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Goal: To support efforts to provide arts education for all Marin students
Overview: Arts Education proponents and advocates firmly believe that understanding and appreciating the arts and cultural experiences are vital components of every young person’s education and development. Without meaningful opportunities for progressive skill building in and through the arts across age and grade levels, Marin’s students will not be fully prepared for healthy and productive participation in their adult lives and in their communities. For several decades, however, funding for arts education programs has been progressively marginalized, reduced, or eliminated. Even where resources exist, Marin’s schools remain without a coordinated strategy to meet the arts needs of Marin’s students in ways that utilize research findings and program practices developed regionally and nationally.
MCF believes the goal of arts education for every Marin student will require systemic change to reverse decades of marginalization. This change will only result from informed leadership among multiple stakeholders; professional development opportunities for school administrators and teachers; technical assistance and program evaluation to develop rigorous educational curricula and opportunities for high achievement in each arts discipline; investment of resources to develop and nurture programs where resources are currently lacking; and networking, communications, and advocacy to build a consensus around the need for, and methods to achieve, effective arts education for all Marin students.
MCF also recognizes that a full education in the arts takes place not only within the classroom during the school day, but also in various out-of-school settings, in direct connections with community arts activities and organizations.
Under this goal, MCF will support projects that incorporate the following strategies:
Strategy 1: Conduct an arts education demonstration project that incorporates relevant standards across elementary and middle school grade levels, and support the development of similar programs
Process for Strategy 1: Participation in the Arts Education Demonstration Project will be supported through a Request for Proposals process. The Grant Application Center will not be used for this strategy. Initial grants will be awarded in fall 2008, with subsequent funding decided on an annual basis starting in spring 2009. Nonprofit arts education providers interested in potential participation in the Arts Education Demonstration Project should contact JamesFlavell, program officer for the arts, by e-mail or by calling 415.464.2529.
Request for Proposals sent: September 1, 2008
Deadline for Proposals: October 15, 2008
Strategy 2: Support nonprofit arts education providers and community organizations to develop arts programs for Marin schools
Strategy 3: Support efforts to provide arts education programs in settings outside of schools
Process for Strategies 2 and 3: Register with the Grant Application Center starting August 1, 2008, which is the Registration Open Date for this goal. This system enables you to complete and submit all application materials online.
Once you have registered, please complete and submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), even if you have received funding from MCF in the past for this kind of work.
If your LOI is approved, you will be notified how to prepare and submit a full proposal, also using the Grant Application Center.
Deadline for LOI: September 1, 2008
Deadline for Full Proposal (if invited): November 1, 2008 | 
