Federal Grants for After-School Programs

Got an amazing after-school program? Then apply for a "Coming Up Taller" grant, which honors after-school programs that use the arts and humanities to enrich the lives of at-risk children.

Administered by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the program distributes 10 awards of $10,000 each year to nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and federally designated tribal communities. Candidates must have after-school activities that offer children "safe places to go, new learning opportunities, chances to contribute to their community, and ways to take responsibility for their own futures."

One of last year's winners, for example, was Artists in Training, a program developed by the Opera Theater of Saint Louis to give high school singers an opportunity to receive operatic training from celebrated voice teachers. In 1998, a grant was awarded to the Inner-City Arts After-School Program in Los Angeles, which was created in response to school budget cuts. The program transformed a former auto body shop into an artistic haven for children from 14 local elementary schools. The grant initiative is in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for Humanities. For guidelines, eligibility, and an application, visit www.cominguptaller.org.