Education Resource Grants

The following organizations are eligible to apply for Education Resource funding:

• Nonprofit arts organizations with a commitment to arts learning, based and chartered in Delaware, that are eligible to apply for General Operating Support
• Delaware public schools with an established arts curriculum and staff, Pre-K through 12
• Delaware public school districts and/or consortia of public schools with an established arts curriculum and staff, Pre-K through 12

Please note the following restrictions:

• Only one Education Resource application from an arts organization or school as the lead applicant will be accepted each year.
• Education resource grants may not be used to meet compliance with state regulations/mandates. Education Resource projects are intended to augment, not supplant, existing arts programs in the school. Applicant school programs and practices must be in compliance with state arts education regulations and mandates and aligned to the Delaware Standards for Visual and Performing Arts.
• The Division will not accept applications through fiscal agents.
• No individual may compile or submit an application on behalf of an organization if that individual is a member or relative of a member of the Delaware State Arts Council or Division staff.

The Delaware Department of Education has produced three video webinars to serve as a resource for understanding the arts standards and ways to align curriculum to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMoIaro3phE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCYHKhCNREQ

Applicants may request up to 30% of the direct cash expenses of their project, up to a maximum of $15,000. Grants may be awarded for less than the requested amount and some projects may not be funded. Prior funding does not guarantee future funding. All Education Resource grants are funded on a matching basis. Matching funds (1:1) must be cash and may not come from the National Endowment for the Arts. Other federal grant sources may be used as match in accordance with authorizing legislation.

The Division of the Arts has established three goals for Education Resource grants:

1. Strengthen school-based arts education programs and activities that utilize the arts education resources of the Delaware arts community,
2. Strengthen arts organizations’ capacity to provide arts resources for students and teachers in Delaware’s public schools,
3. Encourage curricular programs with the potential to impact current and future instructional methods utilizing the arts.

Education Resource grants assist in the facilitation of partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations and artists in providing standards-based arts learning experiences for pre-K-12 students statewide. Education Resource projects focus on ways that Delaware arts organizations can serve as resources to Delaware schools before, during, and after the school day through:

• student engagement in the arts during the school day (working with an arts specialist in the classroom for hands-on programs where students are actively participating in arts activities designed to deepen and broaden learning)
• extended-time arts programs in the schools before or after the school day (curriculum- and standard-based arts programs designed to give students additional opportunities to create, produce, and learn through the arts)
• integration of the arts with other content areas and arts disciplines to provide collaborations between the arts and classroom teachers to reach mutual objectives
• development and implementation of standards-based curriculum and/or assessment models/tools

You may contact the Program Officer for Arts in Education at the Division of the Arts to review your ideas to determine if they are eligible for Education Resource support.

Funding awarded in the FY2026 grant cycle must be spent on projects taking place between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026.

Download the full Education Resource Grant Guidelines here.

Download the smARTDE Instructions to learn how to log in and navigate within the system.

The Delaware Division of the Arts strives to keep our Education Resource Grant applications concise, while gathering the essential information needed for a thorough and fair evaluation. We aim to balance simplicity with the comprehensive details necessary to ensure we can effectively assess each project’s potential impact and success.

The Education Resource Grant application requires:

• An organizational profile
• Narrative questions that describe the project, and address how it aligns to the Delaware Standards for Visual and Performing Arts and meets the evaluation criteria
• Project budget
• Résumé and/or curriculum vitae for teaching artists
• Letters of support from all partners in the project
• Evaluation/Assessment tools
• Additional optional support materials

If the applicant is an arts organization and that organization is not also applying for General Operating Support, additional items will be required:

• Board list with contact information and designated responsibilities/committees
• IRS 990 (for the most recently completed fiscal year)

Note: All materials submitted to the Division of the Arts during the grant application process are subject to public inspection upon request, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Please redact any confidential information contained in financial documents and audits prior to submission.

Allowable Direct Expenses for Education Resource Projects

The following costs associated with the project may be reported as direct expenses, and may be used in determining the grant request:

• Fees paid to outside professionals, artists, or facilitators, working directly with the project
• School staff pay for planning purposes outside the regular school day
• Substitute teachers (for the purpose of teacher planning time during the school day)
• Supplies (consumables used exclusively for the project)
• Fees paid for third-party space rental (Note: space owned or managed by a partner may not be included)

Allowable Indirect Expenses for Education Resource Projects

The following costs associated with the project should be reported under indirect expenses as real costs associated with the project, but may not be used in determining the grant request:

• Transportation to/from curriculum-based events and meetings taking place within Delaware
• Pro-rated arts organization staff salaries for time allocated specifically to the project
• In-house production costs for exhibitions/ performances specifically associated with the education project

Ineligible Expenses for Education Resource Projects

The following costs should not be included in the budget presentation, either as direct or indirect expenses:

• Awards or cash prizes
• Activities outside Delaware
• Meals/refreshments Matching Funds and Grant Caps
• Capital expenditures (purchase of equipment such as computers, musical instruments, kilns, etc.)
• Expenses incurred outside the grant period

Panelists use detailed scoring rubrics in their review of each application. Education Resource Grant applications are evaluated on the following criteria:

Quality of Arts Instruction (40% of score)

• Educational goals and activities are clearly articulated and aligned with the Delaware Standards for Visual and Performing Arts
• Project demonstrates potential to impact current and future instructional methods, utilizing the arts
• Instruction is designed to engage students in quality arts participation
• Selected artist and/or arts organization is qualified and suitable for the project

Assessment (30% of score)

• Project includes clear and measurable student learning goals
• Student assessment tools and strategies are appropriate and effective

Management (30% of score)

• All project partners are engaged in project planning and implementation
• Project budget is realistic and includes sufficient support from a variety of sources, including the partner organizations

For details on the grant review process and appeals procedure, read the Delaware Division of the Arts Grant Review Process.

After all applications have gone through an internal grant review process for completeness, they will be reviewed, discussed, and evaluated by an external committee of Delawareans.  The committee’s feedback and scores are then tabulated and provided to the Delaware State Arts Council, who will make funding recommendations for Fiscal Year 2026 to the Division Director at the June 2025 Council meeting. The recommended grant awards will apply to Fiscal Year 2026 only. Applicants will be notified of final funding decisions after July 1, 2025, following the Council meeting and passage of the state budget.

For details on the grant review process and appeals procedures, visit the Division of the Arts’ Grant Review Process.

The Division of the Arts retains the right to reduce or rescind a grant award during the grant period if the grantee is found not to be in compliance with state and/or federal grant requirements, or if funding (state or federal) is reduced during the fiscal year.

Notification:

Applicants will be notified of grant award decisions after July 1, 2025, following the Council meeting and passage of the state budget. Notification will be made through the smARTDE application portal.

As part of the grant award notification, there will be a number of documents that applicants are required to read and acknowledge before receipt of your first payment.

eSupplier:

To receive a grant payment, individuals must have an active State of Delaware eSupplier record.

We recommend that you choose to receive payments through Automated Clearing House, an electronic fund transfer, when completing or updating your eSupplier record. Electronic fund transfers are faster than mailing a check.

• First-time grantees: will receive instructions on how to register electronically as an individual (not a business) in the State of Delaware’s eSupplier Portal. *If you’re an individual, your Tax Identification Number is your Social Security Number
• Past grantees: will receive instructions for checking and updating their eSupplier record.

Questions about eSupplier? Please contact: Division of Accounting by email at FSF_Supplier_Maintenance@delaware.gov or by phone at (302) 526-5600.

Payment:

Grantees will be notified of awards via email, and payments will be issued according to the payment schedule issued with the award notice. Grantees may opt to receive payments through electronic fund transfer (recommended) by updating their information on Delaware’s eSupplier Portal. Electronic funds transfers and paper check payments are always free. However, electronic fund transfers are faster than mailing a check.

The Statement of Assurances is the contract that all Division grantees must sign. Grant applicants must indicate that they have read and agreed to the obligations of grant recipients, should a grant be awarded. Receipt of state and federal grants carries with it certain obligations and responsibilities. By submitting a Division of the Arts grant application, applicants are affirming that they are familiar with the requirements of the Delaware Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, as presented in the Division of the Arts Statement of Assurances, including but not limited to:

• Crediting the Division appropriately on all materials
• Keeping public arts events current on DelawareScene.com
• Notifying the Division of any significant changes to the program or budget
• Providing complimentary tickets for use by on-site evaluators, if appropriate
• Compliance with Accessibility Requirements
• Submitting all required Final Reports

A completed Final Report is required of all fellowship recipients. The final report collects narrative, fiscal, and demographic information in keeping with DDOA and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) requirements. Successful completion of a final report is required for eligible grantees to be able to access future grants. Final reports are completed in SmartSimple, the same online grants management system used for applications, and are due by September 30, 2026.

Failure to submit a final report on time may result in forfeiture of the final payment (15%) of the grant award and may impact future funding.

You can use this interactive tool to search for Delaware Division of the Arts grants awarded to organizations and individuals from 1999 through today.