For Immediate Release January 7, 2013
The Chenango Arts Council is pleased to announce the recipients of funding through the 2013 Grants For Teachers (GFT) Program. The primary purpose of the GFT is to provide funding directly to classroom teachers responsible for achieving New York State Education Department Learning Standards for the Arts or Learning Standards for English Language Arts.
To the extent possible, this program provides grants that directly meet the needs of teachers with a minimum of “red tape” and a maximum of flexibility. As a result, the types of projects eligible for funding are limited only to the imagination, invention and creativity of the applicant. Grant requests may not exceed $500, and a total of $3,000 was re-granted for 2013. All teachers currently employed by a school district in Chenango County, or working in a public or private school in Chenango County, grades Pre-K-12, were eligible to apply by November 15, 2012 for opportunities through June 28, 2013.
The GFT Program is made possible by Friends of the Arts Council and Community Bank. The Council depends on donations and the annual Pig Roast each May for the support of this very important arts-in-education program. This year’s date is May 19th. We appeal to teachers, parents and the general public to call the Council today to see how you can help keep the arts alive in our schools!
Congratulations to the following 2013 recipients:
Greene High School- Music Recording Station Equipment
Gibson School, Norwich- Trip to Farmer’s Museum/Lippitt Farmstead
Holy Family School- Athlete Role Models in Person Project
Oxford High School- Trip to Lincoln Center in NYC for tour/Jazz workshop and Broadway Show
Oxford Primary School- Suzanne Bloom, Author and Illustrator – 2 Presentations
Unadilla Valley Central School- Ceramic Work Expansion Equipment
Valley Heights Christian Academy- iPad 2
Valley Heights Christian Academy- Trip to Albany to see Encore!!
PROGRAM INFORMATION- Watch for the next round of grants in the Fall!
Purpose:
The primary purpose of the Grants for Teachers Program is to provide funding directly to classroom teachers responsible for achieving New York State Education Department Learning Standards for the Arts or Learning Standards for English Language Arts. To the extent possible, this program will provide grants that directly meet the needs of teachers with a minimum of “red tape” and a maximum of flexibility. As a result, the types of projects eligible for funding are limited only to the imagination, invention and creativity of the applicant. Grant requests may not exceed $500.
The following list of potential uses of grant funds is provided for reference:
-Equipment repair/refurbishing, construction or purchase of materials necessary to improve the quality or breadth of students’ artistic experiences.
-Field trips, in-school performances or interactions with professional artists.
-Staff development and workshops for teachers.
Eligibility
-All teachers currently employed by a school district in Chenango County or working in a public or private school in Chenango County, grades Pre-K-12.
-Past grantees must submit a final report before being eligible for future funding.
-Faxed, handwritten, incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.
Application Process:
Applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of people who have demonstrated their passion for the arts. This group may include teachers, educational professionals, teaching artists and Arts Council representatives. Grant notification will be sent immediately following the review and approval process, with a final report due at the completion of the project.
The application must consist of a narrative of any length and a budget. (PLEASE NOTE: The narrative and budget created by the applicant serve as the application. There is no formal application form for this program.) Applications should address the review criteria in a way that is understandable to a reasonably well-informed lay person. YOU MUST INDICATE WHETHER YOU WILL ONLY ACCEPT FULL FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT! (Keep in mind the benefits of partial funding.)
Review Criteria
Decisions will be based on the following criteria:
1.) Benefit to the development of students.
Student benefit may be described in terms of reaching a large number of students with a limited depth of experience or a small number of students with more in-depth experiences. Developmental or small-scale test projects may also be considered in cases where there is a strong potential to benefit students beyond the life of the funded project. In all cases, substantiating the potential benefit of the project to students is the responsibility of the applicant.
2.) Strength of relationship to SED standards.
Priority will be given to projects that specifically address SED standards for the Arts and English Language Arts.
Other Considerations:
In cases where applications are judged to be relatively competitive in terms of the above criteria, decisions will be also be guided by:
-An interest in distributing funding to a cross section of teachers representing each of the schools in Chenango County.
-Interdisciplinary collaborations.
-New and creative programming in an under-represented medium.
Reporting Requirements:
Recipients are required to submit a final report documenting the use of funds and the extent to which this use has achieved its intended benefit to students as described in the application. The final report form will be included with the grant check. Future funding is dependent on return of the final report.
To apply: Send the original application, with seven (7) copies to:
Chenango County Council of the Arts
Grants For Teachers Program
27 West Main Street
Norwich, NY 13815
Please call the Arts Council at 336-2787/ARTS for assistance with your application.
Funding for this program has been made possible by Friends of the Arts Council.
