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. All grant applications are submitted through our grants management system; to set up an account click here.

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Important Program Dates for 2025:

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)

AISC Experiences FY26  Guidelines (PDF)

Apply for AISC Grants 

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)

Apply for AISC Grants

Fiscal Year 2022 AISC Grant Awards (PDF)

Teaching Artist Registry

Quotes from Residencies (PDF)

Fiscal Year 2022 AISC Grant Awards (PDF)

Teaching Artist Registry

Quotes from Residencies (PDF)