts leaders via
specialized programs and services.
Americans for the Arts has a
content-rich website to enable its
membership and the public to keep
abreast of government initiatives,
news from the private sector, and
guidance regarding particular issues
that the arts education community
faces. It sponsors an annual
national convention which is held in
June of each year in alternating
sites around the country.
Arts Education Partnership
(AEP) is a coalition of arts,
education, business, philanthropic
and government organizations. Its
purpose is to demonstrate and
promote the essential role of the
arts in the learning and development
of every child as part of America’s
school improvement agenda. AEP’s
list of partnership organizations
includes over 140 agencies that are
national in scope and impact. It
also includes representatives from
various state and local partnerships
that focus on educational policies
and practices to promote quality
arts education. These partnership
organizations help to:
·
affirm the central role of
imagination, creativity and the arts
in culture and society
·
promote the power of the arts to
enliven and transform education and
schools
·
demonstrate how collective action
through partnerships can place the
arts at the center of learning.
AEP has developed several
publications regarding arts
education research, assessment
information and partnership tools
that will assist advocates in their
quest for funding. Most AEP
publications are available in .pdf
format for your convenience. AEP’s
website also contains a
searchable database
with information on state arts
education policies gathered in
Summer 2005.
The
National Arts Education Association
(NAEA) is a non-profit educational
organization that
promotes art education through
professional development, service,
advancement of knowledge, and
leadership.
It offers valuable publications and
resources such as
"Authentic Connections:
Interdisciplinary Work in the Arts",
which is a 10-page guide developed
by a committee of the Consortium of
Professional Arts Education
Associations designed to assist and
support educators in
interdisciplinary work and to
clarify how the arts can be taught
with integrity through
interdisciplinary content standards.
It has been prepared for teachers in
all disciplines, teaching artists,
administrators, teacher educators at
the college level, and parents.
In addition, you may visit the
websites of the other national
organizations of arts educators: the
National Association for Music
Education,
MENC; the
National Dance Education
Organization); and the
National Alliance for Theatre &
Education.
The
National Assembly of State Arts
Agencies
(NASAA)
is the membership organization that
serves the nation’s state and
jurisdictional arts agencies
frequently referred to as state arts
councils or commissions. NASAA
offers state arts agencies strategic
assistance that fosters leadership,
enhances planning and
decision-making, and increases
awareness of resources. The NASAA
website links to a number of
publications that relate to arts
education and provides a regularly
updated news section that informs
the field of resources and
opportunities for practitioners.
The
John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts
maintains a website called
Arts Edge
where teachers and teaching artists
can find curriculum and lesson
planning resources, including lesson
and unit plans, award opportunities,
Kennedy Center publications,
advocacy information and more. The
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts
Education Network
(KCAAEN) includes NYSAAE in its
network of state Alliances. The
purpose of KCAAEN is to strengthen
and support policies, practices,
programs, and partnerships to ensure
that the arts are an essential part
of American K-12 education. Be sure
to visit the other state Alliances’
websites, found at
www.kennedycenter.org/education/kcaaen,
to take advantage of their many
resources and learn more about
initiatives from around the
country.
The
National Association of Elementary
School Principals,
the
National Association of Secondary
School Principals,
and the
National School Boards Association all
have valuable information including
endorsements for arts education.
Appendix
Funding Resources List
New York State Alliance for Arts
Education
Local Capacity Building Sites
New York State Alliance for Arts
Education
School Arts Partnerships Funding
Partners for Arts Education
Technical Assistance Program
Partners for Arts Education
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