Arts & Education Council Invites Teachers to Apply for Maritz Grants

The Arts and Education Council announced this weekend that it has received a $30,000 donation from Maritz to fund the third year of the highly successful and award-winning Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers. The money will be used by A&E to provide grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 for education projects in individual schools and nonprofit education organizations during the 2012-13 academic year.

“We want to continue to provide the opportunity for students and teachers to maximize their creative potential within an educational setting and help lay the groundwork for them in their future higher-learning endeavors,” said Debbie Schirmer, senior community affairs manager, at Maritz. “We are extremely pleased with the results of the first two years of this program. We’re thrilled that so many of these students have been recognized and awarded college scholarships to continue on with their arts education.”

Maritz grants have benefited elementary, middle and high schools and have exposed students to new art forms and media. This past academic year a $5,000 grant awarded to McCluer High School to fund a student production of the musical Dreamgirls led to $156,000 in performing arts scholarships for the cast and crew. The students earned their scholarships through The Cappies, “Critics and Awards Program,” following rave reviews of their production. The McCluer students and their teacher even had the opportunity to meet Jennifer Holliday, Tony®-award winning actress who originated the role of Effie on Broadway, cast and crew members backstage prior to The Muny’s production of the same show in July.

In addition to McCluer, nine other St. Louis Metropolitan area schools received a Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers grant in 2011-2012. Maritz, in collaboration with the Arts and Education Council, awarded a total of $20,000 in grants ranging from $150 to $5,000 to support special projects and opportunities that encouraged creativity in the classroom. These schools included: Churchill Center & School for Learning Disabilities; Gibson Elementary School; Hancock Place Elementary School; McCluer High School; O’Fallon Township High School; Orchard Farm Middle School; Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School; Our Lady of Providence School; St. Mary’s High School and St. Patrick School. During the program’s inaugural year in 2010-2011, $16,000 was awarded to six programs throughout the area.

The unique funding program enables teachers to apply directly for a grant. Awards are granted at the beginning of the school year. In January 2012, the Gateway Center for Giving awarded Maritz its 2011 “Giving is On Time Award,” part of its Excellence in Grantmaking program, for the Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers. This award recognizes grantmakers who provide funding to meet the immediate needs of nonprofits and clients in the community, or worked closely with a nonprofit to help them realign their programs and strategies to better meet the needs of their clients and the community during these difficult economic times.

“We are incredibly excited about the growth and success of this program during these past two years, especially during a period when education has experienced dramatic budget cuts in the arts,” said Cynthia A. Prost, president of the Arts and Education Council. “The positive results of this program will have lasting effects on many of these students for years to come as they continue on with their higher education.”

The Arts and Education Council is currently accepting applications for the Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers. Deadline to apply is Friday, September 7, 2012. Grants will be made only for programs that take place in the 16-county, bi-state St. Louis metropolitan region (Missouri: Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, St. Louis City and County, St. Charles, Warren and Washington. Illinois: Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair) from October 15, 2012 to June 14, 2013.

Grant announcements will be made by October 12, 2012. Applicants may visit A&E’s website at www.KeepArtHappening.org for more information. To see how the Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers grants are changing lives for the better, please visit http://keeparthappening.org/money/maritz/. For images of McCluer High School’s production of DREAMGIRLS, please visit artsandeducation.zenfolio.com/dreamgirls.org.