NYSCA Arts Bring Change (ABC) Grants

The NYSCA Arts Bring Change (ABC) Grants support local cultural organizations and artists who collaborate with public schools to provide K-12 students with engaging artistic experiences. Funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, this program emphasizes art exploration and requires projects to include hands-on learning sessions. Applicants must demonstrate a partnership with schools and meet specific eligibility criteria, ensuring impactful and meaningful artistic education for students.

ABC (Arts Bring Change) Grant
The ABC (Arts Bring Change) Regrant program supports local cultural organizations and/or individual artists working in partnership with public schools to engage K-12 public school students in rich artistic learning experiences.
The grant is funded by New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency Statewide Community Regrant Program with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Eligibility

All first-time applicants must attend an information session.Projects must focus on the exploration of art and the artistic process. Inter-curricular collaboration is encouraged but not required. Projects must take place in schools and center on the development and implementation of sequential, skills-based study that incorporates one or more art forms and includes a minimum of 3 hands-on learning sessions with students.To be eligible for an ABC Regrant, the applicant must meet ALL the following criteria:Evidence of true partnership between the school and artist or organization (joint planning, reflection, and evaluation), as well as stated learning goals, methodologies and outcomes and a means for evaluation.Clarity and completeness of the proposal, including specific activities.Clarity and completeness of the budget.Evidence of past success shown in work samples.Partnership letter from participating public school.Applicants may apply for only one grant in this category.Applicants must be Staten Island residents or Staten Island-based nonprofit organizations.All applications are digital.All artistic cultural disciplines— humanities and cultural studies, digital and interactive media, literary, performing, and visual arts, crafts, and folk arts —are considered.All grant-funded projects must be completed and presented to the public within the calendar year they are awarded.Yes, it is possible to apply for multiple grants if the grant guidelines allow it. However, since the grant program is a competitive process and not all requests can be funded, applicants are encouraged to select the grant which best suits their needs and submit a complete and well thought-through application only in that respective program.Applicants must be in good standing with Staten Island Arts, including completion and acceptable performance on previous grant projects, submission/approval of final reporting, or timely project updates if project is in extension.

Ineligibility

What is not eligible:Organizations that submit a direct application to the New York State Council on the Arts in the same fiscal year regardless of their application’s status.Organizations with operating income budgets over $300,000 for two of the last three fiscal years.Programs that are essentially religious, recreational, rehabilitative, or therapeutic.Home schools, private, and parochial schools.Stand-alone assembly programs, single performances, or one-time visits to cultural institutions.Extracurricular activities that occur during non-school hours.Programs where selected students are taken out of regular classes or are self-selected for participation.College-level courses, scholarships, contests, or student-performing groups.Applicants who are not in good standing with Staten Island Arts including failing to complete previous Staten Island Arts grant projects and/or failing to complete final reporting.Grant funding should never cover more than 75% of the applicant’s total project budget. School partners are encouraged to cover 25% of the total project budget. ABC Regrant funding must not replace, or appear to replace, the role of certified arts teachers in school. No paper applications or hard copy work samples will be accepted.Grant funds can never be used for food/refreshments/purchasing equipment. You can use the funds for artist fees, venue rental fees, marketing/publicity expenses, direct administrative expenses, and supplies and materials.Exception for NYSCA applicants ONLY - equipment, software, subscriptions, and training needed to produce a virtual project. Individual items may not exceed $1,000. Examples: cameras, lighting equipment, subscriptions associated with virtual programming, and training to utilize these tools.