Thriving Cultures Guidelines for Current Arts Program Grantees Eligible for Renewals in their Current Funding Cycle

Until further notice, applicants can apply using the following Guidelines. Please note that these Guidelines will be revised when the new initiatives are introduced later this year.

I. To promote teens' artistic advancement

There is a lack of rigorous, high quality art-making opportunities available to the teen population, just at a time in their lives when they most need increased possibilities for artistic self- expression, explorations of what they are capable of, who they are, and where they belong.

We seek to improve the artistic skills of teens, complemented by improved life skills, and increase the motivation and ability of underserved teens to achieve artistic advancement. Long-term, we expect that teens from many cultures will contribute to the evolution of new art forms.

Examples of our grantmaking interests are programs in which:

• Young people have increasingly complex opportunities to create art with accomplished artist-leaders.
• Artists work with the same young people long-term, perhaps over three years or more.
• Strong mentoring relationships develop.
• Young people, gifted in an art form, who would otherwise be unprepared for professional training, gain the necessary skills for advancement.
• Young people explore difficult personal or community issues through art-making with accomplished artists.
• Arts, professional training, academic and community institutions, in various combinations, collaborate, strengthening both students and institutions.
• Artists, as well as students, create art.

II. To strengthen the quality of training that organizations and their arts faculty provide, as well as students' access to it

In high quality programs, sustainability often is difficult: for example, maintaining adequate resources and encouraging high quality teaching. Also, arts training institutions serving teens often are segregated and lack socio-economic and racial diversity.

We seek to help arts organizations and schools maintain adequate resources and high-quality teaching, and to make these resources available to more underserved teens - thereby broadening the range of artistic voices in society. We also seek to encourage faculty and staff diversity.

Examples of Surdna's grantmaking interests are programs in which:

• Intensive art-making programs occur in a combination of professional artists' studios, students' schools and other appropriate settings.
• Students experience consistent, frequent access to an arts institution's strongest arts assets.
• High quality, experienced, faculty and guest artists introduce diverse cultural and contemporary art-making approaches.
• Professional artistic development opportunities are created for arts teachers, and administrators.
• Programs offer increasingly complex and demanding art-making experiences.
• Leadership and staff re-assess program quality and effectiveness and implement needed changes.
• There is unwavering institutional commitment to the teens, making resources and staff consistently available.

For both goals, evidence of significant or expanding access for students from disadvantaged communities to these high quality programs is essential for consideration.