Q.  What kinds of partners can be included in my AE application?

A.  The new Arts Education ("AE") guidelines welcome a wide variety of partnerships.  The K-12 School Based Activities category provides support for projects involving arts organizations, artists and school partners.  The Community-based Learning category supports partnerships including arts organizations or other community-based, non-arts organizations (of any kind); artists and arts groups.  Applications must demonstrate commitment from each partner, including integral involvement in project planning and implementation, and financial commitment from organizational and school partners.

Q.  Must our K-12 program "integrate" the arts with other subject areas?

A.  The AE program expects that applications in any of its funding categories relate in a substantial way to at least one of the statewide Standards for Arts Education.  The project may focus exclusively on the arts, or it may relate other areas of the curriculum to the arts.

Q. There are no statewide K-12 arts standards for Literature and Folk Arts.  How should I address the standards in my application and will my application be competitive?

A.  NYSCA welcomes arts education from every discipline even those not specifically covered by the NYS Arts Standards.  When preparing your application try to connect to the spirit of the standards and translate them when appropriate for your discipline.

Q.  How important is artistic quality in the evaluation of AE applications?

Q.  Our organization was not able to receive Arts in Education ("AIE") support in the past.  Will this be a disadvantage for our AE application this year?

A.  We welcome applications from organizations unable to receive AIE support in the past, and from any new applicant for arts education support.  Applications from organizations which did not receive AIE support in the past will be reviewed without prejudice.

Q.  What are the minimum and maximum funding amounts for AE grants?

A.  The minimum funding amount for all NYSCA grants is $2500.   Since we anticipate a large number of applications to the AE program, it is not possible at this time to indicate a maximum funding amount.

Q: In the past, the principal artist involved in an AIE funded program was required to be a “Teaching Artist”, viewed as having attended and participated in a Teaching Artists Professional Development Seminar and/or Program.  Is this still a requirement?

Q. Our organization serves multiple schools which have been supported through several AIE grants within the same fiscal year.  How do I apply to continue to serve these schools?

A. Good news.  Bundle them.  Instead of submitting separate requests you may now bundle your projects within a single request.  Request limits within the AE Program (2) and NYSCA as a whole (3) must be followed.

Q.  There are five staff members listed to contact about AE applications.  Whom do I call? 

A.  Any of the listed staff members can help you.  Please, however, do not make calls to more than one of them with the same question.

Q. In the past, my organization received AIE support for General Program Support (GPS) and two projects for school based activities.  Can I continue to apply for both GPS and project support?

A.  All AE applicants interested in applying for GPS support must contact AE staff or steering committee members to determine if it will be possible for your organization to apply for GPS support.   AE applicants eligible for GPS must now choose between applying for GPS and applying for project support.    GPS support provides ongoing support for all activities in the arts education field, so a single application for GPS would consolidate all of your project activity.

Q.  Our organization is extensively involved in arts education programming, but we did not apply for AIE funding for a number of years.  Are we eligible for General Program Support?

A.  Our consideration of whether you will be able to apply for GPS is based upon the extent and depth of your involvement with arts education, and the presence of qualified staff to implement these programs.  Remember that you must contact AE staff or steering committee members to determine if it will be possible for your organization to apply for GPS support.

Q.   My organization was supported for many years by the AIE program for Services to the Field.  May I expect that support to be continued?

A.  Applications submitted in the Services to the Field category and other AE project funding categories will be reviewed by the panel on a competitive basis.  The Services to the Field projects to be funded must be statewide in significance, and regional or statewide in scope, impact and tangible benefit.  Relatively few Services to the Field projects will be funded.  It is essential to consult with AE staff or Steering Committee members prior to the registration deadline to discuss whether your project might potentially receive funding.

Q.  We would like to apply for an arts education project focused upon arts therapy.  Would such a project be eligible for support?

A.  Programs that are essentially therapeutic are not funded by any NYSCA Program.  Please refer to the "About NYSCA" section of this website for funding restrictions and general funding criteria applicable to all requests for NYSCA funding.