In 2004, retired Rhode Island art educator Karel Greenblatt Gertsacov endowed the Arts in Academics Fund to support educational projects that integrate art disciplines into other core academic subjects. Successful Arts in Academics projects create collaborations among artists and educators and promote the arts as an integral part of the learning process. This fund is not intended to support performances where students are passive participants. Literacy projects are generally not funded unless they are exceptionally creative and include other core academic subjects.

Grant amounts typically range from $500 to $1,000. Potential projects might include:

• Collaboration between artist and educator: An architect and a math teacher help students learn about scale by reading and using rulers when building a scale model.
• Field trips: Students take a trip to the zoo to study symmetrical patterns as they relate to mathematics. (Trips may not be for entertainment purposes, but must serve an academic need.)
• Professional training: A teacher attends a workshop or other course in critical/creative problem-solving to expand arts literacy skills and incorporate its principles into other core academic areas.

Any K-12 public school teacher, including public charter school teachers, artist, or nonprofit organization is eligible to apply as long as the proposed project benefits Rhode Island public school children. Grants may be used for stipends, materials, equipment, honorariums, and other costs associated with implementing the project. (Funds may only be used to support performances or exhibitions that are the result of the grant project.) The project described in the proposal should take place between January and December of 2025. An evaluation of the project must be submitted at its conclusion.

Review of proposals

Proposals will be reviewed using the following criteria:

• Level of arts integration into core academic subject matter
• Innovativeness, creativeness and practicality of the project
• Educational merit and academic excellence
• Group size and impact on participating children and school
• Access to other funding sources

Application deadline

Applications must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. (EST) on October 28, 2024. 

To apply

Please complete an application through our online system. Applications are available six weeks prior to the deadline.

To complete an application that is already in progress, and to submit, please click here.