The City of Austin is no longer accepting applications for the Arts Education Relief Grant. Visit the Cultural Funding page for other cultural funding opportunities.

The Arts Education Relief Grant offers $25,000 grants to Austin’s diverse non-profit arts education providers.

2023-2024 NEA Arts Education Relief Grant Awardees

On September 27, panelists reviewed 59 eligible applications from Non-Profit Organizations. After the panel review, the top 19 scoring applications were recommended for funding. Read more about the grant in the Arts Education Relief Grant Guidelines (PDF, 389 KB).

Arts Education Relief Grant Awardees

Download the Arts Education Relief Grant Awardee list (PDF, 115 KB)
 

Company Name Award Amount
All Rhythms $25,000.00
American Artists Project $25,000.00
Anthropos Arts $25,000.00
Artly World $25,000.00
Austin Bat Cave $25,000.00
Austin Soundwaves $25,000.00
Beat 4 Beat $25,000.00
Dance Africa Fest $25,000.00
E4 Youth, Inc. $25,000.00
Fisterra Projects $25,000.00
India Fine Arts, Inc $25,000.00
Inside Out Steelband $25,000.00
Jump On It $25,000.00
Lannaya West African Drum and Dance Ensemble $25,000.00
Mexic-Arte Museum $25,000.00
Motion Media Arts Center $25,000.00
New School of Music $25,000.00
Outreach Productions $25,000.00
THE KITCHEN DIVA HEALTH OUTREACH/BOOK BOOSTERS $25,000.00

 

Arts Education Relief Grant Dashboard

View a summary dashboard of demographics for the 2023 Arts Education Relief Grant applicants and awardees.

Assistance

Virtual Assistance


 Arts Education Relief Grant Panel Schedule

Panel 1 (A-E) - Wednesday September 27, 2023

Watch the Live Panel Discussion: https://zoom.us/j/91808165713

Time 

Application ID 

Applicant Name 

10:00 AM Central Time*   Morning Session Begins

Morning 

018198-W8T8S7 

ArtUs Co

Morning 

018184-C5H8G7 

ConnectHER

Morning 

018181-L7D4Q5

Anthropos Arts

Morning  018178-K4K3K7 Dance Africa Fest
Morning  018172-X0G5X7 American Artists Project
Morning  018160-B6L0F0 Dance Waterloo
Morning    BREAK 
Morning  018159-D6H3G5 Austin Russian-speaking Theater Company (ARTC)
Morning  018155-N9N4K0 Dance Another World
Morning  018148-G5K4Z9 Artly World
Morning  018145-F9M9H9 All Rhythms
Morning  018139-Q5J4S4 Austin Civic Orchestra Society
Morning  018138-X9S3T7 Austin Book Arts Center
12:10 PM Central Time*   LUNCH
1:10 PM Central Time*   Afternoon Session Begins
Afternoon  018131-W5B9Q5 Austin Creative Reuse
Afternoon  018115-V4H4T7 Austin Scottish Rite Theater
Afternoon  018112-K8K6F4 Austin Classical Guitar
Afternoon  018099-D2D4T9 Austin Soundwaves
Afternoon  018094-W5C5V1 Austin Bat Cave
Afternoon  018086-H1P7C8 Austin Opera
Afternoon  018054-W0R9M1 Creative Action
Afternoon    BREAK 
Afternoon  018052-B0S3J7 Austin Playhouse
Afternoon  018050-T1C8R8 Austin Chamber Music Center
Afternoon  018039-T0N9D0 Ballet Austin
Afternoon  018035-B5X2Q0 Contracommon
Afternoon 018026-T1P1R3 Art Spark Texas
Afternoon 018020-S1V6J7 Armstrong Community Music School
Afternoon   BREAK 
Afternoon 016490-L4G4G3 Beat 4 Beat
Afternoon 016454-C4W1R3 E4 Youth, Inc.
Afternoon 016437-K2L6M3 Andrea Ariel Dance Theatre
Afternoon 016391-T9G4M8 Austin Jazz Workshop
Afternoon 018034-W0X8R0 Texas Folklife
Panel 2 (F-Z) - Wednesday September 27, 2023

This panel has concluded and will be available to view on the EDD YouTube at a later date.

Time 

Application ID 

Applicant Name 

10:00 AM Central Time*   Morning Session Begins

Morning 

018176-B7R9Q0 

Jump On It

Morning 

018174-S4S1Z7 

Red Salmon Arts

Morning 

018173-R5Q0G1

UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum

Morning  018167-C6G9N3 Joshua's Stage
Morning  018157-N7V1T5 Lannaya West African Drum and Dance Ensemble
Morning  018156-R3X9X4 India Fine Arts, Inc
Morning    BREAK 
Morning  018153-N5W0Y5 The Baron's Men
Morning  018152-N9Q6D6 Motion Media Arts Center
Morning  018136-L5P9Q2 LATINITAS, LATINITAS, INC.
Morning  018130-H3N9S9 Paramount and Stateside Theatres
Morning  018125-X5N2X5 Impact Arts
Morning  018123-N8V2G0 Inside Out Steelband
Noon*   LUNCH 
1:00 PM Central Time*   Afternoon Session Begins
Afternoon  018109-K0L2X0 Texas Empowerment Academy
Afternoon  018078-S4S7V8 The VORTEX
Afternoon  018075-X1D4H0 I.A.M.
Afternoon  018072-L3Z7R9 Small Wonders Entertainment
Afternoon  018064-J7J3B5 Texas Music Museum Inc.
Afternoon  018059-S8R3M9 Undercover Superheroes
Afternoon  018053-Y3F8N7 Leap of Joy
Afternoon    BREAK 
Afternoon  018049-S7M6Q3 Fisterra Projects
Afternoon  018044-L5F2M7 Mexic-Arte Museum
Afternoon  018036-Y7W0F5 Outreach Productions
Afternoon  018023-P7W6K9 illumine choirs
Afternoon 018014-X9L3B9 THE KITCHEN DIVA HEALTH OUTREACH/BOOK BOOSTERS
Afternoon 018011-X1D0Y3 New School of Music
Afternoon   BREAK 
Afternoon 017971-H8G8Q7 Groundwork Music Project
Afternoon 017914-T4J8H7 ZACHARY SCOTT THEATRE dba ZACH THEATRE
Afternoon 017647-H6H3V6 CENTER FOR WOMEN & THEIR WORK
Afternoon 017637-V1P0V1 Zilker Theatre Productions

*All panel times are subject to change 


Grant Guidelines

Download the Arts Education Relief Grant Guidelines (PDF, 389 KB), Subvención de Ayuda para la Educación Artística (PDF, 388 KB) 

Eligible Applicants

Eligible Applicants

  • 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing significant arts education services  
  • Primarily serve participants from early childhood through 18 years  
  • Must be headquartered in the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) with at least a one-year operating history  
  • Majority of applicant’s activities must be within the Austin City Limits/Extraterritorial Jurisdiction 

 

Ineligible Applicants

  • 501(c) non-profit organizations or that are not primarily an arts organization. 
  • 501(c) non-profit arts organizations that do not primarily serve participants from early childhood through 18 years 
  • Individual Artists and Creative Businesses   
  • Applicant organizations outside of the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). 
Eligible Activities and Expenses

Eligible Activities

  • This program funds non-profit arts education providers   
  • Arts Education activities primarily serve participants from early childhood through 18 years  
  • At least 50% of the award must be paid to teaching artists providing direct services to students 

 

Eligible Expenses

  • While Arts Education Relief Grant supports a breadth of creative projects, all projects funded by NEA revenue are required to use the funds for one or more of these budget categories: 
  • Salary support, full or partial, for one or more staff positions  
  • Fees/stipends for artists and/or contractual personnel only in support of services they provide for specific activities in support of your organization’s day to day operations  
  • Facilities costs such as mortgage principal, rent, and utilities  
  • Costs associated with health and safety supplies for staff and/or visitors/audiences (e.g., personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, etc.)  
  • Marketing and promotion costs  
  • Rescue Plan funds may be used by an organization to support existing jobs, new jobs, or to restore jobs that were furloughed or eliminated due to the pandemic 

 

Application Details

Preview the application questions to help prepare. Applications will not be accepted via email or mail. The application must be submitted through the application home page only. 

 

Eligibility Questions

  • Is 51% or more of your work produced or presented within the City of Austin Council Districts or extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ)?   
  • If yes, has your work been produced or presented within the City of Austin Council Districts or extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) for one or more years?  
  • Is the applicant already receiving National Endowment for the Arts ARPA funds through another NEA program?   
  • Please provide your SAM.GOV Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). The applicant must have Unique Entity Identifier registered on SAM.GOV in order to be eligible to apply for this program. You may search for your UEI on SAM.GOV   

 

Application Questions

  • What is your organization’s mission, vision, and programmatic history?   
  • Who holds power in your organization and how do they represent your community? 
  • How does your organization deepen support for your key constituencies?    
  • Describe your organization’s specialized programming and accommodations for individuals with disabilities, if any.   
  • Describe your organization’s specialized language access accommodations or programming for non-English speaking communities, if any. 
  • How will you use these funds?    
  • What percent of your arts education program participants are identified as economically disadvantaged?   
  • Due to COVID-19 and the related slowdown, has your organization experienced any of the following losses since March 2020? Check all that apply: (check boxes)
    • Reduction in revenue or funding    
    • Increased costs of doing business   
    • Inability to make rent or mortgage payments   
    • Cancellation of events and/or programming    
    • Transition to online events   
    • Difficulty fulfilling services   
    • Pay/salary cuts for staff   
    • Termination of staff   
    • Discrimination   
    • Losses due to deposits, leases, and other down-payments that will not be refunded   
    • Other   
    • None. COVID-19 did not slowdown or affect the organization. 
  • In the last five years, how much funding have you received from the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division? 
  • What percent of your annual operating budget is allocated to arts education activities?   
  • What is your annual organizational budget?

 

Application Materials

Upload the following required documents to the Arts Education Relief Grant application. Acceptable file formats include: .csv, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .wpd, .wpf, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .svg, .tif, .tiff. Max file upload: 10MB 

 

Application Scoring

Applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel of City of Austin Staff. Applicants will only receive points that apply to their project. Up to 100 points available: Operations – Up to 50 Points, Cultural and Social Impact – Up to 50 Points 

Artistic Excellence, Artistic Merit, and Equity Priorities
Criteria  Availabile Points

Mission and Key Constituencies    

What is your organization’s mission, vision and programmatic history?  

Your response must include:

  • Mission and Vision  
  • Description of key constituencies (teaching artists, schools, students, families, etc.) served by your mission. Include information about any free or reduced cost programming for participants that are identified as economically disadvantaged.  
  • Brief summary of programmatic history
Up to 10 Points

Cultural Leadership

Who holds power in your organization and how do they represent the community you serve?  (2,000-character limit, including spaces).  

Your response could include:  

  • Executive and Creative Leadership    
  • Board of Directors and/or Advisory Board    
  • Creative Advisors 
Up to 10 Points

History of Service 

How does your organization deepen support for your key constituencies?   

Your answer should include:   

  • Your organization’s founding history highlighting arts education services  
  • Community service goals  
  • Education program goals  
  • Clear description of how the applicant has directly improved access to opportunities for key constituencies.
Up to 10 Points

Accessibility & Language Access    

Describe your organization’s specialized programming and accommodations for individuals with disabilities, if any.    

Accessibility accommodations that are “upon-request only” will not be considered a specialized service.       

Describe your organization’s specialized language access accommodations or programming for non-English speaking communities, if any.     

Accessibility accommodations that are “upon-request only” will not be considered a specialized service.

Up to 20 Points
Total  50 Points
Organization
Criteria Available Points

Budget   

How will you use these funds?  

Your answer could address:  

Explanation of expenses for your arts education activities including administrative fees, artistic fees, space fees, marketing and promotion, and personal protective equipment (PPE), if any. 

Up to 10 Points 

Percent of participants that are identified as economically disadvantaged

Applicants will select a response from a list of options.

Up to 10 Points 
Total 20 Points
Urgency
Criteria Available Points

Effects from the COVID-19 Pandemic  

Due to COVID-19 and the related slowdown, has your organization experienced any of the following losses since March 2020? Check all that apply:

  • Reduction in revenue or funding    
  • Increased costs of doing business   
  • Inability to make rent or mortgage payments   
  • Cancellation of events and/or programming    
  • Transition to online events   
  • Difficulty fulfilling services   
  • Pay/salary cuts for staff   
  • Termination of staff   
  • Discrimination   
  • Losses due to deposits, leases, and other down-payments that will not be refunded  
  • Other   
  • None. COVID-19 did not slowdown or affect the organization.
Up to 5 Points 

Previous City Funding       

In the last five years, how much funding have you received from the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, not including relief funds?  

Applicants will select a response from a list of options 

Up to 5 Points

Percentage of annual budget for Arts Education activities   

What percent of your annual operating budget is allocated to arts education activities?  

Applicants will select a response from a list of options

Up to 10 Points

Overall Budget Size

What is your organizational budget?     

Applicants will select a response from a list of options 

Up to 10 Points
Total 30 Points

Grant Awardee Commitments

In addition to application proposals, the following information will also be required.

 

Reporting Requirements 

A final report is due within thirty days of the final program date, no later than July 31, 2024. Instructions on how to complete your report and supporting materials can be found in the Contractor Library.      

The report will require but is not limited to:  

  • Proof of award monies expended  
  • Audience data  
  • Proof the funded activities were executed   
  • Proof that marketing requirements were met 

 

Funding Timeline 

Arts Education Relief Grant will cover eligible expenses incurred between October 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.

Funding awards allocated from this program may not be used for expenses already funded by any other NEA relief awards, nor any other City of Austin departments or other Cultural Funding programs within the fiscal year.    

Only one grant Arts Education Relief Grant per organization is allowed. 

  • August 8 - Application Opens 
  • August 2023 - Application Workshops  
  • September 12 - Application Deadline  
  • September 27 - Virtual Review Panel  
  • September 29 - Awards Announced

Glossary of Important Terms

Arts Education Non-Profit Organizations

Arts Education Non-Profit Organizations - Local arts organizations and programs that provide performances, student workshops, afterschool programs, family programs and festivals, artist-in-residency programs for schools, and professional development for teaching artists, arts teachers, and classroom teachers. They vary in size, arts discipline, and choice of methodology (such as arts integration versus discrete arts instruction). Due to this diversity, they offer schools varying expertise, financial resources, and instruction types. They may provide pre-professional training for students or exposure through field trips and exhibition or performance experiences. Often, they complete their work through partnerships with schools or districts. (American for the Arts – The Arts Education Field Guide 2012)    

 

Cultural Displacement

Cultural displacement occurs through changes in the aspects of a neighborhood that have provided long-time residents with a sense of belonging and allowed residents to live their lives in familiar ways.    

As the scale of residential change advances, and shops and services shift to focus on new residents, remaining residents may feel a sense of dislocation despite physically remaining in the neighborhood. This may also reflect the changing racial or ethnic character of the neighborhood—not just its class composition.  

 

Cultural Erasure

Cultural erasure is when, because of cultural displacement, key aspects of neighborhoods that allow both current and future residents to feel at home go missing. Current and future residents lose access to opportunities in the neighborhood and the scale of change erases key aspects of the neighborhood that allows residents to feel at home. Content was developed in collaboration with the City of Austin's Equity Office and industry resources. 

 

Institutional Marginalization

The ways in which institutional policies and practices (such as government, nonprofit, and corporate structures and institutions) contribute to the marginalization of vulnerable community groups and contribute to different outcomes for these groups. For example, communities of color, LGBTQIA, and disability communities are often subject to the negative impacts of institutional marginalization. 

 

Key Constituencies

For the purposes of this program ‘key constituencies’ are community groups that have disproportionately experienced the negative impacts of systemic racism and/or have been institutionally marginalized and under-funded by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division. These ‘key constituencies’ are identified and named by the applicant. Any reference to ‘key constituencies’ in a program application and scoring rubric will be referring to the community groups that meet this definition and that has been directly identified by the applicant.    

This may refer to Black/African American, Native American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander, the LGBTQIA and disability communities.    

NOTE: Audience served is NOT the same as ‘key constituencies’ as the audience served may or may not include communities that have disproportionately experienced the negative impacts of systemic racism and/or have been institutionally marginalized. 

 

Teaching Artists

Teaching artists are a vital component of the arts education ecosystem, as they are one of three major providers of arts instruction—the other two being arts specialists and general classroom teachers. Artist-educator Eric Booth offers the following definition of teaching artists: “A teaching artist (artist–educator) is a practicing professional artist with the complementary skills and sensibilities of an educator who engages people in learning experiences in, through, and about the arts.” (American for the Arts – The Arts Education Field Guide 2012) A teaching artists can be a contract employee or full or part time staff.