Summer Arts Education Project Grants Program (US)

Deadline: 16-Dec-2024

The South Carolina Arts Commission is pleased to announce its Summer Arts Education Project Grants Program to support arts education programs for Preschool (3K-4K) and/or K-12 students between school years, through both traditional and non-traditional providers.

The program will support (arts organizations) and other organizations (e.g., social service, health, community, education) that utilize the arts to meet the educational, developmental, and social needs of preschool (3K-4K) and/or K-12 students. This grant supports projects occurring during the summer of 2025.

Objectives

• Activities should:
  • Expand student access to arts education opportunities; and
  • Complement, augment, or advance standards-based arts instruction or arts integration activities aligned with school curriculum and
  • Be focused on or include significant components of quality instruction and/or experiences in the visual arts, performing arts, media arts, design arts, folk and traditional arts, or creative writing; and
  • Address South Carolina’s 2017 College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency; or
  • If applying for or including preschool programming, address South Carolina’s Profile of the Ready Kindergartener.

Priorities

• Priority will be given to:
  • Proposed activities specifically serving students in one or more Opportunity Initiative Counties, targeted for special attention by SCAC; and/or
  • Applicant organizations located within an Opportunity Initiative county.
• Priority will be given to projects or programs which:
  • Include partnerships between organizations, schools, and/or other entities to meet preschool (3K-4K) and/or K-12 educational goals through the arts; and/or
  • Serve specific student populations, including those living in rural or high-poverty areas.

Funding Information

• Grant amount: up to $15,000

Eligible Activities

• Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
  • Workshops
  • Camps
  • Artist residencies
  • Public art projects
  • Performances
  • Exhibitions
  • Acquisition of critical equipment or supplies
  • Program planning
  • Professional learning for instructors, artists, and/or administrators

Eligible Expenses

• Salaries and professional expenses directly related to the planning and implementation of your proposed project
• Artists to facilitate programs or projects
• Materials, equipment, and or supplies related to your proposed project
• Scholarships for students to attend or participate in proposed projects
• Providing professional learning for educators, artists, and/or instructors
• Indirect costs up to 10% of the total grant award
• Transportation and admission to arts experiences for students

Ineligible Expenses

• Interest on borrowed money
• Lawsuits
• Disposal of assets
• Losses due to natural disasters
• Decrease in inventory value or unsold inventory
• Any activities (including student art making) intended for fundraising
• New construction/facilities construction
• Food, beverages, alcohol, catering services
• Clothing (not including costumes for theatre projects)
• Stipends or awards for students (including gift cards)
• Credit card processing fees
• Indirect costs above 10% of total grant award

Geographical Focus 

• SCAC Opportunity Initiative Counties: Allendale, Bamberg, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clarendon, Dillon, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, Laurens, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Saluda, Williamsburg.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be:
  • A college or university;
  • or a unit of state or local government;
  • or a nonprofit community-based organization (arts or non-arts):
    • currently registered as a charity with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office
    • reflecting S.C. as the primary address on all current official organizational documents
    • with federal tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service or applying through a tax-exempt fiscal agent/receiver organization
• In accordance with federal government policy, all organizations – including (but not limited to) private schools, public school districts, government entities, and nonprofit organizations – must provide a valid UEI number to receive an SCAC grant award.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Applicants who have been awarded a Summer Arts Education Project Grant for two years of funding (Summer 2024 and Summer 2025) are not eligible to apply in the current grant cycle
• Schools and school districts are not eligible
• Individual artists are not eligible.

For more information, visit SCAC.