The Arts Council of Indianapolis partners with local arts organizations to ensure access to quality arts education for all children and our community. Through partnerships, advocacy, professional development and online tools, the Arts Council strives to provide and secure more resources and support for education in central Indiana.
- Advocacy - During the second week of September, the Arts Council promotes, advances and helps preserve the role of arts education in local schools through National Arts Education Week.
- Funding for arts organizations - Each year, the Arts Council provides local arts organizations with funding through its Annual Grants Programming that provides support for administration, programming, marketing, and arts education. The Annual Grants Program is the Arts Council's only role in providing funding organizations or artists.
- Grants for schools - Thanks to the generosity of individuals and arts funders, the Arts Council is able to provide mini-grants to K-8 Indianapolis public schools to support their efforts bring artists to schools during the school day, especially in the areas of dance and theatre.
- Professional Development - Through the collective impact efforts of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Art and local partners including Arts for Learning and Music for All, the Arts Council works with local arts organizations to develop professional opportunities for K-8 teachers. For more information, subscribe to the monthly newsletter.
- Any Given Child Partnership - Since 2015, the Arts Council, Indianapolis Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office for the City of Indianapolis have worked together to promote equitable access to the arts in Indianapolis Public Schools (K-8) with guidance and support from the Kennedy Center.
- Education Provider Directory (Launched 2018) - A dedicated website that is an online directory for all central Indiana co-curricular programs. The website will have filters that can be sorted by region, city or zip code, grade level, content area, Indiana Academic Standard, and type of co-curricular programming. It will include a main contact person for each organization.
For more information, please contact Rishard Allen, Grant Services & Education Partnerships Coordinator at (317) 631-3301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
