Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Program, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.351A | ED GRANTS 081125 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 081125 001

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.351A) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education designed to strengthen and expand arts education for K-12 students. The program is explicitly meant to reach students who may have fewer opportunities, including disadvantaged students and students with disabilities, by supporting projects that improve teaching and learning in the arts and broaden access to high-quality arts instruction and resources. While the public-facing description is a synopsis, applicants are expected to rely on the official Federal Register notice for the complete requirements, priorities, performance measures, and submission details, along with the Department of Education Common Instructions for discretionary grants (Federal Register notice dated December 23, 2024).

At its core, the AAE program funds efforts that build stronger arts education systems through a few major activity types. One major focus is professional development, which can include training and capacity-building for arts educators as well as other school staff who influence arts learning, such as classroom teachers and principals. Another major focus is the creation and sharing of instructional materials and arts-based educational programming. These materials are expected to be accessible and may include online resources, and they can span multiple arts disciplines rather than being limited to a single art form. A third emphasis is outreach and partnership-building at the community and national levels, with the goal of strengthening ties among schools, local educational agencies (LEAs), community organizations, and arts institutions or centers, including national centers for the arts. In practice, the program is geared toward projects that do not operate in isolation, but instead build durable collaborations and scalable resources that can raise the quality and reach of arts education.

Eligibility is broad but includes a specific poverty-based rule for LEA applicants. Entities that may apply include: (1) an LEA where at least 20 percent of the students served are from families with incomes below the federal poverty line, (2) a consortium of such LEAs, (3) a State educational agency (SEA), (4) an institution of higher education, (5) a museum or cultural institution, (6) the Bureau of Indian Education, (7) an eligible national nonprofit organization, or (8) another private agency, institution, or organization. The poverty threshold requirement applies when the applicant is an LEA (or consortium of LEAs), and it is tied to U.S. Census poverty estimates for children ages 5 to 17 living within the LEA boundaries, using the most recent Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) data published by the Census Bureau.

The application includes specific documentation expectations depending on the applicant type. LEAs must include the most recent U.S. Census poverty data showing they meet the 20 percent threshold, and consortia must provide this evidence for each member LEA. Other entities that qualify as LEAs in certain contexts (such as county offices of education, education service districts, or regional service education agencies) must provide the most recent Census data for each individual LEA they serve. Charter schools that cannot be matched to SAIPE data must instead rely on an SEA determination, aligned with how the SEA determines Title I eligibility for allocations, that at least 20 percent of students ages 5 to 17 in the charter school LEA are from families below the poverty line; in those cases, the applicant must submit documentation from a state certifying official confirming the SEA determination for each LEA not listed in SAIPE.

For nonprofit applicants, the Department points to standard federal rules for proving nonprofit status (34 CFR 75.51). Acceptable documentation can include IRS recognition under 501(c)(3), certification from a state taxing authority or attorney general, incorporation documents that clearly establish nonprofit status, or documentation tied to a parent organization with a statement confirming the applicant is a local affiliate. The notice also makes clear that faith-based organizations may apply and receive awards on the same basis as other private organizations, consistent with federal grant regulations.

From the opportunity record provided, the grant is categorized as a discretionary grant under the Department of Education, with an expected number of awards listed as 4. The opportunity number is ED GRANTS 081125 001, and the original closing date is August 25, 2025. The synopsis does not specify an award ceiling in the text provided, so applicants would need to consult the Federal Register application notice for funding ranges, project periods, matching requirements (if any), and any competition priorities or selection criteria that could affect how proposals are scored.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) Program, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.351A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.351.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-08-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 081125 001

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