Artists in Schools and Communities Grants
MAC’s Artists in Schools and Communities (AISC) grant program is the umbrella under which two grant opportunities are held: AISC Experiences and AISC Residencies. Together these grants cover a wide need range, serving arts learners of every age and ability and across a multitude of disciplines and settings. Whether or not you are a new applicant to our programs, if you are considering applying to either grant process, we encourage you to discuss your project ideas with a member of the MAC staff.
To introduce new and existing grantees to each of our newly refreshed grant processes for the coming year, an AISC-specific webinar was held on Thursday, January 23, at 1 PM. The webinar, hosted by Arts Education Director Monica Grable, (monica.grable@mt.gov) answers many common questions regarding eligibility requirements, the scope of Experiences and Residencies grants, and the application process. Click here to access a PDF copy of the webinar slides. Click here to view the webinar.
All grant applications are submitted through our grants management system; to set up an account click here.
Important Program Dates for 2025:
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January 10 January 10 March 17 April 17 August 14 December 11 |
FY26 AISC Experiences process opens FY26 AISC Residencies process opens Residencies applications due at 11:59 PM Experiences applications due at 11:59 PM Experiences applications due at 11:59 PM Experiences applications due at 11:59 PM |
AISC Experiences
Program Description
The AISC Experiences grant program supports arts learning activities in three categories:
- Fees supporting direct engagement with guest artists for a virtual or in-person session that may or may not include hands-on learning
- Purchase of tools, supplies and small equipment to support experimentation with new arts media and methods
- Transportation to support first-hand experiences with art or artists
Highlights
- Allows support categories not provided through the Residencies grant
- Provides Initial opportunities to engage with artist and/or arts experiences, often serving as a launch point for deeper experiences and continued learning
- Provides grants of between $250 and $2500, with no cash match required.
AISC Experiences FY26 Guidelines (HTML)
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2024 AISC Experiences | August Grant Awards |
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Organization Name |
Community |
Project Name |
Awarded |
|
Art Mobile of Montana |
Dillon |
Art Mobile of Montana Travel Money |
$2,500.00 |
|
Bigger Sky Kids, Inc. |
Wolf Point |
Teaching Digital Graphic Arts and Painting with Acrylics |
$2,500.00 |
|
Billings Symphony Society |
Billings |
Musical Storytime with the Billings Symphony |
$2,500.00 |
|
East Side School |
Livingston |
Expanded Art Exploration to Understand the Past |
$2,499.00 |
|
Free Verse |
Missoula |
Free Verse Project |
$2,500.00 |
|
Great Falls Public Schools Music and Art |
Great Falls |
Paris Gibson Square 3rd Grade Tour |
$2,500.00 |
|
Hockaday Museum of Art |
Kalispell |
Traveling Medicine Show |
$2,500.00 |
|
Instrument Shop* |
Missoula |
Teens Build a Pipe Organ |
$2,200.00 |
|
Lincoln Council for the Arts* |
Lincoln |
Supaman - School and Community Performances |
$2,500.00 |
|
Missoula Community Radio |
Missoula |
FreeSessions |
$2,500.00 |
|
Montana Chamber Music* |
Bozeman |
Noon Notes Program Expansion |
$2,500.00 |
|
Opera Montana |
Bozeman |
Wheels of Harmony 2025 Tour |
$2,500.00 |
|
Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art |
Great Falls |
Be your Own Curator |
$2,430.00 |
|
Queen City Ballet Company |
Helena |
Queen City Ballet Company’s School Outreach Performance of The Nutcracker |
$2,500.00 |
|
Missoula County Public Schools |
Missoula |
Virginia Vinal Women’s Band Festival |
$2,500.00 |
AISC Residencies
Program Description
The AISC Residencies grant program connects learners of all ages and abilities with professional teaching artists through a diversity of learning formats and settings. Residencies range from a couple of hours to months-long experiences and may engage one or several guest artists working with a single core group of learners or with multiple groups, all sharing the key components of experiential learning, a depth of knowledge gained and a strong emphasis on the process of art creation. Because of this emphasis, activities under the AISC Residencies grant category must include hands-on learning.
Highlights
- Allows for in-depth experiential learning over hours, days, weeks or months in conjunction with a guest or teaching artist(s)
- Enhances discipline-specific arts learning, cross-curricular and multidisciplinary learning and arts integration projects
- Provides grants of between $2500 and $10,000 with matching funds required
AISC Residencies FY26 Application Guidelines (HTML)
AISC Residencies FY26 Application Guidelines (PDF)
View AISC Residencies Grantees
