Arts Access Grants
Subsidized funding to bring arts programs into schools and centers
Arts Access Grants
Quick Links
Explore available grants
Quick Links
Explore available grants
Through a variety of grant opportunities, schools and early childhood centers can make arts learning possible. These grants cover a portion of program costs, making it easier to bring Arts for Learning teaching artists into classrooms, preschools, and community spaces across Maryland.
Access for All
All Maryland Counties
Access for All grants help cover the costs of bringing teaching artists to your school or early childhood center. These grants subsidize up to 80% of the total expenses for residencies, workshops, assemblies, and professional development for students from early childhood to grade 12. Schools are responsible for the remaining costs.
Eligibility: All Maryland public schools serving PreK-12 students + early childhood sites
MSAC Grants
All Maryland Counties
MSAC provides Arts in Education (AiE) grants to support arts programs such as assemblies and residencies. These grants subsidize the full cost of an Arts for Learning program with an MSAC-approved artist, including supplies and travel costs, up to $6,000.
Our staff and teaching artists will work collaboratively with you to identify the type of program that best meets the specific needs of your school.
Eligibility: All Maryland schools, libraries, community centers, detention centers + other government entities
ARTS EVERY DAY
Baltimore City
Baltimore City Public Schools are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 in funding to support school-day arts experiences, including field trips, performances, and teaching artist residencies. Through a streamlined application and review timeline, this grant aims to provide accessible funding for arts experiences and empower school-based staff to facilitate experiences that will best serve their student populations.
Eligibility: BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
County-Specific Grants
Anne Arundel
Anne Arundel Arts Council Arts in Education Grants
Arts in Education program — funds school performances and artist residencies.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from August 15th through March 5th
Funding: Grants available up to $5,000. We recommend you plan a 1:1 cash match for your project.
Baltimore County
Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools 21st Century Initiative Grants
These grants are based on the project's anticipated contribution to essential knowledge and skills students must have to be successful in life and employment in the 21st century. Projects should address instructional focused 21st century themes such as Arts & Culture, Environmental Literacy, Global Awareness, or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Funding - up to $2,000
Baltimore City
Family Engagement Office - Baltimore City Public Schools
Title I PFE grants have been offered by the District to host “Family Engagement Workshops” for Birth - 12th. The school must apply and select Arts for Learning as a vendor. All program costs are covered by the district if awarded.
Funding - 100%
Arts Every Day
Baltimore City Public Schools are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 in funding to support school-day arts experiences, including field trips, performances, and teaching artist residencies. Through a streamlined application and review timeline, this grant aims to provide accessible funding for arts experiences and empower school-based staff to facilitate experiences that will best serve their student populations.
Funding - up to $2,500
Calvert
Arts Council of Calvert County Arts in Education Grants
Arts in Education grant offered to qualified arts-related teachers in Calvert County. These grants support artistic presentations that advance the cultural arts development of students in state-chartered public and private schools in Calvert County, MD. Schools across Calvert County benefit from this program, which provides funds to help teachers in art, music, theater, and dance create educational opportunities for their students by bringing the arts and artists to their classroom.
Funding - up to $500
Carroll
Carroll County Arts Council Arts in Education Grants
The purpose of these grants is to support the bringing of Maryland artists and performers into public schools for residencies, workshops, assembly performances, Master Classes, etc. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. There is no deadline. These funds are provided by the Maryland State Arts Council.
Performer/Artist rosters can be found at Maryland State Arts Council, Class Acts Arts, or Arts for Learning Maryland.
Funding - up to $250 per school
Cecil
Cecil County Arts Council Arts in Education Grants
The Arts in Education (AiE) Program is designed to promote, strengthen, and enhance the arts and arts education in Cecil County’s elementary and secondary schools and other community settings.
Funding: Quarterly Deadline for requests of less than $300
Deadline: August 2, 2026 for requests $300 and greater
Dorchester
Dorchester Center for the Arts - Community Arts Grants
The Community Arts Grants program is an effort of the Dorchester Center for the Arts (DCA), as the designated county Arts Council, to support and expand arts programming throughout Dorchester. These funds, allocated by the Maryland State Arts Council, are intended to encourage arts programming and arts participation across the county. Supported arts disciplines include dance, theatre, visual arts, music, film/media arts, literary arts, folk/heritage/traditional and multi-disciplinary arts programming.
Funding: Individual grants average $250 - $2,000
Charles
Charles County Arts Alliance Arts in Education Grants
These grants are designed to promote, strengthen, and enhance the arts and arts education in Charles County's elementary and secondary schools.
Frederick
Frederick Arts Council Arts in Education Grants
Schools and other educational institutions in Frederick County are eligible for Arts in Education grants. Schools may submit up to two grants each academic year. Grants are accepted on a rolling basis until the annual budget has been exhausted. It is strongly encouraged that grant applications be submitted at least 30 days prior to the planned arts activity.
Funding: the maximum amount of each grant is typically $500 and must be matched 1:1
Garrett
Garrett County Arts Council Grants
Each year, the Garrett County Arts Council allocates more than $4,000 in grant funding for special performances and workshops by Maryland artists in local schools.
Funding - TBD
Harford
Harford County Cultural Arts Board Arts in Education Grants
HCCAB provides Access Arts awards to enhance arts experiences for youth, seniors, disabled, and other underserved populations in Harford County. These awards are intended to ensure the ongoing availability and accessibility of the arts for Harford County youth (ages 0-17), seniors, people with disabilities of any age, and other populations traditionally underserved by the arts.
Funding - TBD
Howard
Howard County Arts Center Arts in Education Grants
The Artists-in-Education (AiE) Grant Program places professional artists in residence at Howard County private and public K-12 schools to help students foster creative exploration through hands-on experiences in the arts. The AiE grant is open to all Howard County Public School System’s 501c3 K-12 schools and independent 501c3 schools where a PTA is not in place.
Kent
Kent County Arts Council Grants
Grants are awarded for individual projects or events.
Montgomery
Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County Arts Integration Residency Grants
Arts Residencies in Schools Grants (ARSG) are available to teaching artists that reside in Montgomery County, MD. Grant awards support individual teaching artists based in Montgomery County, MD, trained in curriculum-based art techniques to serve students from communities that have traditionally received insufficient resources and have had limited access to arts education experiences throughout the school year. Teaching artists are required to collaborate with a classroom teacher to develop an arts program for students during the school day. The program must benefit students in a public or non-public elementary, middle, or high school located in Montgomery County, MD.
Funding: Awards range from a minimum of $1,000 up to a maximum of $6,000
Prince George's
Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council Grants
The Arts in Education Grant is designed to support artists, arts educators, and organizations in Prince George’s County that provide high-quality arts and cultural activities to County youth in traditional or nontraditional educational settings from kindergarten through high school.
Funding - Maximum $5,000
St. Mary's
St. Mary's County Arts Council Grants
Grants are awarded annually to local organizations and schools for the presentation of arts activities in the community.
Talbot (NO application needed for schools)
Talbot County Arts Council Arts in Education Grants
Each school receives a grant from Talbot Arts based on the number of students, with a minimum of $1,000. If a school can provide additional programs at its own cost, that does not affect our contribution level. We review and evaluate our grant allocations at the beginning of each academic year. We believe our approach is fair, equitable, and transparent.
Washington
Washington County Arts Council Arts in Education Grants
Funding - TBD
Wicomico
Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council Arts Enhanced Education Grants
Teachers can apply individually, or as a "team." A team should be made up of one arts discipline teacher (music, theatre, or visual) and one core discipline teacher (math, science, reading, social studies, etc). This option has been made available to encourage teachers to collaborate on developing new, creative project ideas, using the arts as a tool to teach their curricula. Individuals may only apply for SWAC grants if they seek and receive the support of a non-profit organization that will accept the financial and legal responsibility for the project. The grant will be made to the organization, which can then, in turn, support the individual's project.
Funding - TBD
Worcester
Worcester County Arts Council Arts in Education Grants
The Arts in Education (AiE) Program is designed to promote, strengthen, and enhance the arts and arts education in Worcester County schools and other community settings
Funding - TBD
Other Resources
TitleIArts.org
This site provides resources for school leaders who wish to embrace arts programming among their strategies for achieving Title I goals.
Assistance for Arts Education Development and Dissemination Grants Program
The U.S. Department Of Education awards grants for innovative, cohesive models that have demonstrated their effectiveness in integrating arts into the elementary and middle school curriculum; strengthening arts instruction in these grades; and improving academic performance, including skills in creating, performing, and responding to the arts.
Crayola Grant Program
This program provides grants for innovative, creative leadership team building within elementary schools.
National Education Association Foundation
Provides professional development arts grants for teachers and support personnel to improve student learning.
Professional Development for Arts Educators
These U.S. Department of Education grants support professional development programs for dance, music, theatre, and visual arts educators and other instructional staff of K-12 students in high-poverty schools. The purpose of this program is to: strengthen standards-based arts-in-education programs; ensure all students meet state academic content and achievement standards in the arts; and integrate arts instruction with other core academic-area content.
Title I Officers: Under NCLB, Title I, Part A funds can be used by local education agencies to improve the educational achievement of disadvantaged students through the arts.
Title II Officers: Portions of Title II funds can support partnerships that include nonprofit, cultural-arts organizations.
Your PTA: Many PTAs are willing to raise money or already have money allocated to support arts enrichment activities.
Local Foundations: Many local grant makers (i.e., The Baltimore Community Foundation) make grants to organizations that serve children and families through the arts.
Businesses: Corporations such as Target, Bank of America, Starbucks, and Wal-mart offer grants to schools. Visit their community relations/corporate responsibility page on their website or stop by a local branch/store to ask how to apply for a grant.