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SC Arts Commission Arts in Education Program

Note: Changes have been made to the final grant report guidelines for all ABC grant recipients. These changes are effective February 13, 2009, and sites completing a final report must abide by the new guidelines. Please review the changes in the “Final Report” section of these guidelines.

 

 

Purpose

The purpose of the ABC Advancement grant program is to support schools, school districts, or Gifted & Talented Consortia committed to implementing standards-based arts curricula and to making the arts an integral part of the basic curriculum and daily classroom instruction.

Description

Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Advancement grants are available to sites that have a district-approved 5-Year Strategic Plan for including all five art forms in their school day curriculum, and may support ongoing comprehensive planning, strategic projects and implementation of standards-based arts education initiatives, including but not limited to artist residencies and residency-plus activities. Please note that for each residency funded with ABC Advancement grants, participating teachers and teaching artists must jointly complete the Residency Planning Form and Residency Assessment Form.

An eligible first-time applicant to ABC Advancement will receive a one-year award. The applicant must then reapply at the end of the provisional period in order to enter the two-year ABC Advancement cycle.

After the initial grant award, subsequent applications cover two years. Grantees receive funding for the first year and after submitting and receiving approval of a Final Report for the first year, are assured similar funding for the second year, as long as SCAC's funding remains stable.

ABC Advancement grantees are known as ABC sites, and are expected to send representatives to meet with colleagues from other current and former sites for professional development days during the school year. There are currently 55 sites, some of which have been sites since the project's inception.

The ABC sites are part of the larger ABC Project, which is overseen by a steering committee of approximately 90 members including artists, educators, school administrators, representatives of higher education, business leaders and governmental representatives.

Among ABC Project programs and activities that support the efforts of ABC sites are more than 20 summer institutes for educators, including the Curriculum Leadership Institute in the Arts (CLIA), a summer arts leadership program for arts educators; the Arts Education Leadership Institute (AELI), a summer planning intensive program for school and school district teams; the SC Center for Dance Education at Columbia College; and an expanding statewide outreach program.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant must be:

• a SC public or private school (preK-12) OR
• a SC school district OR
• a Gifted and Talented Consortium that operates year round

All applicants must:

• have successfully established a Strategic Arts Plan developed through a SCAC Comprehensive Planning grant, SC Department of Education Arts Curricular grant, or as part of an Act 135 Education Improvement Act Plan.
• have a functioning arts steering committee - a broadly based planning and program advisory committee that includes both school and community leaders.
  
  additionally:
• School district applicants must have designated district arts coordinators with appropriate experience and certification in dance, drama, music or visual arts who have responsibility for arts curricula and professional development of district arts educators.

Restrictions

Applications from a Gifted and Talented Consortium that does not operate year round will not be accepted.

Contracted artists must be on the Arts Commission's Roster of Approved Artists. Please be advised that inclusion on the Arts Commission's Roster of Approved Artists is based solely on artistic merit. Schools and other institutions contracting artists are encouraged to follow standard hiring practices for professionals working in schools.

Deadline

January 15, 2009 for support beginning July 1, 2009 and ending June 30, 2011

Applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the SC Arts Commission offices before 5:00 PM, no later than the stated date, or, when the deadline occurs on a weekend or holiday, no later than the next business day.

Funding Ranges

• Up to $10,000 per year per single school
• Up to $20,000 per year for a school district

Match

2:1 (applicant:SCAC) 50% of the applicant's match must be cash. Please note that ABC Advancement funds support the operating expenses of the site's arts education programs. Therefore, any district expenditures on the program, such as arts teachers' salaries and arts supplies, qualifies as a cash match.

Grant Payments

Payment will be on an expense reimbursement basis only. Grantees may submit a maximum of two interim payments, totaling no more than 80% of the grant award. Final grant payment will be released upon receipt and approval of grantee's final report.

Filing Fee

$15.00. Make check payable to South Carolina Arts Commission.

Review Process

Please contact your SCAC county coordinator for guidance on completing the application form.

The initial staff review of applications focuses on eligibility, conformity to guidelines, accuracy and detail of budget, clarity of narrative, completeness of packet, compliance with grant requirements, and confirmation of required support materials. A panel reviews and rates grant applications on the basis of specific criteria listed in the guidelines. Funding recommendations based on overall ratings and funding histories are determined by panel discussion and consensus and then presented to the Arts Commission Board of Directors for final funding decisions. Two-year grantees must have an approved first-year final report in order to qualify for second-year funding.

Final Report

 

All grantees are required to file a complete final report at the end of the grant period. The final report due date is printed on your contract; failure to file it by that date will result in cancellation of the award and repayment of any grant funds received. SCAC will not fund applicants who have outstanding final reports. When submitting final report documents, submit only original forms with originals signatures; do not submit copies or fax your forms.

 

The ABC Final Report requirements changed effective February 13, 2009, and are as follows.  The new guidelines are designed to help the Arts Commission and ABC staff more closely follow each sites progress and provide services accordingly.

 

A complete ABC final report will include the following:

1. All AIE grantees must file an AIE/ABC Final Report form (Portable Document Format (PDF)/How To Use PDFs).
2. In addition to the AIE/ABC Final Report form, schools hosting residencies during the grant period must also include each of the following documents:
   • Grant Activity Detail Form – Portable Document Format (PDF)
   • Residency Planning Form for each residency completed – Available in Microsoft Word
   • Residency Assessment Form for each residency completed – Available in Microsoft Word
3. A narrative, no more than three pages, that outlines the following:
• Progress made on each goal in your strategic plan for the arts
• New opportunities that have presented themselves this year, or that will be availed next school year, that will augment or support the progress of your strategic plan for the arts
• New challenges your school or district will face in continuing the progress of your strategic plan
• What can SCAC do to improve its services to you, your organization and your community?
4. Copies of your letters to legislators thanking them for their support of the Arts Commission and Arts in Basic Curriculum Grant Program
5. Copies of media coverage of your programs (one or two samples is sufficient)

 

 

Required Application Materials

 

Application Format

• Submit only original application forms with original signatures. Do not submit copies or fax your application.
• Each page/item of materials must be labeled with the name of the applicant and be submitted in a format suitable for copying.
• Typeface must be legible, and no less than 12 point.
• Do not use 3-ring binders, folders, or bind the application materials in any way other than with binder clips or paper clips.
• Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

 

The application package must include one complete set of items as follows:

1. Two Forms

Forms are in Portable Document Format (PDF). How To Use PDFs

1. Grant Application for Organizations. For individual schools, the school is the primary applicant, and the school district is the secondary applicants. Signatures from the authorized official of both the primary and secondary applicant are required.
2. Detailed Budget, for the proposed first year of arts education program operating expenses (July through June). Itemize all expenses and sources of revenue, including funds designated by the district for arts programs at the site. (Minimum budget must be at least three times the funding request).

2. Narrative Form

ABC Narrative Form (Word document). Please type directly into this document, save it, and submit a hard copy. Each question in the Narrative Form addresses an indicator for success as identified in more than twenty years of research conducted by the ABC Project. The application will be rated based on evidence of meeting this criteria. Please note, if the applicant does not currently meet certain criteria, the applicant should note how said criteria is addressed in the strategic plan for the arts.

3. Support Materials

• Ten (10) Sample Lesson Plans. It is strongly suggested that these be lesson plans from arts classrooms. (Item A2 in Narrative)
• Documentation of Arts Steering Committee meetings (Item C10b in Narrative)
• The Strategic Plan for the Arts (Item C10c in Narrative)
• Letters of Support as outlined in the narrative (Item C12)

4. Filing Fee

$15.00 check payable to South Carolina Arts Commission

 

Use this optional application checklist (PDF) to ensure a complete ABC grant application package.

 

Submit completed applications to:
ABC Advancement Grants Program
South Carolina Arts Commission
1800 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201

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