Supporting Arts & Cultural Vitality Teams Grant

Supporting Arts & Cultural Vitality Teams Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Amount: US $3,225 - US $7,225
Last Updated: August 27, 2025

Summary

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is offering a grant to support schools in conducting arts program reviews using the Arts & Cultural Vitality Index. This funding aims to enhance equity and access in arts education, ensuring high-quality, culturally responsive programs. Awards, totaling approximately $50,000, will vary based on student enrollment and proposal quality. Eligible schools can receive stipends for review team members and administrative costs, fostering a vibrant arts education landscape.Purpose The purpose of this competitive grant is to provide funding support for schools to conduct an arts program review using DESE's 'Arts & Cultural Vitality (ACV) Index'. The grant will support stipends and necessary materials for the members of school review teams. Participating schools will receive access to the ACV Index tools and resources, support from DESE Arts specialist to implement an arts program review, and funding to compensate a team within the school to do this work. Priorities DESE seeks to fund schools who wish to use the ACV Index to support equity and access within school arts programs. The goal is to ensure high-quality, culturally responsive, and equitable arts education programs in the Commonwealth. In doing so, students experience a powerful and empowering sense of agency to celebrate their own and other cultures in and through their arts education. Funding Approximately $50,000 is available. Total amount of awards will be determined based on quality of proposals received. Maximum award size is determined by the total student enrollment of all participating school(s) that will participate in the review process. Each member of the review team will receive up to a $1,000 stipend as compensation for approximately 8-10 hours of work outside the regular school hours on the ACV Index Team. Size Tier 1: Schools enrolling up to 1,000 students (total) may apply for up to $3,225 to support a minimum of 3 review team membersSize Tier 2: Schools enrolling 1,001–6,000 students (total) may apply for up to $5,225 to support a minimum of 5 review team membersSize Tier 3: Schools enrolling 6,001 or more students (total) may apply for up to $7,225 to support a minimum of 7 review team members Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. Fund Use Grant recipients can use funds to support the cost of stipends for team members and administrative costs (i.e. supplies) associated with conducting the review.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. All Massachusetts public schools are eligible to apply. Districts can have a single school or group of schools participate. Charter schools or regionals are also eligible to apply.

Ineligibility

Funds may not be used to purchase technology (e.g., iPads, headphones), data systems, or instructional resources (e.g., instructional materials and student activity materials).