Dorian De Long Arts and Music Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Dorian De Long Arts and Music Scholarship

Description

The Dorian De Long Arts and Music (DDAM) Grant supports arts programming that benefits PK–12 students and their communities. It provides targeted, short-term funding to bring visual art, music, or theater into classrooms and nearby community settings in ways that strengthen students’ learning and encourage ongoing community support. Projects funded by DDAM should demonstrate the educational value of arts experiences and promote broader access to high-quality arts learning. Awards are intended for direct project impact rather than general school operating costs.

- **Purpose:** Support arts programming that directly benefits PK–12 students and their communities.
- **Focus areas:** Visual art, music, theater (and arts integration).
- **Scope:** Classroom- and student-centered activities that build sustained arts engagement.
- **Funding intent:** Project-specific, not general operating support.

Goals

DDAM seeks to expand equitable, sustained access to arts education and to connect young people with professional artists. The grant emphasizes work with youth ages 4–18, prioritizing those with limited access to high-quality arts learning. It also aims to increase awareness of arts education’s impact so that financial and curricular resources grow statewide. Projects should therefore model effective arts learning and encourage community investment.

- **Access:** Strengthen regional efforts for sustained arts access to all students.
- **Engagement:** Provide in-school or community-based learning with professional artists for youth.
- **Equity:** Prioritize students with limited or no sustained arts opportunities.
- **Advocacy:** Heighten awareness of arts education’s impact to attract more resources.

Eligibility

To apply, applicants must be educators working in Colorado-based nonprofit PK–12 public schools. Awarded funds must be used for classroom- or student-facing project expenses directly tied to the proposed arts activity. Individual artists, nonprofit partners, or school-based teams may participate in project delivery, but the applicant must meet the school-based eligibility criteria. Applications that do not meet the location or institutional requirements will be ineligible.

- **Who can apply:** Educators at Colorado nonprofit PK–12 public schools.
- **Location requirement:** Projects must serve students within Colorado.
- **Use-of-funds requirement:** Funds must support classroom/student instruction for the proposed project.
- **Ineligibility trigger:** Applicants outside the specified school type or location.

Award Value

DDAM awards range from $1,000 to $3,000 per project to cover focused arts activities and resources. The grant amount is intended to support projects that occur over a sustained period (ideally six weeks or longer) and that include materials, artist fees, or instructional resources required for meaningful learning. Applicants should request amounts aligned to the project’s scope and justify budget items in the application. Smaller grants geared toward clear, measurable student outcomes are encouraged.

- **Award range:** $1,000–$3,000 per project.
- **Purpose:** Fund direct project costs that enable sustained arts learning.
- **Budgeting:** Request amounts proportional to project scope and needs.
- **Expectation:** Funds support measurable, student-centered outcomes.

Permitted Uses

DDAM funds may be used for project implementation and direct instructional needs that serve students in the classroom or immediate learning setting. Eligible expenses include arts-integrated instruction, materials and supplies directly tied to student learning, artist fees or stipends, and instructional resources required for the project. All expenditures must be directly connected to the students’ learning experiences and the project’s stated objectives. Projects that charge participant fees are not allowed.

- **Project implementation:** Arts-based or arts-integrated instruction costs.
- **Materials:** Supplies directly related to student learning activities.
- **Artist compensation:** Fees or stipends for teaching artists.
- **Instructional resources:** Curriculum materials and learning aids used by students.

Ineligible Uses

DDAM explicitly excludes funds for general or unrelated institutional costs and for items that do not serve direct student instruction. Prohibited expenses include general operating expenses, capital improvements (such as building renovation), administrative salaries not tied to the project, equipment not used directly in instruction, and any participant fees. Applications that request these items will be considered ineligible.

- **No operating costs:** General, ongoing school operating expenses are excluded.
- **No capital projects:** Facility construction or renovation is not fundable.
- **No unrelated salaries:** Administrative salaries not directly tied to project delivery are excluded.
- **No participant fees:** Programs that charge students or families may not receive funding.

Project Design

Projects may draw from any arts and culture discipline—visual arts, music, theater, dance, literary arts, folk/traditional arts, or interdisciplinary practices—and arts-integration approaches are welcome. Successful projects are sustained (ideally six weeks or longer), youth-centered, and responsive to the specific needs and identities of participating students; youth should have input into project design and evolution. Projects must fill a clear gap in school or community offerings and be highly accessible (no participation fees and in reachable locations). Applicants should build in evaluation and communication plans to measure and share project impact.

- **Discipline scope:** Any arts genre or interdisciplinary approach accepted.
- **Duration:** Prefer sustained engagement (six weeks or more) for depth.
- **Youth-centered:** Students should help shape the project and its outcomes.
- **Accessibility & evaluation:** No fees for participants; include evaluation and reporting.

Examples of Projects

DDAM supports varied, classroom-focused projects that bring arts learning to life for students. Examples include students designing and painting a school mural that reflects school culture; a visiting musician collaborating with youth at a community center to create original songs; or students writing and producing a one-act play with guidance from a theater teaching artist. These illustrations show how projects can be flexible in form but focused on student authorship, professional artist partnership, and measurable learning outcomes.

- **Mural projects:** Student-created murals reflecting school or community identity.
- **Music residencies:** Visiting musicians co-creating original music with youth.
- **Theater productions:** Student-written and produced plays guided by teaching artists.
- **Common features:** Student voice, professional artist involvement, measurable outcomes.

Application Timeline (2025)

The next DDAM application cycle opens September 1, 2025, with applications due by October 1, 2025. Award notifications will be issued on January 1, 2026, and funded projects should take place between February 1 and June 30, 2026. Grantees must submit a final report within 30 days of project completion and no later than July 31, 2026. Applicants should plan their schedules and budgets to align with these dates and allow time for evaluation and reporting.

- **Open:** September 1, 2025 (applications begin).
- **Deadline:** October 1, 2025 (application due date).
- **Notifications:** January 1, 2026 (award announcements).
- **Project window & reporting:** Feb 1–June 30, 2026 (project dates); final report due within 30 days or by July 31, 2026.

History of the Award

Named for Dorian De Long, the DDAM Grant was created to honor and continue a commitment to quality arts education for young people. The program centers on small, targeted investments that model effective arts instruction and can be replicated or scaled by schools and communities. Rather than funding large infrastructure or long-term staffing, the grant is intended to catalyze accessible, high-impact projects that demonstrate arts education’s value. Over time, the grant aims to build evidence and advocacy that expand arts opportunities statewide.

- **Namesake:** Honors Dorian De Long’s commitment to arts and education.
- **Program model:** Small, catalytic grants that demonstrate replicable arts learning.
- **Long-term aim:** Build evidence and advocacy for broader, equitable arts access.