Decentralization Grant Program (DEC) Arts Education Grant

Grants of up to $5,000 to Delaware County, New York artists partnering with nonprofit cultural organizations or public schools for arts learning projects for all ages. Applicants must meet with program staff prior to submitting an application. Eligible projects may be based in K-12 in-school and after-school settings or in the community at large.

Arts Education funds serve to bring teaching artists and their classroom skills into dedicated learning environment for all ages within three funding strands: In-School Projects, AfterSchool Learning, and Community-Based Learning. For more information on each of these categories, see page 1 of the Guidelines document below. 

Regardless of which option you choose, projects must provide:

• Sequential, skills-based study that incorporates one or more art forms and includes a minimum of 3 sequential hands-on learning sessions
• In-depth, age and skills appropriate learning opportunities
• Hands-on, participatory creation and/or learning opportunities in one or more art forms that may culminate in exhibitions, productions, or demonstrations
• Stated learning goals, methodologies and outcomes and a means for evaluation 

Eligible projects must

• Serve students in grades K-12 or specified group of people (i.e. Senior Citizen group)
• Take place during the regular school day (for K-12 In-School programs)
• Involve at least three contact sessions between the same teaching artists, school teachers (if applicable), and group of students.
• Be designed, planned, taught, and evaluated by the participating teacher(s), teaching artist(s), and/or other school and community members

Funding Priorities for 2020:

• Creative Placemaking: Creative placemaking animates public and spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired.
• New, emerging and grass-roots organizations and projects.
• Projects that incorporate media arts. (Media arts is defined by all genres and forms that use electronic media, film and technology (analog & digital; old and new) as an artistic medium or a medium to broaden arts appreciation and awareness of any discipline.)
• Projects that incorporate photography.
• Projects that incorporate dance.
• Projects that incorporate traditional arts.