several organizations that offer grants
or collect donations that will help you
achieve your teaching goals.
Adopt-A-Classroom Grants
www.adoptaclassroom.com
Adopt-A-Classroom invites the com-
Class Wish
www.classwish.org
ClassWish allows teachers to create
wish lists of the supplies and equipment they need for their classrooms,
which are, in turn, seen by potential
supporters who can make tax-deduct- cation Association, offers members
ArtEd Online
Funding Opportunities
for Art Teachers
Craig Roland
As school budgets become tighter, resourceful art eachers are turning to alternative funding sources
for professional development, cur-
riculum enhancement projects, and
classroom technology purchases. To
assist you in locating available fund-
ing sources, this month’s column lists
munity into classrooms to support
ible donations online. Teachers must
a variety of grant opportunities that
teachers and their students. By reg-
choose items for purchase from the
support projects ranging from profes-
istering on the Adopt-A-Classroom
ClassWish.org online catalog. Materi- sional and curriculum development to
website, a teacher’s classroom can be
als and strategies for attracting local
research in art education. The NAEF
adopted by an individual, business, or businesses, parents, and other spon-
website lists each of the grants avail-
organization. Donors can choose to
sors are available on the ClassWish
able along with proposal guidelines,
support a classroom with a donation
website.
application preparation tips, and past
of $25 or more, or adopt a classroom
grant recipients.
with a $500 donation. Once adopted,
DonorsChoose
teachers receive the funds in an online www.donorschoose.org
Target Arts Grants
account they can use to purchase
DonorsChoose allows teachers to
target.com/grants
resources and materials for their
propose a project that will enhance
Target funds arts projects that provide
classroom from a network of affiliated student learning, describe the equip-
opportunities for students to partici-
vendors.
ment and supplies needed to carry
pate in cultural experiences, such as
out the project, and explain why the
school touring programs, field trips
Best Buy Teach Awards
items are needed and how the project to the theater or symphony, or artists
www.BestBuy.com/teach
will benefit students. Donors review
residencies and workshops in schools.
The Best Buy Teach Award program
projects on the DonorsChoose website Each Target store is authorized to
recognizes and rewards schools that
and give any amount to a project of
make Arts in Education grants avail-
are using technology in interactive
their choice. Once a project reaches
able within its local community.
and engaging ways. Best Buy Teach
its funding goal, DonorsChoose pur-
Grant guidelines and applications are
Awards range from $1000 to $10,000
chases the materials requested and
available at local Target stores. Appli-
in the form of gift cards that are
delivers them to the school. In return, cations are accepted between March 1
available to K– 12 schools to sustain
the teacher and students write thank- and May 31.
or enhance existing educational
programs. Teach Award winners are
you letters and share photos of the
project in action.
selected based on teacher applica-
tions describing how they incorporate National Art Education
student use of technology in their
Foundation (NAEF) Grants
classrooms. Visit the Best Buy website www.arteducators.org/olc/pub/
to download the grant application,
NAEA/grants
review previous winners’ applications, The NAEF, the independent grants-
Craig Roland is an associate professor of
art education in the School of Art and
Art History at the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida. He is the author
of The Art Teacher’s Guide to the Internet
(Davis Publications, 2005). rolandc@ufl.
edu
and learn more about the program.
