Learn about grants for arts education by exploring our curated list of top arts education funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities using the search tool for Grantfinder. Become a member.
Arts Education Grantmakers
ADOBE FOUNDATION
Adobe supports arts education through a variety of scholarship programs focused on students ranging from high school through graduate school. The foundation’s arts education grantmaking works to “ensure that every young person gets the chance to discover and express their creativity” through an array of scholarships, fellowships and internships for high school, undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of art, technology and film.
HERB ALPERT FOUNDATION
The Herb Alpert Foundation has a dedicated arts education program, which prioritizes early childhood arts education through K-12 arts education. It also funds related extracurricular programs to cultivate creativity amongst at-risk youth, predominately in Southern California and beyond. Higher education arts grants focus on music.
ALPHAWOOD FOUNDATION
Alphawood supports organizations and projects aimed at expanding and improving “arts education for children” in Chicago and beyond. Its funding may go to school art programs for young students, extracurricular and out-of-school programs for at-risk children, or advanced art schools for promising talents.
AON FOUNDATION
Predominately an education funder, Aon also conducts related arts education giving through its broader education focus area.
APPLIED MATERIALS FOUNDATION
This foundation’s support for arts educations program address grantmaking that supports this focus area both in and out of school settings.
LOUIS ARMSTRONG EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation supports music education programs, focusing on jazz education with broad impact. It also provided relief to musicians during the COVID-19 crisis.
BAY AND PAUL FOUNDATIONS
The foundation distinguishes itself from other arts education funders by stressing its interest in adults as well as youth.
BLUES FOUNDATION
The Blues Foundation supports music and arts education around its home base of Memphis, Tennessee and throughout the world.
BMI FOUNDATION
The BMI Foundation supports music and music-related education mostly in the U.S. but has some opportunities also for international music students.
LOUIS L. BORICK FOUNDATION
Borick funds organizations that advocate for increased access to arts education in public schools and art institutions.
BROWN RUDNICK CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
This foundation helps students and teens learn how to protect the intellectual and legal rights to art work.
MARGARET A. CARGILL FOUNDATION
Cargill’s arts education grantmaking prioritizes teacher learning and improving quality K-12 instruction.
HARRY CHAPIN FOUNDATION
Chapin’s grants for arts education are broad and focused on K-12 audiences.
STEVEN AND ALEXANDRA COHEN FOUNDATION
Keeping with the foundation’s interests in education and youth, Cohen supports several arts education programs.
CMS FUND
This organization’s arts education funds support music and arts technology.
DEKKO FOUNDATION
Funding tends to be spread evenly between music, theater and visual arts programs.
DEWING FOUNDATION
Grants here focus on K-12 arts education, often focus on literacy.
EARLY MUSIC AMERICA
Early Music America is an organization dedicated to the study, performance, and appreciation of early music. It provides access to awards and scholarships in order to increase awareness of and grow the audience for early forms of music.
ECOLAB FOUNDATION
Ecolab’s wide-ranging grants for the arts include arts education, which focuses on children and youth.
EDISON INTERNATIONAL
While Edison primarily funds STEM education in the K-12 space, it also likes to fund arts education programs, particularly for middle schoolers.
FENDER PLAY FOUNDATION
This foundation’s arts education grantmaking focuses on music education in particular.
ROSALINDE AND ARTHUR GILBERT FOUNDATION
The Gilbert Foundation’s work in arts education aims to provide K-12 students with learning experiences in the performing and visual arts.
GRAHAM AND CAROLYN HOLLOWAY FOUNDATION
Holloway’s arts education grants fund non-profit organizations that provide arts education and arts outreach opportunities to low-income and underserved communities.
JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
The foundation’s education grants center on the intersection between jazz music and youth, from kindergarten through college.
PAUL R. JUDY CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH
The Judy Center funds Research Support for scholarly projects that align with the center’s stated funding priorities, which change with each grant cycle.
KRESGE FOUNDATION
Its arts education funding largely focuses on Detroit, where Kresge conducts much of its grantmaking.
L40A FOUNDATION
Arts education grants focus on music in K-12 schools.
MARINEAU FAMILY FOUNDATION
It supports both secondary education and arts education.
MATISSE FOUNDATION
Grants for arts education dominate this giver’s funding, though many grants stay around NYC.
MOCKINGBIRD FOUNDATION
This funder’s arts education grants focus on music at the K-12 level.
NAMM FOUNDATION
NAMM offers The William R. Gard Scholarship, named for longtime NAMM Executive President William Gard. It seeks to encourage students to pursue music education and to promote “careers in the music products industry.”
NATIONAL ART EDUCATION FOUNDATION
This foundation offers an array of grants focused on improving the quality of art education.
LAIRD NORTON FOUNDATION
Laird Norton’s arts in education program primarily aims to “improve pre-K through grade 12 student learning through the arts.”
POLLINATION PROJECT
The Pollination Project’s arts funding stems from its Artistic Expression and Creative Communities program, which aims to support arts education, activist art and art therapy programs.
PRN ALUMNI FOUNDATION
The foundation gives to music education as part of its arts education giving.
ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG FOUNDATION
The Rauschenberg Foundation supports arts education through its Art + Education program, which invests in “schools, agencies, and organizations working to ensure a quality arts education for all students.”
DAVID ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
Rockefeller supports music, film, arts education and theater organizations across the country.
ROTH FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Roth Family Foundation supports arts education for underserved communities. Most grants in this area focus on music education and pedagogy.
TERRA FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ART
The Terra Foundation makes grants for K-12 education and public programs programs in the Chicago area. Education grants support both in- and out-of-school learning opportunities in American art, and public program grants focus on exhibits, installations and events with broad reach and that have the potential to develop the public’s interest in American visual arts.
U.S. BANCORP FOUNDATION
This funder supports programs that provide funding for “local arts organizations that enhance the economic vitality of the community” and for “arts-focused nonprofit organizations that bring visual and performing arts programming to low- and moderate-income K-12 schools and youth centers.”
VIA ART FUND
The Fund’s grants for arts education are broad and focused on smaller organizations.
THE WALLACE FOUNDATION
The Wallace Foundation supports K-12 education and the arts, as well as research on best practices and organizational effectiveness. Recent areas of specific interest have included out-of-school learning and arts organizations of color.
KURT WEILL FOUNDATION FOR MUSIC
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music supports performance, scholarly output and professional development related to the work and lives of Kurt Weill, Lotte Lenya and Marc Blitzstein.
