ARTS EXPERIENCES FUND
Window 1 for the SY25-26 Arts Experiences Fund is now closed.
Window 2 will open January 5.
Want to check if your school has already received a grant?
Schools may only receive arts experience funding from AED through one grant during any given school year.
Purpose
Baltimore City Public Schools are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 in funding to support school-day arts experiences, including field trips, performances, and teaching artist residencies. Through a streamlined application and review timeline, this grant aims to provide accessible funding for arts experiences and empower school-based staff to facilitate experiences that will best serve their student populations.
Benefits to Schools
School grantees can apply for up to $2,500 in arts/arts integrated experiences. Applicants should review the Arts Every Day Arts Directory for approved partners and programs. Once accepted, grantees will be given login credentials to access and book programs through the Directory. AED will process payments directly to Arts and Cultural Partners.
Arts Every Day’s Arts Directory includes a variety of programs and experiences from a breadth of Arts and Cultural Partners, including:
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- Off-site performances, such as theater, dance, and music performances at theaters throughout Maryland
- Off-site programs, such as museum and cultural institution visits.
- Transportation to and from any off-site experience in the Arts Directory.
- School-based programs and performances, including assemblies, residencies, workshops, and more.
Please note that all Arts and Cultural Partners listed in the Arts Every Day Arts Directory have agreed to work in compliance with Baltimore City Public Schools’ fingerprinting and background check processes as well as in alignment with Arts Every Day’s mission and vision. If you would like to book with a Provider who is not listed in the Directory but you think meets the criteria, please contact Sam Green at sam@artseveryday.org to discuss eligibility.
Eligibility
Schools may only receive arts experience funding from AED through one grant during any given school year, therefore, your school is ineligible for this grant if:
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- Your school has already been awarded an Arts Experience Grant this school year. The grant page will be updated regularly throughout the year to reflect awarded grants.
- Your school is one of our School Partners
- Your school is one of the district’s 5 separate public day schools. You have guaranteed access to our Arts Accessibility Fund instead of this broader grant.
Timeline
- Applications will be reviewed on Thursdays throughout the above application windows. Applications received after 9am Thursday will be reviewed the following Thursday. Schools will be notified of application status within 7 days. Notification emails will be sent on Fridays. This timeline may be subject to change based on holidays.
NOTE: Due to the high demand for these grants, we encourage schools to apply early within the grant windows. Because applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, all funding for each Application Window may be allocated before the dates listed above, depending on the volume of applications.
Application Review Considerations
Arts Every Day will review grant applications against the following criteria:
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- Projected impact on student learning and experience
- Demonstration of need as evidenced by the concentration of poverty rates reported by MSDE
- Geographic Location
– AED aims to ensure funding is spread equitably across the district instead of concentrating in certain areas. - School Type
– AED aims to ensure funding is equitably accessible to a variety of public schools throughout the district, including traditional schools as well as charter, contract, separate public day, and others.
- Projected impact on student learning and experience
Notification of Award and Access to Funding
- Grantees will receive notification of application status via email.
- If awarded, schools must review, complete, and return the Grant Agreement to confirm their acceptance of grant funds.
- Upon AED’s receipt of a completed Grant Agreement, the school’s grant account will be created in our Arts Directory. Arts Every Day will email the grantee login credentials to use the Arts Directory to request to book programs using grant funding.
- Grantees can reference the Booking Guide for help with the booking process.
- Grantees must submit documentation of arts experiences through a post-experience survey submitted within 2 weeks of completion of the funded program(s).
NOTE: Application to this program does not guarantee funding. Do not book with a provider prior to award notification and receipt of login credentials.
Use of Grant Funding
Accepted grantees receive funding of up to $2,500 to book the programs from Arts Every Day’s Arts Directory, detailed in their grant application.
Please review the following guidelines for use of AED grant funding:
- Student programs must occur during the regular school day during the current school year, with the following exception:
- Up to 30% ($750) of funding can be used towards programming at family and community engagement events occurring outside of the regular school day (ie, booking a teaching artist to lead a workshop at Family Literacy Night).
- This grant cannot fund arts materials, food, or other supplies. For financial support in purchasing arts equipment, please see our Arts Equipment Fund.
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- Grantees are expected to request only those programs that were specified in their grant application and approved by Arts Every Day. If a substitution or change is necessary, please contact Arts Every Day prior to submitting a booking request for any program not originally included in your approved application.
- Invoices for all programs must be received by Arts Every Day by May 15th of the current school year, though programs may continue to take place through the end of the school year.
- Applicants are responsible for communicating effectively with Arts and Cultural Partners about all bookings. In general, this means responding to email communications about bookings within 72 hours.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to request programs at least two weeks in advance. This allows adequate time for AED to receive and process documentation for payment to the artist partner.
- Arts Every Day’s Arts Integration Schools Manager may visit my school and obtain visual documentation of AED-funded experiences, with prior notice.Transportation Guidelines:
- This grant can be used to fund transportation to and from any experience in the Arts Directory.
- This grant cannot be used to fund trips outside of the state of Maryland.
- Arts Every Day-funded transportation must be booked through Woodlawn Motorcoach using the process outlined in our Booking Guide. In the event that Woodlawn does not have buses available for a given trip, AED will support the school in connecting with an alternative vendor.
These requirements are also outlined in the Arts Experiences Fund Grant Agreement, to be reviewed and completed by the school applicant and principal if the request is approved.
For questions about School Partnership, please contact our Arts Integration Schools Manager Sam Green at sam@artseveryday.org or call us at 410-685-1172 ext. 203.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Grant Application look like?
Why am I being asked to share student numbers and projected impact in the grant application?
Collecting data on the number of students served and impact of AED-funded programs helps AED to better understand and share the impact of our work. This not only helps us improve our offerings in the future, but also supports our ongoing work to secure more funding for more programming.
Can my school submit more than one application?
Applications are reviewed and approved on a first come, first served basis. We can only approve one grant per school. We strongly encourage staff to communicate with others at their school before submitting an application.
If my bookings do not total the whole $2,500, can I add additional programs to my application after it has been approved?
No. Applications are approved just for the programs listed on the application. Please carefully review estimated costs for programs listed in the Directory before submitting your application.
Why am I required to submit a Grant Agreement?
The Grant Agreement ensures that both the applicant and their school admin are aware of the protocols, requirements, and possible consequences for not following/meeting these requirements.
I have already talked with a provider about a booking; do I still need to use AED’s booking system after my grant application is approved?
Yes! Following the steps outlined in our Booking Guide to input bookings into our Directory system makes sure that we have all of the documentation we need to ensure timely and accurate payment to partners.
Will my school be responsible for paying partners for programs?
No. If your grant application is approved, you will receive log in credentials to make booking requests through our Arts Directory system. This system allows partners to upload invoices and schools to review and approve invoices. Arts Every Day pays invoices directly to partners after they are approved by schools.
Can I use AED funding to book with a partner who is not in the Directory?
Maybe! We are always looking to expand our Directory. If you know of an artist or organization that is not in our Directory but who is doing meaningful work with students, email sam@artseveryday.org. We will follow up with the prospective partner directly to determine eligibility to be in the Directory. All Arts Experience Funding must be spent through the Directory; do not make booking arrangements with providers not in the Directory until they have been approved by Arts Every Day.
Can I use Arts Experience Grant Funding to book transportation?
Yes! Arts Experience Grant Funding can be used to book transportation to and from any experience listed in our Directory. If you would like to fund transportation through your grant, please just be sure to include this in your grant application. You can view our AED-Funded Transportation listing in the Directory to learn more about the process of booking buses with AED funding.
What does the required post-survey look like?
Why do I have to submit photos in my grant post-survey?
All AED grants are funded by donations. Donors love to know where their donations are going. Photos of experiences help us to secure more funding to support future programming. Please be mindful to only submit photos that are in alignment with your school’s student photograph policy.
Can I request a program that costs more than the $2,500 allocation and bill the remaining cost to my school?
No, any programs booked through this grant must be paid in full through the grant. Splitting invoices with schools has often resulted in delays in payment to partners; this guideline is firmly in place to ensure partners receive payment promptly.
