South Carolina Arts Commission shortens application window, adds arts-therapy option to School Art Support Grant

Amanda Noyes, arts and education accessibility director for the South Carolina Arts Commission, told teachers and school staff during a Dec. 5 applicant-coaching session that the School Art Support Grant is open now on a rolling basis and will remain available through Feb. 3. "So, I just wanna say that so that, don't wait to apply," Noyes said, urging early submissions because the commission shortened the application window this year.

The grant provides teacher- and school-level funding for supplies, materials, equipment, professional development, artist residencies and — newly this year — creative-arts-therapy projects. Individual awards can be up to $2,500; each school may receive up to two awards, for a total maximum of $5,000. Applicants must use their school district UEI number because reimbursement checks are routed to district finance offices rather than individual teachers.

Why it matters: The addition of arts therapy expands the kinds of in-class services schools may fund, but it carries extra safeguards and documentation requirements. Applicants must show how projects will affect student outcomes and include evaluation plans; evaluation measurement is weighted in the rubric used by external reviewers.

Key rules and limits

- Eligible applicants: most public, private and charter schools (ABC schools are ineligible because they receive other Arts Commission funding). Non-arts classroom teachers may apply but must partner with an arts teacher or an outside arts professional listed in the state arts directory.

- Uses: funds may cover materials and instruments, professional development (registration, travel, substitute pay), and fees for teaching artists or arts therapists who are listed on the South Carolina arts directory. "This grant does fund up to $2,500 per grant," Noyes said.

- Arts therapy: a new allowable project type. If applicants propose arts-therapy work, the named therapist must be on the arts directory and the application must include a guidance-counselor statement explaining the school's mandated-reporting policy and a plan for obtaining parental consent and credentialed clinical oversight when needed.

- Ineligible uses: funds cannot be used for direct student services such as field trips, event registration fees, travel for students, food, or most clothing/uniforms (production costumes may be allowed in some cases).

- Match and funding details: the grant generally requires a 1:2 cash match (grantees must provide $0.50 for every $1 awarded); in-kind contributions are not allowed, and federal funds or other Arts Commission grants cannot be used to meet the match. Schools on the Department of Education list with 70% or higher low-income student populations qualify for a no-match award and may request the full $2,500 with reimbursement if awarded.

- Grant period and deadlines: all grant activities must occur during the grant period (Sept. 17 through May 15). Staff clarified written guidelines should be consulted for exact deadlines; Amber Westbrook corrected an earlier verbal slip, noting the project end date is May 15.

Application process and support

Applicants must submit a principal's letter of support at the start of the application that states the need, affirms support, and acknowledges the reimbursement-based nature of the award. The application requires a provided budget spreadsheet that auto-calculates match and shows other income sources; applicants should list district funds or other revenue sources in the income section if a proposed project exceeds the $2,500 award line.

Speakers emphasized that every budget item must have supporting documentation (vendor quotes, shopping-cart screenshots, or artist quotes) that match the budget spreadsheet; vague lists or "etc." entries will be returned for clarification. The grants team will perform a completeness check and external panelists will score applications against a rubric; the grants staff (Amanda and Mikayla) offer front-end advisement and will review drafts on request but do not perform the panel evaluation.

Who gets priority

The commission awards priority points to schools on the federal Department of Education list with 70%+ low-income populations (no-match eligibility) and to schools in designated South Carolina Arts Commission "opportunity counties" that have historically received fewer Arts Commission grants.

Next steps and contact

Staff advised applicants to plan project starts at least five weeks after submission to allow for review and contracting and reminded attendees that these awards are reimbursement grants; schools must be prepared to pay expenses up front. For technical help or profile access across multiple schools, staff asked applicants to contact the grants team at grants@arts.sc.gov. The commission will share the session recording with registrants.

The session closed with offers of individualized follow-up for questions about eligibility and project structure.