Leonard and Renee Minsky Fund for Arts Education

Purpose

The Leonard and Renee Minsky Fund for Arts Education supports professional artists to work with teachers to bring arts into the classrooms of grades 3-5 in the public schools of Penobscot and Washington counties.

Criteria and Priorities

All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements. Please read our eligibility and grant guidelines before submitting an application.

Criteria

To receive a grant:

• The proposal must serve grades three through five in the public schools of Penobscot and Washington counties
• Teachers must work with professional artists from the visual and/or performing arts, including but not limited to film, video, and other media, theater arts, music, dance, and creative writing to design a program in which teachers and students will learn through participating in the art form with the artist
• The program that is developed must incorporate the arts in a meaningful way, helping the school meet the Maine Learning Results standards for visual and/or performing arts
• The professional artist(s) work(s) with all the students in the grade(s) participating in the project. 

Priorities

Priority will be given to:

• Proposals where teachers of the three grades work collaboratively to present one arts education unit. Elementary schools with enrollments of 100 or fewer students are encouraged to present one arts education unit for the school
• Proposals where the arts teachers participates in the design and implementation of the project, if they are available on staff.

Types of Funding

This program provides:

• Project grants for new or expanding projects.

Additional Information

Eligible Expenses

At least 75% of the funds awarded should be budgeted to the professional artist’s fees. The funds should be expended within the current academic year unless an extension is given by the Maine Community Foundation.

Ineligible Expenses

Funds may not be used for:

• See “What we will not fund, without exception” on our eligibility and grant guidelines page.

Additional Assistance

Classroom teachers who have ideas about possible arts education units and need assistance in connecting with appropriate professional artists, please consider talking with the following:

• PK-12 Teaching Artist Roster
• Susan Potters, Maine Alliance for Arts Education

Background

The Minskys are Bangor residents with a deep love of music and the arts. Renee Minsky ran a children’s theater program in public school for 30 years. Recognizing the important role the arts can play in a student’s development, they established this fund to support links between professional artists and public schools. Read more about them here.