$10,000 Arts Education Grants for Local Schools Offered by Young Audiences New Jersey

Public Schools throughout New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania are eligible; October 9^th deadline for schools to apply

PRINCETON, N.J., September 9, 2014—At a time when schools throughout the region are reeling from budget cuts, Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania (YANJ/EP) and Target continue to provide some relief by offering arts education grants for up to $10,000. This five-year partnership has provided transformative arts experiences to thousands of children in challenged schools throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. 

• professional arts performances at their school
• in-depth, hands-on workshops with professional artists
• professional development to help teachers best use the arts in their classrooms
• assistance in creating a community event celebrating students’ work

All public, private and charter preschools, elementary and middle schools throughout New Jersey or in the  Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery and Philadelphia are eligible for the grants.  

“The grants come at a critical time, when schools throughout the area have cut back arts programs”, noted Larry Capo, President of Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania. “Many schools are committed to the value of arts education, but simply can’t afford it in this economy,” Capo said. “Our strong partnership with Target ensures that children will continue to receive quality arts experiences with professional working artists to develop their creative, innovative skills needed to succeed in learning and life.”

James Flynn, Principal at Burlington City High School shared, “We feel so fortunate to have received the YA Target Arts Education grant!  Our students learned important educational and life lessons through our involvement with Target and Young Audiences.”

This grant is part of Target’s ongoing efforts to build strong, safe and healthy communities across the country. These efforts include Target’s long history of giving 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million every week. As part of this commitment, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015 to help kids learn, schools teach and parents and caring adults engage.

In addition to the grant received by Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania, Target also gives through signature programs such as:

• Take Charge of Education, a school fundraising initiative that provides undesignated funds to local schools for whatever they need most, from books and school supplies to classroom technology.
• Arts Accessibility, free or reduced-price admission to arts and cultural events nationwide.
• Target School Library Makeovers, a program that leverages Target’s world-class design expertise to transform school libraries across the country with new construction, furniture, and technology, as well as 2,000 new books.
• Education Grants and Awards, including Books for Schools Awards, Target Field Trip Grants and Early Childhood Reading Grants, that provide schools, libraries, teachers and nonprofit organizations the resources they need to bring learning to life and put more kids on the path to graduation.

The YANJ/EP Target Arts Education Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis, with priority given to schools in financial need. The deadline for applications is October 9, 2014 at 3:00 pm. Winning schools will be notified via email or phone by October 21,2014.

For more information, and for grant applications, schools can visit www.yanj-yaep.org, or contact Liz Winter-Kuwornu at Young Audiences New Jersey, at 866-500-9265866-500-9265.

About Young Audiences - Founded in 1973, Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania is the premiere arts-in-education resource in the region, providing high-quality performances and artist-in-residence programs to nearly 500,000 children pre-kindergarten through 12th grade annually. Young Audiences’ extensive professional artist roster represents all art forms—from dance and theater to music, language and visual arts.