School Arts Support Grants

About This Grant

Purpose

To help schools acquire the supplies, materials/equipment, or professional development needed to address learning loss gaps in the arts, promote innovation in the arts classroom, and/or support arts integration initiatives to remediate core subject areas.

Please Note

Grant guidelines are subject to change until the application opens.

How is this grant different from Arts Teacher Support grants?

Formerly the Arts Teacher Support grant, this grant category is now also open to non-arts teachers who are interested in exploring arts integration in their classrooms. Additionally, the SAS grant can support school-wide initiatives/projects that promote arts integration, innovation, and address learning loss in the arts.

Although there is not one singular definition for arts integration, the SCAC finds that the Kennedy Center’s comprehensive definition of Arts Integration is a worthy model. To read more how their definition has evolved, please visit their website and read “What is Arts Integration?“

• Eligibility

  1. The applicant must be a public, private, or charter school in South Carolina.
     • Private and charter schools must
       1. be currently registered with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office. (Note: Applicants who are exempt from this registration must upload their registration exemption approval.)
       2. reflect S.C. as the primary address on all current official organizational documents
  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 new grant requirement: 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.
     • Individual public schools may use their school district's Unique Entity ID and do not need to register separately.
  3. An arts teacher within the school or an arts professional from outside of the school must serve as a partnering expert in the art form that will be utilized.
     • If a school wishes to apply and does not have an arts teacher, contact K-12 Coordinator Amanda Noyes (803.734.8675 | anoyes@arts.sc.gov) before applying.

• Restrictions

  ABC Schools

  Arts in Basic Curriculum schools are not eligible to apply.

  Multiple Projects or Schools

  • A school may receive no more than two SAS grant awards per fiscal year.
  • A school may not receive more than $5,000 in SAS funds per fiscal year, maximum of $2,500 per grant.
  • A non-arts teacher may apply if using the funds for arts integration, however an arts teacher within the school or an arts professional from outside of the school must serve as a partnering expert in the art form that will be utilized.
  • Multiple 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 teachers from the same school apply jointly, one arts teacher must be designated as the contact person for this grant.
    • Example: If a dance and a science teacher are working together on an integrated learning unit, they may jointly apply for a $2,500 grant to fund the arts integrated project.
  • 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.

• Use of Funds

  School Arts Support Grants should have a strong connection to addressing COVID related learning loss in and through the arts, promoting arts innovation, and/or increasing capacity to utilize arts integration as a teaching practice.

  • SAS grant funds may be used, in one of the following ways:
    •  Materials/Equipment/Supplies
      • Examples could include:
        • Arts materials that will enhance teaching of areas that students are lagging in due to learning disruptions
        • Instruments to complete or increase a classroom set
        • Materials for an arts integration lesson
        • Equipment such as a pottery wheel, kiln or printing press
      • Please Note grant funds should supplement (add to) not supplant (replace) your current arts budget, meaning that grant funds should pay for materials/projects that are BEYOND your current budget capacity. Grant funds should NOT pay for materials/projects so that your current arts budget can be used elsewhere.
  • Professional Development Opportunities
    • Examples could include:
      • Membership to state or national arts education associations
      • Conference, travel, and hotel fees for state or national conferences (travel and hotel must follow the S.C. state travel guidelines and rates).
      • Substitute teacher costs to allow for peer-to-peer planning for arts rich learning opportunities
    • Arts Residencies
      • 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.
      • Grant recipients must use members of the S.C. Arts Directory for grant-funded activities (see below for additional information)
      • SAS Grant funds can purchase materials to support the arts residency
  • SAS grant funds cannot be used for:
  • • • Direct student services such as field trips or registration/travel fees for an arts event
      • Purchase of food
      • Purchase of clothing

• Additional Requirements of this Grant

  • Any activities carried out within this grant must align with state guidelines regarding COVID-19.
  • All School Arts Support grant applications are required to include a letter of support from the school’s principal.
    • This letter must state:
      • Explanation of the need for the grant
      • Declaration of support for the grant
      • Agreement and understanding that this grant funding is reimbursement based
    • Formatting instructions:
      1. Letter must be on the applying school’s letterhead
      2. Letter must be dated
      3. Must be physically signed by the school’s principal
      4. Font size cannot be smaller than 11 pt.
      5. Font type is limited to Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
      6. Acceptable file types to upload: .pdf

• Priority

  Priority may be given to:

  • Schools on this S.C. Department of Education list of schools with low-income student populations above 70%
  • Schools in SCAC FY24 Opportunity Initiative Counties:
    
    • Allendale
    • Bamberg
    • Calhoun
    • Cherokee
    • Clarendon
    • Dillon
    • Edgefield
    • Hampton
    • Jasper
    • Laurens
    • Lee
    • Marion
    • Marlboro
    • Saluda
    • Williamsburg

• Deadlines & Grant Period

  Deadlines

  Applications for the School Arts Support grant are received on a rolling basis. Application reviews take place during the first full week of each month (second full week of January 2024).

  • Application period: July 3, 2023 – March 4, 2024
  • Applications must be submitted at least five weeks (unless otherwise noted by an * below) before grant-funded activities begin or purchases are made. However, earlier applications are encouraged. Applicants do not need to wait until five weeks before their project starts to apply.
  • Note: No applications will be accepted after Monday, March 4, 2024.

  Here are some time-specific deadlines:

  • July 3, 2023, for projects beginning August 7 or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of July 31.
  • August 7, 2023, for projects beginning September 11 or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of September 4.
  • September 4, 2023, for projects beginning October 9 or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of October 2.
  • October 2, 2023, for projects beginning November 6 or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of October 30.
  • October 30, 2023, for projects beginning December 11* or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of December 4.
  • December 4, 2023, for projects beginning January 15, 2024* or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of January 8, 2024.
  • January 08, 2024, for projects beginning February 12 or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of February 5.
  • February 5, 2024, for projects beginning March 11 or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of March 4.
  • March 4, 2024, for projects beginning April 15* or later.
    Notification (awarded or declined) is expected the week of April 8.

  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.

  Awarded applicants can expect contracts at the time of notification.

  Grant Period

  August 7, 2023–May 31, 2024

  All grant purchases and activities must be complete by May 31. If you have a program (for example, a teaching residency) occurring after May 31, please reach out to K-12 Coordinator Amanda Noyes (803.734.8675 | anoyes@arts.sc.gov), before applying.

• Funding & Match

  Funding

  Up to $2,500 per grant, a school may receive up to two SAS grants for a total of $5,000 per fiscal year (see Restrictions section of these guidelines for details)

  Federal funding note: This grant might be funded using federal dollars. The SCAC will notify the grantee if federal dollars are used. In the event federal dollars are used, the grantee’s match must not consist of federal funding.

  Matching Requirements

  1:2 (grantee:SCAC)

  • A 1:2 match means that for each SCAC dollar granted, the grantee must match with $0.50 of their own funds.
    • For example, if the total project cost is $1,800, the applicant may request $1,200 and must provide the remaining $600 from other sources.
  • The match for this category must be 100% cash; no in-kind expenses may be counted as part of the applicant’s match.
  • Funds may not be matched with another SCAC grant or with any federal funds.

  *Exception: No match is required for schools on this S.C. Department of Education list of schools with low-income student populations above 70%.

• Grant Criteria

  Are you wondering what makes for a strong application?

  The SCAC recommends using the FY24 School Arts Support Grant Evaluation Rubric as a guide when writing your application. Grant panelists will score your application responses based on the criteria within this rubric.

How to Apply

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.

  Helpful Hint: The primary contact person for this grant should be the arts teacher who will administer the grant activities. To ensure the correct person is listed as the primary contact for your application, that person should be the one to log on and click the “Apply” button to start the application. The primary contact person for this grant should be the person who will:

  1. edit and submit the grant application;
  2. manage this grant’s activities, and
  3. receive and respond to communications from the SCAC about this grant.

• Starting Your Application

  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 “School Arts Support” in the list of available grant applications, and click the “Apply” button to the far right.

After You Apply

• Review Process

  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. 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. Final funding decisions are approved by the deputy director. Award notification is expected in four (4) to five (5) weeks, as detailed in the “Deadlines & Grant Period” section of these guidelines.

• 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 Final Report, 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.

  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.