Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Program

Overview

The AAE program promotes arts education for students, including disadvantaged students and students who are children with disabilities, through activities such as (a) professional development for arts educators, teachers, and principals; (b) development and dissemination of accessible instructional materials and arts-based educational programming, including online resources, in multiple arts disciplines; and (c) 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.

This notice contains one competitive priority and one invitational priority.

Competitive Priority: For FY 2025 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is a competitive preference priority.

This priority is: Eligible National Nonprofit Organization (0 or 15 points).
Under this priority, the Secretary gives priority to eligible entities that are eligible national nonprofit organizations. The term “eligible national nonprofit organization” means an organization of national scope that—

1. Is supported by staff, which may include volunteers, or affiliates at the State and local levels; and
2. Demonstrates effectiveness or high-quality plans for addressing arts education activities for disadvantaged students or students who are children with disabilities.

Invitational Priority: For FY 2025 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

This priority is: Invitational Priority—Patriotic Education.

The Department encourages projects that are designed to provide an introduction to and understanding of the founding documents and primary sources of the American political tradition, in a manner consistent with the principles of a patriotic education. Projects may address one or more of the following topics:

1. United States Constitution, government, and civics.
2. United States history and geography.
3. United States military and diplomatic history.
4. United States literature and rhetoric.
5. United States art, such as architecture, painting, music, photography, theater, cinema, and sculpture.
6. The founding documents and primary sources of Western Civilization and the American founding and their influence on the American political tradition.
7. The influence of Western Europe upon the American political tradition.

Program Requirements: Projects funded under this program must—

1. Promote arts education for students, including disadvantaged students and students who are children with disabilities. In meeting this requirement, projects may implement activities such as—
   (a) Professional development for arts educators, teachers, and principals;
   (b) Development and dissemination of accessible instructional materials and arts-based educational programming, including online resources, in multiple arts disciplines;
   (c) Community and national outreach activities that strengthen and expand partnerships among schools, LEAs, communities, or centers for the arts, including national centers for the arts; and
2. Coordinate, to the extent practicable, with appropriate activities of public or private cultural agencies, institutions, and organizations, including museums, arts education associations, libraries, and theaters.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $850,000 per year.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3–4.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.