The Talbot County Arts Council is making two significant changes in the Arts Council’s process for awarding Arts in Education grants for the 2020-2021 school year. The Arts in Education program provides Talbot County public and private elementary and secondary schools with grant support for visiting artists or visiting performer programs during school hours.
“We need to continue to fulfill our mission, and keep growing our relationship with the schools,” said Joan Levy, Executive Director. “We are committed to keeping our Arts in Education programs strong and stable. “
As schools continue to face challenges due to COVID 19, teachers are no longer required to apply for grants during a once a year grants submission period. They can apply on a rolling basis to best meet their needs for scheduling flexibility
Applications received by the end of a given month will be reviewed by the Council’s Arts in Education Committee and recommended for approval by the Executive Committee the following month. Exceptions may be requested if this policy creates unusual scheduling difficulties.
The grant criteria and eligibility requirements will remain the same. The application is located on the Council’s homepage talbotarts.org.
Matching funds are required for all Arts in Education grants, and each school must provide at least half of the total program cost from non-State funds. Exceptions to the match will be considered this year.
A new addition to the Arts in Education grant program is support for Talbot County arts teachers. This year the Council is expanding the Arts in Education grant opportunities to include support for arts educators. Resources and funds are available to pursue professional development and skills enrichment workshops for teaching the arts in a virtual environment. This change recognizes the classroom challenges teachers are facing and the Council’s desire to help teachers meet those challenges. Matching funds are not required. This is a new initiative for the Arts Council. A simple grant application form was distributed to teachers this week
According to Nancy Larson, board president, “Our Board met at the end of September and during our discussions it became clear we had to get creative and quickly adapt our existing programs to meet the needs of the schools and teachers during this time.” Teachers, principals and school arts program supporters were informed of these changes last week.
For more information about the Talbot County Arts Council Arts in Education grant program contact Joan Levy, Executive Director, 410-245-5195 or email [email protected].
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.