District Arts Coordinator Grants

About This Grant

Purpose

This grant supports school districts in establishing or expanding the role of the district arts coordinator to ensure the development and/or implementation of a rigorous district arts learning strategic plan.

For this grant program:

• Arts disciplines are creative writing, dance, music, theatre, media arts, and visual art.
• A district arts coordinator is an education professional with appropriate experience in the six arts disciplines, who is responsible for arts curricula and professional learning of district arts teachers. The district arts coordinator must work at least part-time exclusively at the district level.
  Please note: A classroom teacher or other school-based employee with the additional title of district arts coordinator would not fulfill the arts coordinator position unless they have a reduced class-load to work part-time at the district level.
• The district arts coordinator will work to develop and implement a three-to-five year district arts strategic plan for the inclusion of all six arts disciplines in the school curriculum. This plan should begin implementation no later than Year 3 of the grant cycle.

Please Note

Grant guidelines are subject to change until the application opens.

• Eligibility

  1. The applicant must be a school district in South Carolina.
  2. In accordance with federal government policy, all organizations – including (but not limited to) private schools, public school districts, government entities, and nonprofit organizations – must provide a valid UEI number* to receive an SCAC grant award. *Learn about the Unique Entity ID (UEI) Note: If an applicant organization is using a fiscal agent/receiver, separate UEI numbers must be provided for both the applicant organization and the fiscal agent/receiver. Exceptions to separate UEI numbers are organizations run by a local government or a school district.

• Restrictions

  • Applicants may submit only one application per school district.
  • The applicant district may not currently employ a full-time designated district arts coordinator.
  • FY22 or FY23 District Arts Support grant recipients are not eligible for the FY24 District Arts Coordinator grant.
  • Commissioners and staff of the S.C. Arts Commission and members of their immediate families are not eligible to apply for any individual SCAC programs, grants, fellowships, or services that provide financial support or career recognition.

• Use of Funds

  Funds may only be used to support the salary and fringe benefits of one (1)  part-time or full-time district arts coordinator.

• Additional Requirements of this Grant

  • The district arts coordinator must work to develop and implement a three-to-five-year district arts strategic plan for the inclusion of all six arts disciplines in the school curriculum. This plan should be approved by the school board and begin implementation no later than Year 3 of the grant cycle.
  • Any activities carried out within this grant must align with state guidelines regarding COVID-19.
  • District arts coordinators will be required to participate in a 3-year mentorship cohort provided by the SCAC. Meeting dates for each year will be provided in the annual grant contract.

• Priority

  Priority will be given to school districts that meet the following criteria:

  • Fewer than 50% of the total schools in the district are FY23 ABC Advancement Grant Recipients. Additional priority will be given to school districts that have no FY23 ABC Advancement Grant recipients.
  • Districts in SCAC Opportunity Initiative Counties:
    • Allendale
    • Calhoun
    • Cherokee
    • Clarendon
    • Dillon
    • Edgefield
    • Hampton
    • Laurens
    • Lee
    • Marion
    • Marlboro
    • Newberry
    • Saluda

• Deadlines & Grant Period

  Deadlines

  • Part One: Letter of Intent to Apply – February 29, 2024
    • The letter of intent will be submitted through the Grants Portal.
    • Please upload your letter of intent on district letterhead.
    • Please include the following in your Letter of Intent to Apply:
      • Statement of intent to apply
      • District demographic overview (number of students in district, % of students in poverty, racial and ethnic breakdown)
      • Number of arts teachers in the district
      • Arts disciplines offered to students (creative writing, dance, music, theatre, media arts, and visual art)
      • A brief overview of how the district plans to grow the district arts coordinator position (e.g.: from part to full-time, from none to part-time, from none to full-time).
      • How will the coordinator position will be used to develop or implement a District Arts Strategic Plan?
      • What is the district’s long-term plan for sustainably funding this position?
      • Any additional information you feel is important for us to know about your district prior to the full grant application.
  • Part Two: Full Grant Application (By Invitation Only) – April 16, 2024

  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 p.m. that day.

  Grant Period

  July 1, 2023–May 1, 2026

  Annual grant periods are:

  • Year 1: July 1, 2023-May 1, 2024
  • Year 2: July 1, 2024-May 1, 2025
  • Year 3: July 1, 2025-May 1, 2026

• Funding & Match

  Funding

  Up to $30,000 per year for 3 years.

  Matching Requirements

  1:1 (grantee:SCAC)

  Each $1 awarded must be matched with a $1 cash investment by the district towards the position. No in-kind expenses are allowed as part of the applicant’s match in this category.

  • Funds from another SCAC grant may not be used as matching funds.
  • Federal funding may not be used as matching funds.

How to Apply

To apply for this grant, you must submit a Letter of Intent to Apply through the grants portal. For questions about this process contact the program director, Arts & Education Accessibility Director Amanda Noyes (803.734.8675 | anoyes@arts.sc.gov).

If the program director determines that your intended proposal meets the guideline requirements, you will receive an invitation and instructions for starting your grant application.

If You Are Invited to Apply

There will be a mandatory Zoom Coaching Call for approved applicants on March 16, 2023, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET.

The SCAC Grants Team and K-12 Coordinator Amanda Noyes will discuss:

• Grants Portal navigation when accessing, completing, and submitting the grant application
• Content and information needed for the FY24 District Arts Coordinator grant application
• Letters of support and other required materials

A link to register for this coaching call will be included in an approval email from the Grants Portal (administrator@grantinterface.com). After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.

• PLEASE NOTE: You are urged to consider the Review Criteria (detailed in the “Review Process” section of these guidelines, under “After You Apply”) as you prepare your application materials. These criteria will be used to evaluate your application and determine the funding of your proposal.

• Applications are accepted through our grants portal, which uses the Foundant platform.

  New to Foundant? For frequently asked questions, registration instructions, and other helpful information, we highly recommend visiting the Grants Portal FAQ, before you begin working in the system.

• Your Grants Portal Account

  The applicant must have an active account in our Grants Portal.

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

• Starting Your Application

  PART ONE: LETTER OF INTENT

  1. Follow the “Apply” link below. The Grants Portal 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 “FY24 Education – District Arts Coordinator” in the list of available grant applications, and click the “Apply” button to the far right.

  PART TWO: FULL GRANT APPLICATION

  Based on review of the submitted letters of intent, selected applicants will be invited to develop their proposal into a full grant application. Only those invited to proceed to Part Two will be eligible for District Arts Coordinator funding.

After You Apply

• Review Process & Criteria

  The Grants Team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guideline and application requirements. A review panel of arts education professionals will evaluate the applications based on the published review criteria. An applicant’s panel comments are available to them upon request. Staff will then develop funding recommendations, based on these evaluations and the availability of funds. Recommendations will be presented to the board of commissioners, which makes final award decisions. Award notification is expected after the April 2023 board meeting, pending completion of the state budget process.

  REVIEW CRITERIA

  District Arts Coordinator Position (40%)

  • The district has a feasible plan for creating or expanding the role of the district arts coordinator to part- or full-time.
  • The district arts coordinator will work to create a three-to-five-year District Arts Strategic Plan to include all six arts disciplines. Once developed, this plan will be adopted by the superintendent and school board to be implemented by grant Year 3.
  • The district arts coordinator will provide support to arts teachers across the district, including but not limited to regular arts teacher meetings and relevant professional development.
  • The district has a plan for the sustainability of the district arts coordinator position after the three-year grant period.

  Expanding Access to Arts Education (40%)

  • The district has allotted, or has a plan to allot, a substantial amount of time to arts courses throughout the district.
  • The district provides, or has a plan to provide, arts programming beyond the school day across multiple school sites within the district.
  • The district provides, or has a plan to provide, student access, in some form, to all six arts disciplines.
  • The district measures, or plans to measure, the impact of arts learning on student outcomes.

  Capacity (Arts Budget and Teachers) (20%)

  • The budget demonstrates the district’s ability to support the salary and fringe benefits of the district arts coordinator.
  • The budget demonstrates high capacity and commitment to supporting the growth of the arts in the district.
  • The teaching staff has appropriate qualifications to teach the arts disciplines to which they are assigned.

  Priority 

  • District ABC Sites
    • Fewer than 50% of the total schools in the district are FY23 ABC Advancement grant recipients.
    • Additional priority will be given to school districts that have no FY23 ABC Advancement grant recipients.
  • Opportunity Initiative Counties
    • The applicant district is located in an SCAC Opportunity Initiative County:
      • Allendale
      • Calhoun
      • Cherokee
      • Clarendon
      • Dillon
      • Edgefield
      • Hampton
      • Laurens
      • Lee
      • Marion
      • Marlboro
      • Newberry
      • Saluda

• If You Receive a Grant Award

  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 the Grants Portal. 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.

  Please note: Any significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be approved in writing, in advance, by the SCAC. Significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be emailed to grants@arts.sc.gov to be processed for approval or denial.

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

  Grant Payments

  Payments are reimbursement-based. This means any expenses must be financed up front by the grantee and/or a cooperating entity.

  An accurate pay request, listing only expenses allowable under the program guidelines for the certified time period, must be submitted in order to receive payment for the grant award.

  Grantees in this category are eligible for interim payments, with the final grant payment released upon receipt and approval of the grantee’s final report.

  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.