Connect to Federal Arts Resources

While the Federal agencies that focus on the arts (National Endowment for the Arts) and education (U.S. Department of Education) do not provide the lion's share of direct funding to local school districts and arts agencies, they are important leaders in establishing a respect and value for arts education. The statements their leaders make, the publications they produce, and the programs that they do support�often to test innovative ideas�send important messages that inform officials on the state and local level. And arts supporters are increasingly savvy about using general education funds (funds not explicitly labeled for the arts) for the arts�because arts education, provided seriously, is good education and good for education.

"No Subject Left Behind" is a user-friendly guide to the 2001 Federal education act on how local and state organizations can secure arts education funding opportunities. Americans for the Arts, along with a dozen national arts service organizations, combed through the maze of programs in the newly
enacted education law "No Child Left Behind" to highlight funding opportunities for arts education at the local and state levels. (Upated May 2002).

Americans for the Arts is a member of the Arts Education Partnership, which has created online links to resources in categories that include funding opportunities and other arts education organizations.