Arts & Foreign Language

The Arts and Foreign Language Education Grant (AFL) is a multi-year program designed to assist school districts and other eligible applicants with the planning and implementation of new or enhanced curricular programs in the Arts or Foreign Language. The program’s purpose is to support these curricular areas in schools, with an emphasis on ensuring that they become part of the school’s core curriculum.

Funding is available for each curricular area for up to four years, with one year of planning and three years of implementation. The one-year Planning Assistance Grant is to develop district-based plans for initiating, strengthening, or expanding instruction in the arts or foreign language. The three-year Implementation Grant is to introduce, strengthen, or expand instruction in the arts or foreign language and to develop means of perpetuating the funded program with local resources after the conclusion of the grant period.

AFL is a joint initiative of the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).  For more information on this grant, contact Jerome Grand at Jerome.Grand@illinois.gov. 

Sign up here to be notified when this grant application opens. 

School districts, public university laboratory schools approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), charter schools, and area vocational centers are eligible to apply for the AFL grant program.

No grantee may receive more than one planning or implementation grant for the arts and one for foreign language under this grant program.

Applicants must include proof of eligibility at the time of application. 

AFL applicants must:

• Have a valid FEIN and UEI number
• Be pre-qualified in the state’s GATA system
  
• Apply utilizing a Salesforce account registered to the school, district, vocational center, etc.
  

TBD

Planning Assistance Grants: up to $40,000
Implementation Grants: up to $100,000 in year 1, up to $75,000 in year 2 and up to $50,000 in year 3

TBD

Who is eligible to apply?

School districts, public university laboratory schools approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), charter schools, and area vocational centers are eligible to apply. An applicant may only receive funding once for arts and once for foreign language.

What do the arts include?

The arts include visual arts, music, theatre, media arts, and dance.  For more information, consult the Illinois Arts Learning Standards.

What foreign languages are included?

Foreign language instruction focuses on the acquisition of another language beyond English.  For more information, consult the World Languages standards. 

Is a planning grant a prerequisite to receive an implementation grant? 

Receipt of a planning grant is not a prerequisite for the receipt of an implementation grant. Recipients of planning grants will be given priority consideration in the awarding of implementation grants.

Does the receipt of a Planning grant guarantee the receipt of an Implementation grant? 

No, Planning grant recipients must apply separately for the Implementation grant. 

Does the receipt of an Implementation grant guarantee three years of funding?

Funding in the subsequent years will be contingent upon sufficient appropriation for the AFL program and satisfactory progress in the preceding grant period.

The AFL grant program has two Request for Proposals (RFPs), one for Planning and one for Implementation. The RFPs are made available in the fall, usually alternating each year between Planning and Implementation and contingent upon sufficient appropriation for the program.