National Endowment for the Arts

Description

An organization may submit only one application through one of the following FY 2011 Grants for Arts Projects categories: Access to Artistic Excellence, Challenge America Fast-Track, Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth. The Arts Endowment's support of a project may start on or after June 1, 2011. Introduction The National Endowment for the Arts is committed to providing leadership in arts education by inspiring all young Americans through rich arts experiences. A high quality education in the arts opens a critical gateway to a lifetime of appreciation and engagement. For two reasons, learning in the arts is an indispensable part of American education: 1) children celebrate and participate in their cultural inheritance, and 2) academic and social maturity follow directly from arts education experiences. The Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth category offers funding for projects that help children and youth acquire knowledge and understanding of and skills in the arts. Projects must provide participatory learning and engage students with skilled artists, teachers, and excellent art. Funded projects apply national or state arts education standards. All projects submitted to the Learning in the Arts category must include: Experience: Students and their teachers will have the chance to experience exemplary works of art -- in live form where possible. Study: Through the guidance of teachers, teaching artists, and cultural organizations, students will study works of art in order to understand the cultural and social context from which they come, and to appreciate the technical and/or aesthetic qualities of each work. Where appropriate, study will include the acquisition of skills relevant to practicing the art form. Performance: Informed by their experience and study, students will create artwork. In the case of literature, the primary creative activities will be writing and/or recitation. Assessment: Students will be assessed according to national or state arts education standards. Where appropriate, projects will employ multiple forms of assessment including pre- and post-testing. NOTE: The required Learning in the Arts components may be provided in partnership with other organizations. The Arts Endowment strongly endorses the arts as a core academic subject area. Organizations must provide curriculum frameworks and carefully designed evaluations to assess every child's progress in achieving proficiency in the arts. In this category, the Arts Endowment hopes to call attention to projects that recognize and cultivate best practices in the field of arts education for children and youth. Learning in the Arts projects may take place in school-based or community-based settings and should focus on children and youth in the general age range of 5 through 18 years. (NOTE: Adult and intergenerational learning is supported under Access to Artistic Excellence.)

Who can apply

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
• Private institutions of higher education

Contact

NEA Web Manager
webmgr@arts.gov