2025 School Arts Support Grants

The School Arts Support Grant, administered by the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC), is a state-funded initiative designed to bolster the availability and impact of arts education in K-12 schools across South Carolina. The program is part of SCAC's mission to foster a thriving arts environment in the state, and it is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and South Arts. This grant is intended to assist schools in acquiring essential supplies, materials, equipment, or professional development that supports the integration of the arts into school curricula. The objective is to enhance student engagement and educational outcomes through arts curriculum, arts-enhanced instruction, or arts-integrated learning models. Eligible uses of grant funds include purchasing visual and performing arts materials, funding for teacher memberships in professional arts education organizations, attending state or national conferences, substitute teacher costs for planning time, artist residencies, and creative arts therapy projects. Eligible applicants include most public, private, and charter K-12 schools in South Carolina. Private and charter schools must be registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office and must list South Carolina as the primary address on official documents. All applicant schools are required to provide a valid Unique Entity ID (UEI). While individual public schools may use their district’s UEI, private entities must provide one for both the applicant and fiscal agent if applicable. An arts teacher or professional must be involved as a partnering expert for the proposed project. Schools categorized as Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) schools are ineligible. Each school may receive up to two grant awards totaling no more than $5,000 per fiscal year, with a maximum of $2,500 per grant. A matching requirement of 1:2 (grantee: SCAC) applies, although some schools may qualify for an exemption. Grant funds are meant to supplement existing budgets and cannot be used for student field trips, registration or travel fees to arts events, food, or clothing. Applications are accepted via the Foundant platform. There are rolling deadlines throughout the year, with the final submission deadline being January 31, 2025. The grant period runs from September 17, 2024, to May 15, 2025. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the Grants Portal FAQ and to contact SCAC’s Arts Learning Coordinator Mikayla Moore or the SCAC Grants Team for support. Applicants are advised to explore coaching opportunities and review past sessions available on the Grants Coaching webpage. If planning to engage in arts residencies or therapy, applicants must use artists from the S.C. Arts Directory and, in the case of therapy, submit a letter of support from the school’s guidance counselor addressing specific requirements.