Arts in Education Grant

In order to apply for an AiE Grant, the teaching artist must be on the MSAC Teaching Artist Roster and the school or community site must be one of the following:

• 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (an organization with an IRS-designated 501(c)3 status) in Maryland. (Note: Private schools with 501(c)3 status are eligible.)
• Unit of government based in Maryland. (Note: Public schools are eligible)
• College or university (an established higher education institution in Maryland) 

And have operated for one completed and documented fiscal year at the date of application submission with ongoing arts activities.

Please review the following steps before applying for an AiE grant:

1. Teaching Artist and School/Organization Agree to Collaborate

Before beginning an application, the teaching artist and collaborating school/organization confirm services or activities, availability and timeline, and fees. 

Applications must specify an artist, ensemble, or organization currently on the MSAC Teaching Artist Roster. To find Roster artists, visit the Maryland Arts Directory. Another listing of the MSAC Teaching Artist Roster can also be found under the Resources section below. 

Ensembles and organizations must indicate a Lead Artist on the application. The Lead Artist is responsible for leading the arts learning program with the collaborating school or organization. The application may identify multiple types of arts learning programs with their selected Lead Artist. If a collaborating school or organization wishes to receive funding for different Lead Artists in one fiscal year (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027), they must submit separate applications. Collaborating schools and organizations may participate in up to two AiE grant applications per fiscal year. 

Teaching artists not currently approved by MSAC may consider applying for the MSAC Teaching Artist Roster when the program is open for new applications. 

2. Identify a Coordinator at the Collaborating School or Organization

The collaborating school or organization must identify a coordinator in each application. The coordinator must be affiliated with the collaborating school or organizations and are responsible for coordinating logistics and materials with the Lead Artist, if an application is funded. Please review the AiE Grant Guidelines for more information on the role and responsibilities of the School/Organization Coordinator.  

3. Application Submission 

The teaching artist or artist's affilitated organization may start the application. The teaching artist or affilitated organization serves as the primary contact on the application. If the grant is awarded, this is who will receive the grant funds.  

Organizations and ensembles must indicate a Lead Artist on the application. The Lead Artist signature is required on the application. Please email the AiE Program Director, Lizzie Morales at [email protected], if an organization needs to give the Lead Artist access to the application.

If the collaborating school or organization would like to contribute to or complete the grant application on behalf of an artist, the teaching artist will need to email the AiE Program Director to give collaborative editing privileges to the coordinator, grant writer, or any other person at the collaborating school or organization.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis between July and December 2026. The application deadlines are:

• August 1, 2026
• October 1, 2026
• December 15, 2026

Applications submitted by each deadline will be reviewed by the panel during the month in which it was received. Notifications on the status of the application are sent to the applicant the following month. Refer to the Guidelines document in the Quick Resources section for a detailed schedule.

MSAC convenes a group of panelists, composed of members of the public statewide representing a range of discipline expertise, to electronically review and score all applications according to the review criteria.

Applications are completed in SmartSimple. For awarded activities, payment may take up to 90 days.

In addition to reviewing the guidelines, registration is open for the Arts in Education Grant informational webinar (Eventbrite) on Monday, July 13. This webinar includes information on eligibility, the application process, and suggestions on how to create a strong application for the Arts in Education Grant. 

Following the live webinar, the recording and slides will be available here.

The FY 2027 AiE grant budget is $700,000.

Grant amounts are based on the applicant’s request. The maximum amount of each grant request is $6,000.

A school or community site may participate in up to two grants per fiscal year (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027). 

For fiscal year 2027, lead artists can receive multiple grants, up to a combined total award amount of $14,000. Teaching artist organizations can also receive multiple grants, up to a combined total award amount of $56,000. Additionally, organizations must comply with combined total award amounts for lead artists. 

If an Arts in Education grant application is approved for funding, 100% of the requested amount will be funded. Grant payments are made to the applying member of the MSAC Teaching Artist Roster.

All MSAC grants are paid on the same timeline. Visit the Payment Process page for more information. 

Grant recipient information is now available on our Grants Awarded page.