Artists in Schools grants are intended to help schools hire professional teaching artists to offer curriculum-based arts instruction for students in a K-12 setting and take place during the school day.

More on Artists in Schools:

Grant applications are accepted each fall. Notification of awarded amounts and the contracting process immediately follow. Grant awards do not cover the total cost of an artist fee, therefore schools also contribute funding to support the artist(s) working with their students.

School Eligibility
To be eligible for grant funding, schools must:

• be public, charter, or nonprofit private school located in Wake County
• appoint a volunteer known as a Cultural Arts Representative. Read the Cultural Arts Rep Job Description
• attend one training session
• attend the Artists in School Expo
• select program(s) from our Artists in Schools Directory
• schedule programs that take place during the school day
• pay the portion of the artist fee(s) that the grant funds do not cover

Funding
The maximum grant award per school for the current year can not exceed $1,800 and is contingent on the availability of funds. Eligible schools may apply for a maximum of four (4) grants, including:

• two performance grants with different artists (up to $400 for each)
• one workshop/residency grant (up to $500)
• one week-long writer residency grant (up to $500)

Participation Fee
Due to funding provided on the district level, the participation fee is waived for all Wake County Public School
System schools for the 2026-27 year.

Private and charter schools will provide a $100 non-refundable fee to participate in the program. This fee does
not affect the amount of grant funding received or the payment due to artists. Schools in their first year of
operation may request to have this fee waived.

To learn more about the Artists in Schools grants contact Julia Mastropaolo at [email protected] or (919) 839-1498, ext. 210.