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 education activities with the collaborating school or organization. The application may identify multiple types of arts learning activities 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, 2023 - June 30, 2024), 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 elizabeth.morales@maryland.gov, 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 2025 and January 2026. The application deadlines are:

• September 5, 2025
• November 5, 2025
• January 5, 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 in the "Resources" section. 

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

The FY 2026 AiE Grant Budget will be finalized in the coming weeks. Please check back for updates.   

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

A school or community site may participate in up to two grants per fiscal year (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026). 

The maximum amount of funding that a lead artist and teaching artist organization may receive in FY 2026 will be based on the the FY 2026 AiE budget. The budget will be finalized in the coming weeks.

For each AiE Grant that is approved, MSAC will disburse grant funds directly to the Teaching Artist. Teaching artists or their affilitated organizations are the sole recipients of grant funds.

All MSAC grants are paid on the same timeline. Learn more about the funding process for an approved grant.

The inaugural year for the AiE Grant was FY 2021. Grants awarded during that year are below. Grants awarded in earlier years through previous AiE programs also are listed.

FY 2025 AiE Grant
FY 2024 AiE Grant
FY 2023 AiE Grant 
FY 2022 AiE Grant
FY 2021 AiE Grant

FY 2020 Visiting Performer Grant
FY 2019 Visiting Performer Grant
FY 2018 Visiting Performer Grant

FY 2020 Artist in Residence Grant
FY 2019 Artist in Residence Grant
FY 2018 Artist in Residence Grant