Where to Find Grants: Narrowing Down the Search
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 19 June 2014 19:43
Grants for Visual Art Education: Why, Where and How
A Three Part Series by Linda W. Kieling, Art Educator
Rosemont Ridge Middle School, Oregon
NAEA Middle Level Director-Elect
Looking for grants can seem like a daunting task. There are literally hundreds of thousands of opportunities. Much of the work around writing grants is the preliminary upfront work of doing the research.
Many school districts have a database for grants. Having a district sponsor can aid in getting through the bureaucracy. Often school districts require you to gain approval ahead of time for grants that you are writing. This is because schools are limited to the number of State and Federal grants they can have funded.
Regional and state arts commissions are generally easier to locate and want to fund requests that support students in their geographic areas.
Often there are local organizations that have available monies to disperse. My district has a booster group, “Music and Arts Partners.” Though them, teachers can apply for grants for a variety of requests. One thing that they helped fund were much needed display boards for outside programs.
A Grant Match Rubric is helpful in determining whether or not your project matches with grants that you are considering. http://712educators.about.com/dlrubricgrant.htm
Listed here are some sites that will reduce some of your search time, as well as some other opportunities for funding.
The National Art Education Foundation is a good place specifically for arts educators to start looking for grant opportunities.
http://www.arteducators.org/grants/grants_page_2.html
Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants http://www.ed.gov/programs/heatqp/index.html
TeachersCount http://www.teacherscount.org/teacher/grants.shtml
GoldStar Registery http://www.goldstarregistry.com/index.php?sid=94661
ClassWish http://classwish.org/
iLoveSchools http://www.iloveschools.com/
Although it can feel overwhelming to take on this task, it is important to keep in mind the vast amount of resources that are available for those who take the time to go through the process. Put the word out to your parent community and you may just come up with an expert or willing assistant. Remember, as John Haywood says, “Many hands make light work” and this applies to grant writing, too.