School-Based Direct Learning Grants support arts instruction for students, pre-K through 12th grade, that result in increased knowledge and skills in the arts. Projects should engage students in direct learning over an extended period to increase their proficiency in and understanding of an artistic discipline, genre, or form. All grants require a nonfederal match of at least 1 to 1. For example, if an organization receives a $10,000 grant, the total eligible project costs must be at least $20,000 and the organization must provide at least $10,000 toward the project from nonfederal sources. Grants generally will range from $10,000 to $100,000. No grants will be made below $10,000. 

Arts Education Grants (artSTART) support the role that local cultural organizations and individual artists play in engaging K-12 public school students in rich, artistic learning experiences. CNY Arts supports collaborative partnerships between artists and organizations in public schools in Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego counties.

The artSTART grant is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts. Grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 support artist-student activities that occur during the normally defined school day and connect to New York State Learning Standards for the arts.

This annual award recognizes and celebrates the achievements of arts initiatives that serve students in grades 6–12 and that promote student learning and creativity in exemplary and innovative ways. Awards of $5,000 are given to model programs in three categories: Arts Integration, Equity Through the Arts, and Civic Engagement/Professional Partnerships. Awards are given to winning schools to support the continuation and growth of their arts programs. 

Crayola, in partnership with the National Association of Elementary School Principals, will award up to twenty grants of $2,500 each in support of innovative creative leadership team-building programs at the elementary school level. In addition, each program will receive an in-kind grant of Crayola products valued at $1,000. To be eligible, school principals must be a member of NAESP.

Examples of creative leadership projects include building a creativity professional development plan that includes a series of workshops delivered by teachers, for teachers; bringing in an arts organization that has expertise in integrating art across the curriculum and having a series of training workshops followed up by co-teaching sessions so the information gets embedded into classroom teachers' practices; and organizing grade-level creativity teams who have monthly collaboration meetings where they design lessons and coach each other to implement art-infused cross-curricular lessons.

Established by children's book author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation accepts applications from public schools and public libraries anywhere in the United States and its territories for program or event mini-grants of up to $500.The mini-grants program is intended to support projects that foster creative expression, collaboration, and interaction with a diverse community. The funding program provides an opportunity for educators, whose efforts are often inadequately funded or recognized, to create special activities outside the standard curriculum and make time to encourage their students. Projects funded in the past include murals, pen pal groups, quilts, theater productions, newspapers and other publications, intergenerational activities, and programs that bring disparate communities together. Public schools and public libraries are eligible to apply. Preschool head start programs also are eligible. Only public organizations are eligible; private and parochial schools should not apply. Charter schools also are ineligible. Only one application from each library or school will be considered.