2025 SCDE Professional Learning Opportunities - Arts Teacher Institutes
Arts Curricular Innovation Grant Recipients 2024-2025
Arts Enhancement Program Grant Award Winners
Distinguished Arts Programs Grant Award Winners
Arts Curricular Innovation Grant Program Description
Distinguished Arts Program (DAP) and Arts Enhancement Program (AEP)
The South Carolina General Assembly annually allocates funds to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) for arts curricular programs under the Education Improvement Act (EIA). The SCDE administers these funds in accordance with the legislative proviso:
- 1A.8. (SDE-EIA: XII.A.1-Arts in Education) Funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, XIII.A.1. Arts Curricula shall be used to support innovative practices in arts education curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the visual and performing arts including dance, music, theatre, and visual arts which incorporates strengths from the Arts in Education sites. They shall also be used to support the advancement of the implementation of the visual and performing arts academic standards. These funds shall be distributed to schools and school districts under a competitive grants program; however, up to thirty-three percent of the total amount of the grant fund shall be made available as “Aid to Other Agencies” to facilitate the funding of professional development arts institutes that have been approved by the State Department of Education for South Carolina arts teachers, appropriate classroom teachers, and administrators. Arts Curricular Grants funds may be retained and carried forward into the current fiscal year to be expended in accordance with the proposed award. (2022-2023 General Appropriations Act, Proviso 1A.8.)
The purpose of the 2024-2025 Arts Curricular Innovation Grants (ACIG) is to assist schools and districts in developing and implementing arts initiatives that support quality arts education programs that significantly improve student achievement in the arts. ACIG funds must be used to develop quality comprehensive and sequential arts programs (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) that operate during the regular school day. The ACIG features three grant programs: Distinguished Arts Program (DAP), Arts Enhancement Program (AEP), and Arts Teacher Institutes (ATI).
Additional Resources & Information
2025-26 AEP Grant Information
2025-26 DAP Grant Information
Sample DAP Grant Application 1
Sample DAP Grant Application 2
Sample AEP Grant Application 1
Sample AEP Grant Application 2
CLIA Lesson Plan Format and Explanation
