Program Overview
Aligned with the Trump Administration’s focus on educational excellence and opportunity, the Arts in Education National Program (AAE) expands education choice by providing more options to students. This program supports national-level, high-quality arts education projects and services for children and youth, with special emphasis on serving students from low-income families and students with disabilities. The ANEP helps to strengthen music, dance, theater, media arts, and visual arts education, including folk arts, for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 students and arts educators.
The Department has also included an invitational priority that encourages arts projects that are designed to provide an introduction to and understanding of the founding documents and primary sources of the American political tradition through the arts, in a manner consistent with the principles of a patriotic education.
Innovative, evidence-based arts education can help ensure that children in our Nation receive an education that best fits their unique needs, enabling them to learn, grow, and thrive, regardless of income or zip code.
Types of Projects
This program supports high-quality arts education projects that must:
- Support community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, local educational agencies (LEAs), communities, or centers for the arts, including national centers for the arts.
- Implement, or expand, initiatives in arts education and arts integration.
- Have a special emphasis on serving children from low-income families and children with disabilities.
The following activities and services can be supported through the Arts in Education National Program (AENP):
- Professional development for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 educators, including special educators and arts educators.
- Development and dissemination of instructional materials, including online resources, in multiple arts disciplines for educators.
- Arts-based and arts-integrated curriculum and educational programming in music, dance, theater, media arts, and visual arts, including folk arts, for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 students and arts educators.
- Community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, school districts, communities and centers of the arts throughout the country.
- Other high-quality arts projects for children and youth, with special emphasis on serving children from low-income families and children with disabilities.
Previous Competitions
To learn more about the previous competition, read below.
FY 2021 Competition
The FY 2021 Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Notice Inviting Applications was posted on the Federal Register January 15, 2021. An amendment to this notice was posted on the Federal Register on March 4, 2021. Please click here for more information.
Competition Dates:
- Applications Available: January 15, 2021.
- Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 16, 2021.
- Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 15, 2021.
- Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 14, 2021.
Pre-Application Meeting for Potential Applicants:
A pre-application meeting was held on Monday, February 1, 2021 to help potential applicants understand the Notice Inviting Applications and to offer guidance for preparing a grant application. For those who were not able to attend or would like a copy of the presentation, please see below:
AAE Pre-Application Slides
Eligibility
Who May Apply: (specifically) Any eligible national non-profit organization.
An eligible national organization is an organization of national scope that:
- Is supported by staff, which may include volunteers, or affiliates at the State and local levels; and
- Demonstrates effectiveness or high-quality plans for addressing arts education activities for disadvantaged students or students who are children with disabilities
Funding Status
Included in the chart below is the amount of funding per fiscal year since FY 2011.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | Appropriation for new awards | Appropriation for continuation awards |
| FY 2022 | $8,000,000 | $0 |
| FY 2018 | $8,000,000 | $0 |
| FY 2017 | $0 | $6,575,069 |
| FY 2016 | $0 | $6,700,000 |
| FY 2015 | $6,575,069 | $0 |
| FY 2014 | $0 | $6,700,000 |
| FY 2013 | $0 | $6,724,355 |
| FY 2012 | $6,640,000 | $0 |
| FY 2011 | $6,691,385 | $0 |
Legislation
Regulations
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
Included below is information regarding the new awards made in each fiscal year since FY 2012.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | Number of new awards |
| FY 2022 | 1 |
| FY 2018 | 1 |
| FY 2015 | 1 |
| FY 2013-2014 | 0 |
| FY 2012 | 1 |
Complete List of Arts in Education National Grants MS Excel (31 KB)
| Year awarded | Grantee | Project Title | Duration (Years) | Year 1 | Total Expected Funding | City | State | Score | eviewer Comments |
| 2022 | |||||||||
| 2022 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts in Education National Program | 3 | $8,000,000 | $24,000,000 | Washington | DC | 105 | - |
2018 | |||||||||
| 2018 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts in Education National Program | 3 | $8,000,000 | $24,000,000 | Washington | DC | 96.67 | PDF (162 KB) |
2015 | |||||||||
| 2015 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts in Education National Program | 3 | $6,575,069 | $19,975,069 | Washington | DC | 89.83 | - |
2012 | |||||||||
| 2012 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts Education National Program | 3 | $6,640,000 | $20,011,394 | Washington | DC | - | PDF (203 KB) |
Note: Documents coming soon are marked with a dash.
Program Overview
Aligned with the Trump Administration’s focus on educational excellence and opportunity, the Arts in Education National Program (AAE) expands education choice by providing more options to students. This program supports national-level, high-quality arts education projects and services for children and youth, with special emphasis on serving students from low-income families and students with disabilities. The ANEP helps to strengthen music, dance, theater, media arts, and visual arts education, including folk arts, for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 students and arts educators.
The Department has also included an invitational priority that encourages arts projects that are designed to provide an introduction to and understanding of the founding documents and primary sources of the American political tradition through the arts, in a manner consistent with the principles of a patriotic education.
Innovative, evidence-based arts education can help ensure that children in our Nation receive an education that best fits their unique needs, enabling them to learn, grow, and thrive, regardless of income or zip code.
Types of Projects
This program supports high-quality arts education projects that must:
- Support community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, local educational agencies (LEAs), communities, or centers for the arts, including national centers for the arts.
- Implement, or expand, initiatives in arts education and arts integration.
- Have a special emphasis on serving children from low-income families and children with disabilities.
The following activities and services can be supported through the Arts in Education National Program (AENP):
- Professional development for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 educators, including special educators and arts educators.
- Development and dissemination of instructional materials, including online resources, in multiple arts disciplines for educators.
- Arts-based and arts-integrated curriculum and educational programming in music, dance, theater, media arts, and visual arts, including folk arts, for pre-kindergarten-through-grade-12 students and arts educators.
- Community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, school districts, communities and centers of the arts throughout the country.
- Other high-quality arts projects for children and youth, with special emphasis on serving children from low-income families and children with disabilities.
Previous Competitions
To learn more about the previous competition, read below.
FY 2021 Competition
The FY 2021 Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Notice Inviting Applications was posted on the Federal Register January 15, 2021. An amendment to this notice was posted on the Federal Register on March 4, 2021. Please click here for more information.
Competition Dates:
- Applications Available: January 15, 2021.
- Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 16, 2021.
- Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 15, 2021.
- Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 14, 2021.
Pre-Application Meeting for Potential Applicants:
A pre-application meeting was held on Monday, February 1, 2021 to help potential applicants understand the Notice Inviting Applications and to offer guidance for preparing a grant application. For those who were not able to attend or would like a copy of the presentation, please see below:
AAE Pre-Application Slides
Eligibility
Who May Apply: (specifically) Any eligible national non-profit organization.
An eligible national organization is an organization of national scope that:
- Is supported by staff, which may include volunteers, or affiliates at the State and local levels; and
- Demonstrates effectiveness or high-quality plans for addressing arts education activities for disadvantaged students or students who are children with disabilities
Funding Status
Included in the chart below is the amount of funding per fiscal year since FY 2011.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | Appropriation for new awards | Appropriation for continuation awards |
| FY 2022 | $8,000,000 | $0 |
| FY 2018 | $8,000,000 | $0 |
| FY 2017 | $0 | $6,575,069 |
| FY 2016 | $0 | $6,700,000 |
| FY 2015 | $6,575,069 | $0 |
| FY 2014 | $0 | $6,700,000 |
| FY 2013 | $0 | $6,724,355 |
| FY 2012 | $6,640,000 | $0 |
| FY 2011 | $6,691,385 | $0 |
Legislation
Regulations
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
Included below is information regarding the new awards made in each fiscal year since FY 2012.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | Number of new awards |
| FY 2022 | 1 |
| FY 2018 | 1 |
| FY 2015 | 1 |
| FY 2013-2014 | 0 |
| FY 2012 | 1 |
Complete List of Arts in Education National Grants MS Excel (31 KB)
| Year awarded | Grantee | Project Title | Duration (Years) | Year 1 | Total Expected Funding | City | State | Score | eviewer Comments |
| 2022 | |||||||||
| 2022 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts in Education National Program | 3 | $8,000,000 | $24,000,000 | Washington | DC | 105 | - |
2018 | |||||||||
| 2018 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts in Education National Program | 3 | $8,000,000 | $24,000,000 | Washington | DC | 96.67 | PDF (162 KB) |
2015 | |||||||||
| 2015 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts in Education National Program | 3 | $6,575,069 | $19,975,069 | Washington | DC | 89.83 | - |
2012 | |||||||||
| 2012 | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Arts Education National Program | 3 | $6,640,000 | $20,011,394 | Washington | DC | - | PDF (203 KB) |
Note: Documents coming soon are marked with a dash.