Arts In Education National Program

What’s New

Grant Opportunity:

UPDATE: An amendment to this notice was posted on the Federal Register on March 4, 2021.  Please click here for more information.

The FY 2021 Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Notice Inviting Applications was posted on the Federal Register January 15, 2021.

Competition Dates:

• Applications Available: January 15, 2021.
• Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 16, 2021.
• Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 15, 2021.
• Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 14, 2021.

Pre-Application Meeting for Potential Applicants:

A pre-application meeting was held on Monday, February 1, 2021 to help potential applicants understand the Notice Inviting Applications and to offer guidance for preparing a grant application. For those who were not able to attend or would like a copy of the presentation, please see below:

AAE Pre-Application Slides

Call for Peer Reviewers:

The Department is seeking peer reviewers for the Assistance for Arts Education grant competition.  We are seeking peer reviewers from various educational backgrounds and professions, including K-12 arts curriculum specialists and arts-integration teachers; principals and administrators of arts-focused or arts-integration schools; district-, state- or regional-level professional development specialists and coordinators; educational program evaluators, and others with education expertise relevant to the program purposes. Reviewers will have expertise in at least one of the program’s focus areas, in professional development and education administration, or in educational evaluation.  Additionally, the most qualified candidates may have expertise in arts integration, staff development, strategic planning, scaling successful programs, research and evaluation, and prior experience reviewing or approving grant applications.

Please read through the instructions and complete the submission process if you are interested in serving in this round of Arts grant competitions.

Program Overview

This program supports national-level, high-quality arts education projects and services for children and youth, with special emphasis on serving students from low-income families and students with disabilities.

Types of Projects

This program supports high-quality arts education projects that must:

• Support community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, local educational agencies (LEAs), communities, or centers for the arts, including national centers for the arts.
• Implement, or expand, initiatives in arts education and arts integration.
• Have a special emphasis on serving children from low-income families and children with disabilities.

The following activities and services can be supported through the Arts in Education National Program (AENP):

• Professional development for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 educators, including special educators and arts educators.
• Development and dissemination of instructional materials, including online resources, in multiple arts disciplines for educators.
• Arts-based and arts-integrated curriculum and educational programming in music, dance, theater, media arts, and visual arts, including folk arts, for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 students and arts educators.
• Community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, school districts, communities and centers of the arts throughout the country.
• Other high-quality arts projects for children and youth, with special emphasis on serving children from low-income families and children with disabilities.