Bus Grant Program to Help K-12 Students Access Michigan Cultural Institutions
October 20, 2010
The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Offers the 2011 Bus Grant Program to Help K-12 Students Access Michigan Cultural Institutions
The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) is offering grants of up to $500 to Michigan K-12 schools for the transportation cost of an arts and culture-related field trip. The destination or performance must be chosen by the school from a list of organizations affiliated with MCACA.
This is the second year of this program. In Fiscal Year 2010, MCACA funded 146 schools, benefitting more than 17,000 students. The need for this funding is staggering. Last year’s applications revealed significant decreases or no field trip funding available in their districts, coupled with increasing inability for parents to pay for these valuable experiences. Cultural institutions have also seen their audience and visitor numbers drop substantially, and research shows that the single largest factor in building adult audiences at cultural events is exposure as a child.
This program is an attempt to stem this downward cycle and improve educational experiences. An elementary music teacher wrote, “I can teach them songs, I can teach them the beat and the notes and even how to play some instruments. I can play CDs of famous symphonies and arias, and tell them about Bach and Beethoven. But what I cannot do within the confines of my classroom is give them a true aesthetic experience of a live performance of top notch musicians.”
The application and list of organizations can be found at www.themedc.org/arts under “Grant Program.” Deadline to apply is January 15, 2011, for trips that take place March 1, 2011, through May 30, 2011. For more information contact Carolyn Damstra, Program Manager, damstrac@michigan.org, (517) 241-3968 or (517) 241-4011.
The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs serves to encourage, develop and facilitate an enriched environment of artistic, creative and cultural activity in Michigan. For more information on our initiatives and programs, visit www.themedc.org/arts. Become a fan on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/bgeWqP
Cynthia Cote
Executive Director
Copper Country Community Arts Center
126 Quincy Street Hancock, MI 49930
906.482.2333