Arts for All (A4A) Recovery Grant

This Application is CLOSED.

About this Grant

ArtsWA is pleased to offer Arts in Education staffing support in service of PreK-12 students as they navigate the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruptions in schooling, including school closures and cancelled programming, continue to impact students’ school engagement and academic progress. This is especially the case for communities that experience limited access to arts learning materials, internet, and accessible arts and cultural programs. These A4A Recovery Grants are intended to stabilize community-based learning options, stimulate hiring and rehiring, bring teaching artists into the classroom, and relaunch arts and cultural programs.

Funding for these A4A Recovery Grants is made possible by the Washington State Arts Commission’s Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds from the State of Washington and the United States Treasury.

Funding Amounts

  • Organizations may apply for $10,000 or $20,000 (no other requests)
  • No matching funds required

Important Dates

  • Application Opens: January 13, 2022
  • Application Deadline: Applications are accepted until February 24, 2022, 5:00 pm
  • Notification of Grant Awards: by May 2, 2022
  • Funds Available: Between July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023
  • Final Report Due: July 31, 2023

Application Information

Any Washington State:

  • Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations with current federal tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including those affiliated with tribal organizations
  • PreK-12 public schools, school districts, Educational School Districts (ESD)
  • Tribal, state, or municipal government agencies
  • Individuals
  • For-profit organizations
  • Fiscally sponsored organizations
  • Private schools
  • Higher education institutions
  • Political or advocacy organizations
  • Organizations based outside of Washington State
  • Organizations seeking to fund staffing for programs that promote religious content
  • Allowable: Applicants to the A4A Recovery grant program can apply for and receive other ArtsWA grants if those funds are used to support different expenses and services from those outlined in their A4A Recovery Grant application. This includes:
  • Not Allowable: Applicants may not apply for both the Arts in Education Partnership Grant and Creative Start Grant programs in a single fiscal year.

Screening for Eligibility

A4A Recovery Grant applications submitted by the deadline are reviewed by ArtsWA staff for completion and eligibility. Complete and eligible applications are sent to a grant scoring panel for evaluation.

Evaluation and Scoring Panel

A panel of arts education professionals, ArtsWA Commissioners, and ArtsWA staff evaluate eligible A4A Recovery Grant applications. Panelists use scoring criteria to give a numerical score to each application. An application’s final score is the combined average of all panelists’ scores. Applicants are awarded the full amount of their request using the ranking order until available funds are exhausted.

Panelists will assign each A4A Recovery Grant application a score between 0-30 using the criteria and point system below. 30 points is the highest possible score for this grant application.

This A4A Recovery Grant is supported by Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds. Criteria must focus on COVID-19 related impacts, not project-specific criteria.

Financial and Staffing Need (10 points possible)

The applicant demonstrates significant loss of PreK-12 arts and cultural learning opportunities due to staffing furloughs and/or budget shortfalls caused by COVID-19 related impacts. This may include, but is not limited to:

  • Insufficient arts education staffing to sustain programming
  • Cancelled arts and cultural learning opportunities due to budgetary concerns
  • Furloughed staff and related impacts

PreK-12 Arts and Cultural Programming (10 points possible)

The applicant demonstrates a clear focus on providing arts and cultural learning opportunities in service of PreK-12 students and families. Application outlines past and anticipated arts programming.

  • Past programming includes a clear focus on Visual Arts, Music, Dance, Theatre, Media Arts, Literary Arts, Folk and/or Traditional Arts
  • Art learning opportunities are accessible to the communities served

COVID-19 Related Learning Disruptions (10 points possible)

The applicant demonstrates one or more of the following interruptions to PreK-12 arts and cultural learning (learning disruptions may be past, intermittent, and/or ongoing):

  • Cancelled learning opportunities due to health and safety policies and guidelines
  • Insufficient internet and/or technology access
  • Geographic access (i.e., physical distance to arts and cultural programs is limited)

Notification of Award

Notifications are sent to A4A Recovery Grant applicants as soon as possible after the ArtsWA Board of Commissioners meet and approve final panel scores. Notifications will be sent via email no later than May 2, 2022.

Can’t attend?  Click here to watch a pre-recorded webinar.

  • A4A Recovery Grant Info Session: Tuesday, February 8, 2022– 4-5 pm

Apply Online Via Submittable

A4A Recovery Grant applications must be submitted through the online grant platform, Submittable. ArtsWA will accept applications in Submittable starting January 13, 2022 through February 24, 2022 at 5:00 pm.

This Application is CLOSED.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this grant, please contact: Tamar Krames, Arts In Education Program Manager, at tamar.krames@arts.wa.gov, 360-643-6385.