Artists in Schools and Communities grant cycle now open
The Montana Arts Council’s FY20 Artists in Schools and Communities (AISC) grant program is currently accepting applications to support projects taking place between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.Three subcategories exist within the program – Grants $1,500-$5,000, Grants Under $1,500 and Arts Learning Partners – each with its own application due date.
Supported by National Endowment for the Arts and State of Montana funds, AISC grants pair professional artists with arts learners of every age and ability. Projects cover a diverse array of arts experience focused on hands-on learning that is designed to introduce or extend knowledge in one or more arts
disciplines. AISC-funded projects range from a one-time 90-minute workshop with a visiting artist to a long-term artist residency engaging learners over weeks or months.
Current Artist in Schools and Communities grantees include the newly-formed Wolf Point nonprofit, Bigger Sky Kids, serving the needs of youth in an after-school learning environment; Free Cycles’ “Funkify Your Bicycle” bike-associated sculpture workshop for all ages in Missoula; the Billings Symphony Society’s ongoing guitar classes provided to women incarcerated at the Montana State Women’s Prison; Electric Peak Arts Council’s performance-based project designed for older adults in Gardiner; and Anna Jeffries Elementary School’s arts integration program in expressive art therapies in Cut Bank.
A highlight of the AISC grant program is the collaboration that transpires between teaching artists and those working in other arts or non-arts disciplines, whether in school or community settings.
Awards are granted to schools and non-profit entities and must be matched in cash 1:1 by the applicant, which may include other sources of income. First-time applicants, or those in a Class C or smaller school, are eligible for 2:1 support.
Requests submitted to the Arts Learning Partners and Grants $1,500-$5,000 categories will be reviewed by a panel of professionals from the arts and arts education fields. Requests in the Grants Under $1,500 category will be reviewed internally by a member of the MAC staff and at least one outside reviewer well-versed in the particular discipline(s) of the request.
The AISC review panel will meet to discuss requests in an open public meeting to be held between May 15 and 31; grant applicants will be notified of the meeting details no later than May 1. Final funding determinations will be made by the end of June.
Application deadlines
The upcoming deadlines for each of the three Artists in Schools and Communities grant categories are:
Requests to the FY20 AISC Arts Learning Partners category are due by 5 p.m. Monday, March 25. A code to access this application is required, and is provided only to those applicants who meet the eligibility requirements.
The deadline for requests to the FY20 Artists in Schools and Communities Grants $1,500-$5,000 category is 5 p.m. Monday, April 15.
Requests to the FY20 Artists in Schools and Communities Grants Under $1,500 category are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 1.
Applicants, new or renewing, are invited and encouraged to discuss their proposals in advance with MAC’s Arts Education Director, Monica Grable. She can be reached at monica.grable@mt.gov or by calling 406-444-6522.
Tags: Arts Education