The Connecticut Office of the Arts is excited to announce its FY20 grant recipients . We thank you for your interest in our programs and send our best wishes for success!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Shapiro, Director of Arts, Preservation & Museums
& the Connecticut Office of the Arts staff:
Tamara Dimitri
Adriane Jefferson
Bonnie Koba
Rhonda F. Olisky
Lourdes "Lu" Rivera
Jane Schneider
SUPPORTING ARTS GRANTS

Awarded: One-hundred nine (109) FY20 Supporting Arts grants totaling $632,800.

The Supporting Arts grant program provides unrestricted funding to help support Connecticut's arts organizations and municipal arts departments as they pursue their mission. This type of grant is flexible rather than for specific projects or programs and gives the grantee the ability to use the funds where they are most needed.
ARTS PROJECT GRANTS

Awarded: Twenty-eight (28) FY20 Arts Project grants  totaling $271,200.

The  Arts Project grant program provides funding for the planning and implementation of arts-based projects, of all disciplines, for Connecticut audiences, communities and participants. The project must be accessible and relevant to the audience and community and must engage at least one (1) Connecticut artist in a significant project role.
REGIONAL INITIATIVE (REGI) GRANTS

Awarded: Forty-six (46) FY20 Regional Initiative grants totaling $155,850. 

The Regional Initiative grant program provides funding for the planning and implementation of small community art projects. Panel reviews are conducted regionally in collaboration with COA's nine Designated Regional Service Organizations that serve as local field offices for the Connecticut Office of the Arts.
ARTS LEARNING PRESENTATION GRANTS

Awarded: Ten (10) FY20 Arts Learning Presentation grants   totaling $9,800.

The Connecticut Office of the Arts promotes teaching and learning in, about, and through the arts, through high quality arts engagement, arts integration, arts exploration and discovery experiences. Through its Arts Learning Presentation grant program , COA seeks to connect PK-12 schools and citizens with arts experience(s) in Connecticut.
In partnership with its nine Designated Regional Service Organizations , COA will present six (6) workshops across the state that will focus on ADA concepts and terminology. This concentration on the law’s structure will provide participants with some of the skills necessary to apply ADA in the evaluation of their own programs and services. Attendees will benefit from a relaxed learning environment that will enable them to take a deep-dive into identifying their organizations’ accessibility strengths and weaknesses. Registration is required .

The workshops will be led by Elanah Sherman who has been involved with the disability rights movement for 25 years as a community organizer, advocate and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) trainer. She is the former Project Director of the ADA Coalition of Connecticut and Advocate at the former State Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. Each workshop will include a different panel of local individuals with disabilities who will share their experiences attending and participating in the arts.

Contact Tamara Dimitri, Accessibility Coordinator for the Connecticut Office of the Arts, for accessibility accommodations. Email: Tamara.Dimitri@ct.gov or 860-500-2377.
HIGHER ORDER THINKING (HOT) APPROACH CONFERENCE AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Friday, October 18 & Saturday, October 19, 2019
Warner Theatre , Torrington
                                           
COA’s Higher Order Thinking (HOT) APPROACH to teaching and learning provides educators vital professional development, resources, tools and strategies to develop, deepen and expand effective practices in standards based arts education, arts integration, student voice and leadership development. Based on COA’s long-standing and nationally renowned HOT Schools Program, the HOT Approach weaves best practices in arts in education with present-day needs and experiences of urban, suburban, and rural school communities and is open to K-12 (arts and non-arts) educators statewide. 
 
The HOT Approach Conference will focus on Multiple Intelligences and Arts Integration emphasizing STE A M models that work.
 
Participants in the conference may be eligible to apply for funding to implement the HOT Approach. There are several ways to qualify for funding:

  • Teacher Team - may request up to $3,000*:  3-5 Teachers from one school. No match required for new teams. Teams with 1 or more returning teachers must provide a 25% cash match.

  • School Team - may request up to $5,000*:  The Principal participates with one or more Teacher-Teams (3-5 teachers - including at least one arts discipline teacher). No match required for new teams or for principal returning with a new team of teachers. Teams with 1 or more returning teachers must provide a 25% cash match. Assistant Principal or other may not substitute for principal.

  • District Leadership Teams - may request up to $10,000: The Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, or Director of Curriculum participates with, minimally, a 5-member leadership team representing at least 2 or more schools in the district. Must include at least 2 principals. Must include at least 1 arts discipline teacher from each school or district arts coordinator or equivalent. District Leadership Teams are encouraged to include Board of Education Members. No match required for new teams or for Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, or Director of Curriculum returning with new leadership teams as described above. Returning teams must provide a 25% cash match.

  • Community Teams: A Grade Level, School, or District Leadership Team that includes an Arts Organization Educator may request an additional $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000 (respectively).
 
Registered participants must attend the full conference to be eligible to apply for funding. Parents/community members are welcome to participate in addition to but may not substitute for required team members.
Individuals including teaching artists are welcome to attend but will not be eligible to apply for funding. While there is no fee to participate, those who register but do not show will be placed on wait lists for similar opportunities in the future.  

Limited space / No charge to attend / Registration is required
BUSINESS WORKSHOP FOR ARTISTS

Tuesday, October 29 & Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Creative minds may legitimately enjoy art for art’s sake, but some must rely on their work to bring home the groceries. The path to sustainability involves assembling essential business knowledge and applying the principles when making decisions that impact the work and your livelihood. 
This two-part introduction lays the groundwork for understanding small business financial fundamentals so you can temper decisions with a balanced eye toward the long term.
Whether you are a visual artist, performer or educator hoping to make your passion pay the bills, the truth is you need the same knowledge as the owner of any small business.

What you’ll learn in this course:
  • Paths to success in the world of art
  • Why artists don't want to learn the art business (but why they should)?
  • Why is financial management important?
  • Important financial attributes of successful businesses
  • Why do some businesses succeed and some fail?
  • Small business best practices
  • Who does the work of bookkeeping, accounting and tax preparation?
  • Learning the language of accounting
  • Forms of business organization
  • A little more accounting than you might want to know
  • The chart of accounts
  • How long you have to keep various kinds of business records
  • Which entities collect taxes from a Connecticut business
  • The two most common small business mousetraps
  • Why financial reports are necessary tools for measuring success
  • The accounts that appear in an income statement
  • How an income statement is structured
  • Basic ratios that can be used to evaluate an income statement
  • The accounts used in a balance sheet
  • How a balance sheet is structured
  • Basic ratios to evaluate a balance sheet
  • About those words “cash flow”

The workshop will be led by Frederick Welk , a business advisor and director of education and communications at the Community Economic Development Fund . Mr. Welk has spent more than 30 years in specialty retailing and franchise development, operating his own company for 23 years.
The Connecticut Office of the Arts is funded by the State of Connecticut and the  National Endowment for the Arts.