Any Washington State:

• Public school or school district
• Tribal, state, or municipal government agency
• Non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status
  • Arts groups may apply as an Emerging Project using a fiscal sponsor that is a non-profit organization. You can find more information about fiscal sponsorship here. You will need to submit one letter of commitment from your fiscal sponsor to apply.

Arts programming:

• All applicants must show a minimum of (1) full year of implementing arts education programming.

• Individuals
• For-profit organizations
• Political or advocacy organizations
• Organizations seeking to fund projects or programs that promote religious content or observance
• Organizations based outside of Washington State

Eligible projects:

• Projects that increase arts and cultural learning opportunities for PreK-12 students.
• Projects that include one or more partnerships between schools and community organizations.
• In-school and/or out-of-school projects that strategically increase public access for PreK-12 students.
• Projects that focus on sequential arts and cultural learning and thinking (not one-time arts experiences, performances, assemblies, or product creation without clear connections to student learning outcomes).
• Note: ArtsWA encourages Early Learning arts integration projects (PreK-3rd grade) to apply for a Creative Start grant here.

Ineligible projects:

• Materials and equipment only (although this can be a percentage of your overall project budget).
• One-time events, assemblies, performances without clear connections to sequential and interactive learning experiences.
• Tuition-based programming that does not outline a no-cost or low-cost option for public access for PreK-12 students. If projects are tuition-based, the applicant must provide an equity and accessibility plan that includes full scholarships, reduced fees, transportation access, and/or collaboration with local public schools for outreach and partnership.
• Projects or programs that promote religious content or observance.

Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant program applicants can apply for and receive other ArtsWA grants if they support different expenses and services. Other ArtsWA grants include:

• Grants to Organizations – Ongoing
• Creative Start Grant – Opening March 2023
• Wellness, Arts, and the Military (WAM) Grants – Ongoing

Screening for eligibility

ArtsWA staff review Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant applications submitted by the deadline for completion and eligibility. Staff send complete and eligible applications to a scoring panel.

Evaluation and scoring panel

A panel of arts education professionals, ArtsWA Commissioners, and staff evaluate eligible Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant applications. Panelists use the scoring criteria below to give a numerical score to each application. An application’s final score is the combined average of all panelists’ scores. Applicants receive grant funds based on the ranking score order until available funds are exhausted.

Panelists will assign each Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant application a score between 0-100 using the criteria and point system below. 100 points is the highest possible score for this grant application.

1. Project design: (40 points possible) The proposal describes:
   • Arts Learning: Student-centered project summary, strategic partnerships, and relevant learning goals for students.
   • Project Management: Project budgeting, staffing plans, partnership commitment, and administrative support that is feasible for project implementation.
2. Support for educators and artists: (20 points possible) The proposal describes:
   • Clear financial support, adequate planning time, and relevant growth opportunities for contributing educators and artists.
3. Community engagement (40 points possible) The proposal describes:
   • Planning for Access: Focused actions that aim to increase access to arts programming for a diversity of students, educators, and families.
   • Community and Family Engagement: Efforts to invite student and family knowledge, culture, language, and experiences into the classroom.

Notification of grant award

ArtsWA sends notifications to Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant applicants as soon as possible after the ArtsWA Board of Commissioners meet and approve final panel scores. Applicants will receive notifications via email no later than June 16, 2023.

All Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant applicants:

• Work sample: Organizations applying to the Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant must include (1) PDF work sample as part of their application. Work samples should be directly relevant to the proposed project and partnership and no more than three years old. The PDF can be a maximum of (5) pages. The PDF may include any combination of curriculum samples, student work, assessment and evaluation documentation, or other supplemental materials.
• Letter of commitment: Organizations applying to the Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant must submit at least (1) letter of commitment and are allowed to submit up to (3). The letter(s) must be written by an individual who will be directly involved in the proposed project, including leadership from key partner organization or lead educator.
• SWV number: Organizations must have an SWV (Statewide Vendor) number to receive grant funds from the state. Applicants do not need an SWV number to apply but they must have a registered and up to date SWV number before they can receive funds. The SWV number registration process can take up to three weeks. If your organization has received payment from Washington State in the past, it is likely you already have an SWV number. You can check on the status of your SWV number by using the vendor number lookup.
• UEI (SAM): Organizations must have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) to receive grant funds from the state. The UEI is a 12-digit alphanumeric identifier that replaced the use of DUNS numbers after April 4, 2022. Anyone with a current registration at SAM.gov now has a UEI. To view your UEI in SAM.gov, log in to your registration and follow the steps outlined in this guide. If you do not have a SAM.gov account registration, complete the steps outlined in the Guide to Getting a Unique Entity ID linked here.

Online application

Applicants to the Arts in Education (AIE) Project Grant must submit their application through the online grant platform, Submittable. ArtsWA will accept applications in Submittable starting January 25, 2023, through March 2, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.

Please see ArtsWA’s Submittable FAQ for additional information on using this platform.

Arts in Education Grants are paid in two (2) equal payments after Project Updates and signed Invoice Vouchers are completed and approved.  

1. Project Updates:
   • Mid-Year Update Payment #1: Complete a Mid-Year Project Update (Additional Form in Submittable available November 2023) by Jan 1, 2024.
   • Year-End Update Payment #2: Complete a Year-End Project Update (Additional form in Submittable available April 2024) by June 30, 2024.  
2. Signed Invoice Voucher:
   • After each Project Update is submitted and approved, ArtsWA will email your invoice voucher for signing via Adobe Sign to the Authorizing Official provided. Payment amounts are pre-determined (50% of your grant total) and are no longer connected to expense documentation.
   • Once your signed invoice voucher is submitted via Adobe Sign, ArtsWA initiates payment. Grant payments are typically processed within 10 business days from the date received.

Examples of what we do fund:

• Fees for project staff can include:
  • Artists, Teaching Artists, and Arts Organizations
  • Project Planning, Curriculum, and Resource Development
  • Project Management and/or Outside Consultants
• Stipends for youth participation and leadership
• Travel expenses for in-state teaching artists and consultants
• Materials, supplies, software, and technology that clearly align with expected project goals: Note: Material fees covered by ArtsWA grant funds cannot exceed $5,000 for Sustaining projects and $1,000 for Emerging projects.
• Administrative expenses, including printing costs, postage, and other administrative fees
• Fees for project related student tickets and transportation expenses
• Fees for increasing access to programming such as closed captioning, translation services, interpreters, differentiated curriculum/material development, or consultant support on these efforts

We cannot fund:

• Tuition-based programming that do not outline low-cost options for public access
• Purchase of food and beverages.
• Purchase of materials, supplies, software, and technology not aligned with project goals and/or that exceed $5,000 for Sustaining projects and $1,000 for Emerging projects.
• Building construction, renovation, or other permanent capital projects.
• Stand-alone field trips, events, or assemblies not aligned with project goals.
• Travel out of the state of Washington, or fees to out-of-state contractors.

• FY24 AIE Project Grant Guidelines
• FY24 AIE Project Grant Application Outline
• Submittable FAQ