The Charlesmead Foundation has provided UMBC with a gift of $500,000 over five years, Fall 2018 through Spring 2023, aimed at strengthening arts engagement opportunities for K-8 students in Title I schools in the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS). We are seeking proposals to fund new, or expand existing, partnerships between UMBC faculty/staff/graduate students and these schools.
The Charlesmead Initiative for Arts Education knows that these unprecedented times have called for flexibility. You all have been asked to adapt to new circumstances, so we are adapting, too! Funding is still available to support future arts experiences for K-8 Baltimore City Title I students.
We will continue to accept and review submissions on a rolling basis for projects up to $1,000. Proposals for projects over $1,000 are due October 15th (fall), January 15th (winter), and May 6th (spring). Reviewers will make decisions as soon as possible for each submission. If your proposed activity is awarded, but new announcements from Baltimore City Public Schools require changes in your proposed activity, rest assured that we can work with you to accommodate those changes as much as possible.
*Notice: In order to encourage UMBC student participation in the Charlesmead Initiative for Arts Education, the Spring 2021 round of funding will prioritize applications as follows: 1) graduate students; 2) undergraduates in conjunction with faculty serving as Principal Applicants; and 3) previous awardees requesting continued funding. *Deadline for Spring 2021 proposals has been extended to May 6th.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to Shekinah Davis with any questions (shekind1@umbc.edu). If you have an idea but need connections to a Baltimore City Public School and/or local arts organization, let us know. We are here to help.
Proposals should be tailored to the needs and interests of each partner, leverage the strengths of a university, and be inspired by the idea that all children are entitled to quality arts programming in the full spectrum of artistic disciplines, including Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts.