The National Endowment for the Arts Education Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that Congress established in 1965 with the objectives of:
- Bringing all forms of Art to all Americans
- Promoting excellence in established and new Art forms
- Providing leadership in Arts education
The Endowment is the nation’s largest Arts grant sponsor, and is involved in all spheres of American life, and in all 50 States, including inner city and rural areas and even military bases too. It also has an ongoing commitment to ensure that all children (not just those especially talented) receive a broad education in the different Arts while still at school. Targeted activities include creating, performing and communicating through a wide variety of artistic media.
The nation’s needs change over time as priorities shift. Today, the Arts Endowment is focussing on developing themes for educators to explore in teaching their students artistic knowledge, skills and understanding that they can share with their communities. Some of these students go on to higher levels of arts education and become leading American artists. Others use their broader understanding as backdrop to other academic subjects. Interestingly enough, students exposed to the Arts at school tend on average to achieve higher grades in other subjects too.
It is important that education grant applicants with an eye on the National Endowment for the Arts have the Foundation’s objectives in mind when applying or attending an interview. Their objectives will have to be naturally part of the over-arching Foundation Vision, if they are to succeed.
Any one organization may submit only one application for a grant. This ensures that they deliver quality applications, and really do intend to follow through if they are successful. Here is a summary of the main grants that the National Endowment for the Arts offers to the broader education community in terms of its remit (if the organization applies under the wrong category, evaluators may transfer their proposal to a more appropriate one):
- Category 1: Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth
The objective of the category is to promote the education of youth and children in the Arts, and in a school-based or community setting too. Education should be in-depth, curriculum based and take place over en extended period. Student projects, which should provide participatory learning and include interfaces with skilled artists, must also embrace the following aspects:
- Opportunities to personally experience living high quality Art
- Acquisition of creative skills
- Application of these skills within the chosen program theme
- The use of national or state art education standards as assessment criteria
More about this at http://www.nea.gov/grants/apply/GAP11/LITA.html
- Category 2: Access to Artistic Excellence
The goals of this program are to:
- Preserve the American cultural heritage
- Encourage and support artistic excellence
- Ensure access to art for all Americans
The targets are projects that will promote short-term exposure to the arts by youth and children, and intergenerational programs as well. Sub-themes include artist communities, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music and musical theatre, opera, presenting, theatre and the visual arts.Choosing the right sub-theme is important. The Foundation provides advice at http://www.nea.gov/grants/apply/GAP11/LITA.html#choose
- Category 3: Challenge America Fast-Track Review Grants
This category aims at small to mid-sized organizations seeking to reach out to under-serviced groups. The approach is to be informal, and the Foundation will not fund curriculum-based education under this Category. Visit http://www.nea.gov/grants/apply/GAP11/Challenge.html for further information.
These are by no means the only education grants available from the National Endowment for the Arts. Other opportunities include Creativity and Aging in America, Radio and Television Programs, Principles of Urban Design for Mayors, and Community Arts and Humanities Programs aimed at celebrating the creativity of the nation’s younger people.
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to experience the Arts. It does this through a variety of grant programs aimed at all citizens, from the youngest to the very old
