Summer Arts Education Project Grants

About This Grant

Purpose

These grants support quality arts education programs for K-12 students between school years, through both traditional providers (arts organizations) and other organizations (e.g., social service, health, community, education) that utilize the arts to meet the educational, developmental, and social needs of K-12 students. This two-year grant supports projects occurring during the summers of 2023 and 2024.

Activities should

1. Expand student access to arts education opportunities; and
2. Complement, augment, or advance standards-based arts instruction or arts integration activities aligned with school curriculum and
3. Be focused on or include significant components of quality instruction and/or experiences in the visual arts, performing arts, media arts, design arts, folk and traditional arts, or creative writing; and
4. Address South Carolina’s 2017 College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency.

• Eligibility

  1. The applicant must be
     • A college or university; OR
     • A unit of state or local government; OR
     • A nonprofit community-based organization (arts or non-arts)
       1. currently registered as a charity with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office
          Note: Applicants who are exempt from this registration must upload their registration exemption approval.
       2. reflecting S.C. as the primary address on all current official organizational documents
       3. with federal tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service
          OR
          applying through a tax-exempt fiscal agent/receiver organization
          Note: Applicants who are applying through a fiscal agent/receiver must submit a letter outlining the working relationship and responsibilities of both parties.

  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 a grantee is using a fiscal agent/receiver, separate UEI numbers must be provided for both the applicant organization and the fiscal agent/receiver.

• Restrictions

  • Applicants may submit only one application per deadline.
  • College and university departments are eligible, but only one (1)  application per department will be accepted.
  • Schools and school districts are not eligible.
  • Individual artists are not eligible.
  • Eligible project disciplines are: visual arts, performing arts, media arts, design arts, folk and traditional arts, and creative writing.
  • Any arts material or activity that is already funded by a Term Arts Education Project grant may not be duplicated in, or overlap with, a Summer Arts Education Project grant application.

• Use of Funds

  Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Workshops
  • Camps
  • Artist residencies (see note below)
  • Public art projects
  • Performances
  • Exhibitions
  • Acquisition of critical equipment or supplies
  • Program planning
  • Professional learning for instructors, artists, and/or administrators

  If you are hiring artists, teaching artists or facilitators

  Recipients of the Summer Arts Education Projects Grant are strongly encouraged to use members of the S.C. Arts Directory for grant-funded group lectures, demonstrations, performances, classroom residencies, and short-term arts teaching experiences.

  • Artists labeled as Certified Teaching Artists on the Directory have been additionally vetted by SCAC through the submission of sample lesson plans, recorded teaching samples, and letters of recommendation.
  • Arts Access SC Teaching Artists have trained with Arts Access SC to provide children, youth, and adults with disabilities quality arts experiences.

  NOTE: If working in a school environment, always check with the individual school about policies related to hiring artists, arts organizations, and teaching artists.

  • Learn more about the S.C. Arts Directory
  • Search for an artist

• Additional Requirements of this Grant

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

• Priority

  This funding category is highly competitive.

  Priority will be given to projects or programs which:

  • Include partnerships between organizations, schools, and/or other entities to meet K-12 educational goals through the arts;
  • Serve specific student populations, including those living in rural or high-poverty areas;
  • Serve students in, and/or are located in, Opportunity Initiative counties targeted for special attention by SCAC; and/or
  • Address learning loss that has occurred as a result of COVID-19.

  See the “Review Process & Criteria” section of these guidelines for details.

• Deadline & Grant Period

  Deadline

  March 7, 2023

  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

  June 1, 2023–August 15, 2024*

  * All projects must be implemented during the summer months of 2023 and 2024 (June 1-August 15, 2023 and June 1-August 15, 2024). If your proposed project is scheduled to extend beyond these dates, please contact the Grants Team (803.734.8695 | grants@arts.sc.gov) before applying.

• Funding & Match

  Funding

  Up to $50,000 ($25,000 per summer)

  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 $18,000, the applicant may request $12,000 and must provide the remaining $6,000 from other sources.
  • At least 50% of the applicant’s match must be cash.
  • Funds may not be matched with another SCAC grant

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.

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.

• 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

  1. Click 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 “Summer Arts Education Projects” in the list of available grant applications, and click the “Apply” button to the far right.
     • Note: Be sure you are applying for “Summer Arts Education Projects,” not “Term Arts Education Projects” without the “Summer” designation.

Not quite ready to apply? You can preview the application before you create an account or start an application.

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 professionals will evaluate the applications based on the published review criteria and Summer AEP rubric. 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 in spring 2023, pending completion of the state budget process.

  Review Criteria

  Expanding access to arts education (50 %)

  • Demonstrated need for the project or program (10%)
  • Educational goals are clearly stated (7%)
  • Activities support the educational goals (7%)
  • Activities directly engage students in the production of artworks or the use of arts-based learning strategies (7%)
  • Activities address South Carolina‘s 2017 College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency in a meaningful and reasonable way (5%)
  • Plan includes appropriate methods of measuring success of activities. (7%)
  • Proposed activities clearly and appropriately measure and address learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (7%)

  Organizational capacity (40%)

  • The organization’s mission makes it an appropriate entity to implement the proposal (5%)
  • The organization demonstrates a clear commitment to artistic quality and identifies effective measures to ensure that commitment is met (10%)
  • Project timeline is present and feasible (5%)
  • Personnel
    • There is evidence of the existence of adequate leadership (5%)
    • Personnel are qualified to deliver the programs and lead the project (5%)
  • The proposed budget demonstrates a balanced and realistic estimate of project expenses and sources of income to support the project (5%)
  • Partnerships (5%)
    • Proposal represents partnerships between organizations, schools, and/or other entities to meet K-12 educational goals through the arts.
    • Partners and their roles are identified and appropriate for the scope of the project.
    • Letters of support from partners are present and there is evidence of a good partnership.

  Populations Served (10 %)

  • Applicant demonstrates an understanding of which and how many students will benefit from the proposed activities, and any special characteristics or needs to be addressed (5%)
  • Proposed activities specifically serve distinct populations of students (5%)
    • in rural areas or urban clusters (as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as territory w/less than 2,500 people) OR
    • in high-poverty areas (20% or more of population served live below the poverty line) OR
    • with disabilities OR
    • in institutions (including hospitals, hospices, assisted living facilities, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters) OR
    • living on a military base OR
    • with limited English proficiency.

  Priority

  • Opportunity Initiative Counties
    The following counties have been targeted for special attention by SCAC:
    • Allendale
    • Calhoun
    • Cherokee
    • Clarendon
    • Dillon
    • Edgefield
    • Hampton
    • Laurens
    • Lee
    • Marion
    • Marlboro
    • Newberry
    • Saluda

  • Proposed activities specifically serve students in one or more Opportunity Initiative counties.
  • The applicant organization is located in an Opportunity Initiative county.

• 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.

  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.

  If you are using a fiscal agent/receiver, grant funds will be released to your fiscal receiver, who will then pay you.

  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.

I’m Here to Help!

• If you are seeking advisement, please contact Arts Learning Director Kimberly Washburn Motte (803.734.8694 | kmotte@arts.sc.gov) before submitting an application.
• If you have submitted an application, and/or you have a current grant, please contact the Grants Team (803.734.8695 | grants@arts.sc.gov).

Grants Coaching

We also highly recommend a visit to our Grants Coaching webpage, for

• open coaching calls for artists,
• category-specific information for grant applicants,
• topic sessions, and
• opportunities for one-on-one assistance.

Missed a group call or session? Look for the video link to access a recording of that presentation.