The 2025 Round 2 Teaching Artist Grant, administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, supports sequential arts education projects led by teaching artists in educational and community settings. Funded through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Statewide Community Regrant (SCR) program, this opportunity is intended to enhance the availability of participatory, age-appropriate arts learning experiences for K-12 students in public schools or community centers located in Cattaraugus, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Tioga counties.

Applicants may include individual teaching artists, nonprofit organizations, or unincorporated groups. School districts themselves are not eligible to apply, but PTAs with independent nonprofit status may apply. Teaching artists employed at a school may apply if the project takes place during off-contract hours. Direct FY25 NYSCA applicants and applicants with unfulfilled previous SCR obligations are not eligible.

Projects must occur between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, and include at least three sequential sessions with the same teaching artist and group of students. Programs must be distinct from any projects submitted in the first 2025 SCR round. Projects should integrate participatory arts experiences that promote skill-building and creative exploration. School-based programs must be open to all students in the chosen class or grade. Private, parochial, and NYSCA-funded schools are ineligible as partners.

Grant awards range from $500 to $5,000. Applicants may submit up to three total SCR applications across categories—Community Arts, Teaching Artist, and Individual Artist—but the combined request may not exceed $5,000. Tribal Nations are exempt from this cap, though Tribal organizations are not. All project costs must at least equal the requested funding amount. The funding may not be used for equipment exceeding $1,000, awards or prizes, entertainment-only projects, or activities with a commercial or fundraising focus.

Applications are evaluated by community-led grant panels based on four core criteria: artistic and cultural merit, student benefit and accessibility, managerial and fiscal competence, and learning outcomes and evaluation. Each is scored on a 5-point scale. Additional priority (scored on a 4-point scale) is given to projects led by or focused on BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or Folk & Traditional artists or audiences, and those that pay artist fees.

The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 16, 2025. Applications must be submitted through the Submittable portal and must include applicant and project details, budget information, artist biographies, work samples, and a letter of partnership (if applicable). Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Grants Manager, Chris, and may submit draft narratives for review up to one week before the deadline. Final award notifications will be sent in early July 2025, and funds will be disbursed upon receipt of a signed acceptance agreement.