The Cultural Collaborations Access Grant, offered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts with funding from the Rasmuson Foundation, supports short-term arts and cultural activities in Alaska’s schools. The grant funds in-school programs that engage students in arts education during the regular school day, featuring artists as presenters or educators. Public or private nonprofit schools, school districts, or 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organizations in Alaska may apply, with a limit of one grant per school or organization each academic year. The maximum grant amount is $1,000, and no matching funds are required.

Eligible expenses for the grant include direct project costs, such as artist fees, supplies, facility rentals, and transportation. However, funds cannot be used to replace existing program resources, pay for instructor salaries, scholarships, awards, or for fundraising activities. The grant application is reviewed based on the artistic quality of the proposed activity, involvement of partners in planning, alignment with Alaska Arts Standards, the number of students served, and completion of previous grant requirements.

Applications must be submitted at least 30 days before the planned activity and can be submitted as early as July 1 of the fiscal year. Applicants need to provide a cover sheet, project narrative, budget form, and artist information. The project narrative should describe the organization, planned activity, partnership involvement, expected outcomes, and relevance to the Alaska Arts Standards.

Grant recipients are required to submit a final report detailing student participation, experiences, outcomes, and expenditure of funds. The grant is intended to enhance access to arts education across Alaska’s schools, promoting cultural enrichment and artistic learning opportunities for students.