MAY 24, 2023 – New York, NY – In its second major grant announcement of FY 2023, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has named four Young Audiences Arts for Learning affiliates as recipients of funding totaling $160,000.
Arts for Learning Connecticut – Hamden, CT
Arts for Learning Connecticut (AFLCT) was awarded $50,000 to support professional development for K-12 teachers, administrators, and teaching artists in urban, suburban, and rural schools throughout Connecticut. AFLCT will engage expert consultants, teaching artists, and arts administrators from partner institutions to provide workshops exploring higher order thinking (HOT), which includes social and emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching. In addition, training will be tailored to fit each school's specific context and district-directed curriculum, with AFLCT teaching artists enhancing the work through school-based residencies.
Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) – Chicago, IL
Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) was awarded $50,000 to support an arts-integration professional development program for Chicago Public Schools teachers and teaching artists, who will study curriculum design, assessment strategies, and multimedia documentation techniques in after-school and weekend workshops throughout the school year. Participants will work in teams to hone their skills by co-planning and implementing arts-integrated classroom lessons.
Young Audiences of Houston – Houston, TX
Young Audiences of Houston was awarded $30,000 in support of arts-integration residencies designed for elementary and middle school students in underserved neighborhoods throughout Houston. Teaching artists will partner with classroom educators to deliver year-long residencies that highlight the cultural life of Houston’s distinct neighborhoods. Cross-sector partnerships will be established through the additional support of the Mayor’s Complete Communities Initiative, which promotes and facilitates innovative community-identified projects.
Arts for Learning Maryland – Baltimore, MD
Arts for Learning Maryland was awarded $29,785 to support professional development for public school principals in Baltimore and Prince George’s County, Maryland. Principals will craft school arts plans designed to enhance student learning by strengthening arts education in underserved schools. Project activities include tours of Baltimore-based cultural institutions, participation in arts-integrated learning led by master teaching artists, and coaching sessions. With support from their coaches, principals will gather feedback from their school community to identify barriers as they revise, finalize, and implement their strategies.
All four projects were awarded under the NEA's Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) category, the agency's largest grants program for organizations, which supports student engagement and empowerment through an excellent arts education. Accordingly, funding is focused on providing arts education for all students and closing the opportunity gap for students for whom a high-quality arts education is so often out of reach.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”
“We are continually grateful for the NEA’s support for our national network as we work to expand student access to the arts while closing opportunity gaps facing so many of our nation’s young learners,” said David A. Dik, National Executive Director of Young Audiences Arts for Learning. “An arts-rich education has both immediate and long-term benefits for our students, and Young Audiences Arts for Learning is proud to play a role in this national effort.”
The complete list of projects recommended for Grants for Arts Projects in the latest funding round is here. For YA affiliate projects selected for support in the NEA’s previous major funding announcement of FY 2023, click here.
About Young Audiences Arts for Learning
Founded in 1952, Young Audiences Arts for Learning’s mission is to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts. We are the nation’s largest arts in education network, comprising local affiliates across the country that collectively impact over 5 million young people each year. The national Young Audiences Arts for Learning network works collaboratively to advance arts in education through advocacy, communications, fundraising, program development, professional learning, and other support. To explore our national network, please visit: www.youngaudiences.org/network
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. To learn more, visit arts.gov.
