Purpose: The Utah PTA Arts Education Grant will provide up to $500 to improve an existing PTA/PTSA art program or create a new PTA/PTSA art program using our many local and state art resources to teach and help our students expand their horizons.
We encourage local PTAs to invite guest artists to teach and help students create art, provide professional development to teachers, or focus on student involvement in the artistic process. The PTA Arts Education Grant covers the costs of creating art, art programs, professional development, or hiring an artist, not for field trips, student transportation, admission tickets, or funding commercial art programs (such as the Great Artist Program or Meet the Masters). There are countless resources for guest artists and ideas on the Utah Arts & Museums website: artsandmuseums.utah.gov. Please use this website for information about artists and their salary requirements, as well as to get ideas for what will benefit the students in your school.
As you apply for an Arts Education Grant, please explain what your PTA hopes to achieve and how the money will be used. Your PTA must provide matching funds. Grant applications are to be submitted by March 1, 2024, and you will be notified at the Utah PTA Convention if you receive a grant. To receive your first grant check, you must sign an agreement stating that you will provide a summary of your project at completion, or we will request a refund of the Grant money, and you will not receive the final grant payment.
Please review the Utah Arts & Museums website (artsandmuseums.utah.gov) as you plan your program and budget. Here, you can find information about artists, programs, and other grants you may wish to apply for. You will also find information about free and inexpensive workshops and contests.
Some ideas to consider:
- Evening community classes
- Professional Development (in dance, music, art, etc.)
- Art workshops (Montezuma Creek did a fused glass workshop with guest artist Carrie Trenholm, which was fun and successful.)
- Encouraging Reflections participation (create an after-school reflections workshop, providing materials and education for kids to create art that can be entered into Reflections)
- Bring in guest artists to teach a series of classes to develop a project or a new skill (a good idea could be to primarily focus on a specific grade level for in-depth learning and perhaps do a brief overview of the art style for the rest of the school)
- Arts evenings with families, grandparents, and/or community members
- Productions that allow the kids to be a part of the creative process (ie, hire a dancer to help kids choreograph the scenes or bring in artists to help kids create the sets)
Due Date
Applications will open on January 1st and are due March 1, 2024, for funds to be used in the 2024-2025 school year.
Arts Education Grant Application
Please answer the following questions when applying for your Grant:
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What are the arts education needs of the student body as determined by the PTA?
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What are your PTA's goals and objectives?
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Describe the arts education project for which the PTA requests funds and how it will help the PTA achieve its goals and objectives.
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Describe the timeline for this project, including when the project starts and when it will end.
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What is/are the target group(s) that will benefit from participation in this project? How many students will be affected? (Grades, teachers, parents, community volunteers, etc.)?
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How will your PTA measure and evaluate the impact/success of this project?
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How will the parents of the school be directly involved?
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If you are paying an artist fee, please give details about their qualifications and artistic experience. Please include a short bio and contact info.
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Has your school received the Utah PTA Arts Education Grant previously? What year(s)?
Information to gather as you prepare to apply for the Arts Education Grant
- Plan the budget for your project. Include costs for instructional materials, artist fee and travel expenses, supplies, equipment purchase/rental, etc. Remember - your PTA/PTSA is required to match received grant funds.
- Research the project, and be prepared to answer the above application questions.
- Include a letter of support from your principal.
- You must certify that the PTA/PTSA President, PTA/PTSA President-Elect, and the Principal know about the proposed project and support the application.
Apply for the Utah PTA Arts Education Grant
Submit your 2023-2024 Final Report
Submit your 2022-2023 Final Report
- Grants for the current school year were determined and announced in May.
- Applications for the upcoming school year received by March 1st will be reviewed, and awards will be announced at our Annual Utah PTA Leadership Convention in May.
- Your PTA/PTSA will receive 2/3 of the requested grant monies upon awarding the grant. The final third payment is distributed upon project completion and only after you submit your final report at the link above. Your final report is due by June 1st of the current school year. Please attach supporting documentation to your project (playbills, programs, newsletters, event photos, student and parent comments, etc) on your final report.
- The Utah PTA Arts Education Grant Committee must approve any changes to the focus or expenditures of the approved grant.
If you have suggestions for streamlining the application and disbursement process, please share them with us. Send
suggestions to kids@utahpta.org, and be sure to include “Arts Grant” in the subject line.