ESEA TITLE IV, PART F, SUBPART 4, SECTION 4642: Arts in Education

Funding

$29M, awarded competitively

Eligibility

SEAs; LEAs (in which 20 percent or more of the students are from families with an income below the poverty line); consortium of LEAs; institutions of higher education; museums or cultural institutions; Bureau of Indian Education; national nonprofit organizations; or private agencies, institutions, or organizations; promoting arts education for students, including disadvantaged students and students who are children with disabilities, through activities such as community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, LEAs, communities, or centers for the arts, including national centers for the arts.

Sample Use of Funds

Activities could include:

• Promoting arts education for students, including disadvantaged students and students who are children with disabilities, through activities such as professional development for arts educators, teachers, and principals; 
• Development and dissemination of accessible instructional materials and arts-based educational programming, including online resources, in multiple arts disciplines;
• Community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, LEAs, communities, or centers for the arts, including national centers for the arts.

This grant has an extensive list of uses of funds. View the complete ESSA Federal Funding Guide below for the full list.

Key Provision: Priority Applications

In awarding grants, the Secretary must give priority to eligible entities that are national nonprofit organizations, which means an organization of national scope that is supported by staff, which may include volunteers, or affiliates at the State and local levels; and demonstrates effectiveness or high-quality plans for addressing arts education activities for disadvantaged students or students with disabilities.

For more information, contact Tom Zembar at 202.822.7109 or [email protected]

Next Steps

You have a right to know if your state or district applied for the funds and influence how they are spent. Most grants have already been disbursed to your state and district, but others may require an application.

Once you find a grant, make sure it’s appropriate for your intended use. Then, contact your local NEA Affiliate to organize an effort to hold your district and state accountable for how the money is used.