1. The applicant must be a public, private, or charter school in South Carolina.
   • Private schools must be registered as a charitable organization with the SC Secretary of State’s Office, in accordance with the SC Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act.
2. In accordance with federal government policy, all organizations - including (but not limited to) private schools, government entities, public school districts, and nonprofit organizations - must provide a valid DUNS number to receive an SCAC grant award.

   Individual public schools may use their school district’s DUNS number and do not need to register separately.

3. An arts teacher for the applicant school must serve as the contact person for this grant. (Arts areas include: creative writing, dance, design, music, media arts, theatre, and visual art.) If a school wishes to apply and does not have an arts teacher, contact Specialist for Arts Organizations & Education Catherine Ntube at cntube@arts.sc.gov before applying.

ABC Schools

ABC Schools are not eligible to apply.

Multiple Projects or Schools

• A school may not receive funding for the same purchase or project twice.
• A school may receive no more than two Arts Teacher Support Grant awards per fiscal year.
• Multiple arts teachers from the same school may apply, jointly or separately. We encourage joint applications when possible to maximize the value of the application process for applicant schools. When multiple arts teachers from the same school apply jointly, one arts teacher must be designated as the contact person for this grant.
  • For example, if a dance teacher needs $300 for a professional development opportunity and a music teacher at the same school needs $700 in supplies, they may submit one application for $1000.
• If a teacher teaches at multiple schools, they may not apply for a multi-school grant. Instead, the teacher should choose which school will apply for the grant. A teacher who teaches at multiple schools may apply for separate grants for each school.
  • For example, if you teach art at Main Street Elementary and Arts Drive Elementary, you may apply for a grant to fund printmaking at Main Street Elementary and a separate grant to fund printmaking at Arts Drive Elementary.

Any activities carried out within this grant must align with state guidelines regarding COVID-19.

The SC Arts Commission recognizes that arts teachers have varied backgrounds and resources upon which to pull. Arts Teacher Support Grants invite arts teachers to identify lacking resources and expertise in their classroom and use grant funds to acquire what is lacking.

Arts Teacher Support Grants funds may be used to pay for the following:

• Consumable and non-consumable resources
• Professional development opportunities and related costs including:
  • Membership to state or national arts education associations
  • Conference, travel, and hotel fees for state or national conferences (travel and hotel must follow the SC state travel guidelines and rates)
  • Artists in residence (Please note: The artist in residence must spend peer-to-peer training time with the arts teacher to ensure growth in the teacher’s skill level and ability to teach the skill in future years.)

Priority may be given to:

• Schools that have not received Arts Teacher Support and/or Teacher Standards Implementation (TSI) funding in the past
• Public schools that qualify for Title 1 funding
• Schools in SC Arts Commission FY21 Opportunity Initiative Counties:
  
  • Allendale
  • Calhoun
  • Dillon
  • Edgefield
  • Laurens
  • Lee
  • Marion
  • Marlboro
  • Saluda

Deadlines

• Applications must be submitted at least six weeks before grant-funded activities begin or purchases are made.
• No applications will be accepted after April 3, 2021, as they would not meet the six-weeks-in-advance requirement.

Applications may be submitted until 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the deadline date. However, please be aware that staff members will not be available to assist you with questions or technical difficulties after SCAC closes at 5:00 p.m. that day.

Grant Period

All grant-funded materials purchases or professional development opportunities must be implemented between August 15, 2020 and May 15, 2021.

Funding

Up to $1200.

Matching Requirements

1:2 (grantee:SCAC)

Exception: If an applicant school qualifies to receive Title 1 funding, no match is required.

Notes:

• A 1:2 match means that for each dollar granted, the grantee must match with $0.50 of their own funds.
  • For example, if the total project cost is $1800, the applicant may request $1200 and must provide the remaining $600 from other sources.
• Funds from another SC Arts Commission grant may not be used as matching funds.

The applicant must have an active account in the Foundant system.

If you have previously used Submittable to apply for other SCAC grants or programs, please note that Foundant is a different system. Your Submittable credentials will not work; you will need a Foundant account to apply for this grant.

If you have used the Foundant system as both an artist and as a contact for a school or organization, be sure you log on with the correct account to apply for this grant.

1. Follow the “Apply” link below. The online grants management system will open in a new browser tab or window.
2. Log on, then click the “Apply” link at the top of your Applicant Dashboard.
3. Find “Arts Teacher Support” in the list of available grant applications, and click the “Apply” button to the far right.

The Grants Team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guideline and application requirements. SCAC program staff and management will evaluate the applications based on the published Review Criteria and Priority areas. Staff will then develop funding recommendations, based on these evaluations and the availability of funds. Final funding decisions are approved by the Deputy Director.

Review Criteria

Funded Materials/Professional Development

• Information provided about the school’s mission and demographics is thorough.
• The materials and/or skills to which the teacher would gain access through this grant are clearly identified.
• The applicant provided a compelling explanation of how the materials and/or skills acquired would allow them to innovate in their classroom.
• The applicant has a realistic sense of how many students will be impacted by this grant.

Budget

• The applicant presents a balanced budget for the project or purchase.
• The budget shows evidence that the applicant school can cover the required match.

Priority

• The applicant school qualifies for Title 1 funding.
• The applicant school has not previously received Arts Teacher Support or Teacher Standards Implementation (TSI) funding.
• The applicant school is in an SC Arts Commission FY21 Opportunity Initiative County:
  
  • Allendale
  • Calhoun
  • Dillon
  • Edgefield
  • Laurens
  • Lee
  • Marion
  • Marlboro
  • Saluda

If your application is funded, you (and your fiscal agent/receiver, if applicable) will enter into a contractual agreement with the South Carolina Arts Commission, and you must comply with all requirements stated in that contract. You will receive notification and instructions when your contract is available in our online grants management system. You must submit your completed Contract Packet, including signatures and other documentation as instructed, by the date indicated in the system. You must also complete all other assigned Follow Ups by the due date given.

Please note: Any significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be approved in writing, in advance, by SCAC.

Additional details about managing an SCAC grant are available on our agency website.

Grant Payments

Payments are reimbursement-based and will be disbursed upon receipt and approval of your final report. This means any expenses must be financed up front by the school, district, or cooperating entity (such as PTA).

Payments will be made to school districts, instead of directly to schools (unless the school is not part of a district). The school district serves as the Fiscal Receiver (sometimes known as the Fiscal Agent).

Please note that the SC Arts Commission does not pay artists directly. The grantee (school) must pay an artist in full upon the conclusion of any residency.

Final Report

ALL GRANTEES are required to file a Final Report at the end of the grant period. The Final Report Due Date is stated in the grant contract. Failure to submit an accurate and complete Final Report by the due date will result in cancellation of the award and repayment of any funds received. SCAC will not fund applicants who have outstanding Final Reports.