ICA | QUICK FUNDS FOR ARTS EDUCATION

PURPOSE
QuickFund$ grants are available quarterly and support professional development or short-term projects that enliven or improve arts learning as an integral part of the education of Idaho’s youth. Schools, school districts, arts or community organizations, school-based educators, Idaho teaching artists, or arts education administrators can apply.

Applicants may apply for available funds in three categories:

QuickProjects
Schools and organizations may apply for timely support for short-term arts projects that enhance the education of Idaho’s youth. QuickProjects may be used for artist residencies, curriculum development, assessment, documentation, or other short-term educational projects.

Professional Development
Teachers, educators, and the Commission’s teaching artists may apply for funds to help them attend conferences, seminars, or workshops that provide training in an arts discipline, arts curricula, arts teaching, arts assessment, arts integration, or related topics.

Teacher Incentive Grants
Individual teachers may apply for grants to enrich arts learning in their classrooms. Activities can include hiring artists or arts education consultants; planning time for team-teaching; curricular development or assessment; purchase of curricular resources, equipment, and other classroom innovations.

ELIGIBILITY
Applicants can apply quarterly but may receive only one QuickFund$ grant per fiscal year.

Quick Project

Schools, school districts, arts and community organizations, and governmental agencies must meet the general eligibility criteria for organizations.
If an organization’s nonprofit status is pending, it may apply with a Fiscal Agent.
For information on the eligibility of college or university applicants, see here. See the Glossary for the definition of a university applicant.

Professional Development and Teacher Incentive Grants:

Teachers, teaching artists, or arts administrators must meet the general eligibility criteria for individuals.

GRANT AMOUNTS

QuickProjects requests may range from $500 to $1,500 with a match of 1:1 (cash or in-kind). University applicants must match with non-university or non-state cash rather than a mix of cash and in-kind.

Professional Development requests for up to $$750 require a cash match of 1:1. This reimbursement is for direct expenses only. All recipients must submit a final report and receipts to receive reimbursement.

Teacher Incentive Grant requests may be for up to $1,500 with a cash or in-kind match of 1:3 (example: request $1,500, match $510). Teacher’s salary may be used as in-kind for Teacher Incentive Grants only.

When multiple applications are of equal merit, preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received grants.

HOW TO APPLY
Application should be in 12-point font or neatly handwritten. Since copies will be duplicated, please do not use staples. Fill out the checklist, include the narrative, all required materials, and comply with the postmark deadline.

Application Cover Page - Form 6 provides applicant information, grant request, grant summary, start and end dates of the proposed project, and signatures of the authorizing official. Include a brief paragraph to summarize your project’s key components and goals.

NARRATIVE QUESTIONS
Submit up to two-pages of clear and concise narrative that responds directly to the following questions for either grant category below. Number, repeat the questions, and answer in order. As you write, refer to the evaluation criteria.

Quick Project or Teacher Incentive

Briefly describe your school or organization; include your mission or school goals, and a brief history of relevant programs and services.
Describe what you propose to do, who it will serve, and what knowledge and skills will be acquired by learners. Describe the sequence of learning activities that will help participants achieve the project’s anticipated outcomes. Include roles and qualifications of key personnel.
Explain the relationship between the artist work samples or support materials and the proposed activity or project.
Describe how you will share the knowledge gained or involve your community.

Professional Development

List the name, dates, and location of the conference, workshop, or seminar you will attend.
Explain how this activity will affect or enhance student learning, your teaching and arts education professional skills.
Explain the relationship between the professional development support material (brochures, letters of acceptance, etc.) and the proposed project or activity.
Describe how you will share the knowledge gained or involve your community.

Budget - Clearly itemize project expenses and revenue that are directly related to the cost of the project described in the narrative. A successful application will include a budget that demonstrates realistic and appropriate planning for expenses and revenue. Refer to the Arts Education checklist for the required budget form for your grant category (see Budget Tips).

Résumés should be submitted for key personnel, teaching artists who are not on the Commission’s Directory of Teaching Artists, and for individuals providing arts education classes for students or professional development workshops for teachers.

Letters of Support are strongly suggested. They should be from those who have knowledge of persons providing professional services to the project, indicate their commitment to the project (financial, staff time, or other resources), and confirm the role they will perform.

Work Samples demonstrate the quality of the artists, teaching artists, and arts education programs involved in the project. Arts organizations, partners, or contractors should submit work samples if they are providing arts education services. See submitting work samples.

You may omit work samples if your key teaching artists are listed on the Directory of Teaching Artists, or in lieu of work samples you may chose to submit letters of support from arts organizations with a widely recognized reputation for quality arts and arts education programming.

Support Materials may be submitted to enhance your proposal. Examples include a timeline of your key activities and project implementation dates, or materials that demonstrate past success with a related project; lesson plans, or brochures describing activities.

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EVALUATION CRITERIA
A complete application will result in a clear proposal designed to meet the following evaluation criteria (download checklist).

QuickProject & Teacher Incentive Grants

Artistic Quality (50 points)

Educational goals are clearly stated and the activities are appropriate to the arts-learning needs of participants.

Addressed the excellence of the artists or consultants in the narrative or in the support material.

Clarity of the concept, who it will affect, and what may be accomplished.

Management (25 points)
Budget is realistic and correlates with the narrative.
Roles and responsibilities of key personnel, community and school partners, artists, and outside consultants are clearly defined.

Community Involvement & Access (25 points)
Reflects needs of school population or community.
Evidence of plans to involve parents, administrators, and community (including publicity efforts).

Professional Development

Artistic Quality (50 points)
Applicant’s past work history reveals experience with high quality arts or education projects.
Artistic and educational merit is of high quality and a logical extension of applicant’s previous work.

Feasibility (25 points)
Ability and plan demonstrates the applicant can realistically accomplish the project or activity.
Application is clear and complete; the budget is realistic and correlates with the narrative.

Professional and Educational Growth (25 points)
Opportunity has the potential to significantly affect or enhance applicant’s artistic development, professional or teaching skills, or demonstrates a strong plan to improve student learning in the arts.
Applicant plans to inform and involve parents, administrators, and the community, including publicity efforts.

POSTMARK DEADLINES
When possible, apply for the deadline closest to your project. The project may not begin and expenses may not be incurred before you are notified of your award, approximately three weeks after the deadline. See Deadlines page.

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE
The Arts Education Program Director offers technical assistance. If you would like to schedule a courtesy review of your application, please submit a draft copy to the director three weeks prior to the postmark deadline.

FINAL REPORT
Images and a descriptive narrative report will provide important information on the results of your project and assist the staff to share your accomplishments. Final reports must be submitted within 30 days after completion of the project. (More about Final Reports.)

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