Shakespeare in American Communities: Schools Grant Program (US)

Program Specifications

• Each Shakespeare in American Communities: Schools project must meet these requirements:
  • Perform a play written by (or inspired by) William Shakespeare; an adaptation of Shakespeare’s text; or a production that incorporates scenes, monologues, and/or sonnets by Shakespeare:
    • The actors in the production must be professionals, paid at no less than the prevailing minimum compensation. (This requirement is in accordance with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor in part 505 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations.) It is not required that actors be part of an Actors’ Equity contract.
    • Performances may be held in a theater company’s facility, a school, a community venue, or virtually.
  • Conduct educational activities with young audiences that explore and address Shakespeare’s work in modern context:
    • Activities must be led by experienced teaching artists, educators, or actors with strong credentials and training.
    • Examples include workshops, pre- or post-performance discussions/talkbacks, curriculum-based residencies, or other activities that offer interaction between students and teaching artists or actors. Study guides do not qualify as an activity.
    • Activities must be related to the production being performed for students.
    • Virtual and/or pre-recorded activities are eligible as long as students have the opportunity to interact live and in real-time with teaching artists in some capacity.
  • Reach five or more middle and/or high school-age, underserved audiences with performances and related educational activities:
    • Underserved refers to groups whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited relative to geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
    • Audiences could include, but are not limited to, communities of color, people with disabilities, older adults, rural areas, reservations, lower income communities, LGBTQ+ communities, veterans, and justice-impacted citizens.
  • Participate in virtual and in-person convenings with other grantees:
    • Arts Midwest will host several virtual and one in-person networking and professional development convenings for Shakespeare in American Communities grantees. Travel, lodging, and limited food costs for one company representative will be covered by Arts Midwest for the in-person convening at the end of the grant cycle.

Funding Information

• Applicants may request a grant ranging from $15,000 to $25,000.
• Programming must take place between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026.

Eligible Expenses

• Eligible expenses are those that directly relate to your programming. Examples include:
  • Artistic fees for actors, directors, designers, choreographers, etc.
  • Production costs of props, costumes, set, etc.;
  • Travel costs associated with touring productions or artist travel
  • A prorated portion of staff salaries
  • Printing and marketing expenses;
  • Other direct costs associated with the production and educational programming.

Ineligible Expenses

• Unallowable costs include, but are not limited to:
  • Refreshments, concessions, food, and alcohol.
  • Fellowships or cash prizes.
  • Payment for facilities, purchase of capital equipment, or non-project related administrative expenses.
  • Overlapping project costs between federal awards, whether received directly from a federal agency or indirectly, such as through a state agency or other entity.
  • Entertainment costs, such as opening parties, receptions, or fundraisers designed to raise funds for your own organization and on behalf of another person, organization, or cause.
  • Programs restricted to any organization’s membership; programs must be promoted and available to the general public.

Eligibility Criteria

• Shakespeare in American Communities welcomes applications from 501c3 non-profit professional theater companies located in the U.S. or the Native Nations that share this geography and:
  • Have a minimum of two years’ experience providing professional performances and related educational activities to middle and/or high schools.
  • Do not have overdue reports or funding moratoria with Arts Midwest.
  • Have a UEI [Unique Entity ID] number, by late April 2025 in order to receive grant funds.

Selection Criteria

• Grantees are selected based on:
  • Artistic excellence and merit of programming: The panel will review the evidence of sound artistic decisions, the professional team of artists and staff, the rationale for choosing the play, the production’s viewpoint and themes, and the relevance of the programming to today’s youth.
  • Depth of audience engagement: The panel will consider the plan for workshops, talkbacks, and performances insofar as the depth of engagement with students, plans for reaching schools from underserved communities, and the consideration of the needs of students of different backgrounds, abilities, ages, and learning styles.
  • Planning for success: The panel will evaluate the plan for using the grant funds; goals that are clearly stated and align with the intent of Shakespeare in American Communities: Schools and the feasibility to reach five or more schools with educational programming.
  • Resource management: The panel will consider the applicant’s ability to manage and implement a federal award. This could include organization expertise; proven fiscal responsibility; etc.

Application Requirements

• Applicant organization details (EIN, UEI number, annual operating budget, mission statement, organization location information, publicity name)
• Primary contact information
• Short summary of project activities (250 words)
• Project start and end dates
• The name of the production/play
• Grant request amount

For more information, visit Arts Midwest.