The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will receive a grant of $20,500 from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission to be applied toward arts programs in the 2015-16 school year, according to a release provided by the commission.
The grant provided is to be matched by school district funds, allowing for extensive support of arts programs, and are just part of a total of $560,000 grants the commission has pledged to districts across Los Angeles County.
The funds will pay for L.A.-based nonprofit Dancing Classrooms to hold artists in residency programs across the district’s fifth grade classrooms. The grant is provided by L.A. County’s arts education initiative and is available courtesy of Arts for All.
In 2002, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors founded Arts for All to serve as a partnership between the L.A. County Office of Education and the L.A. County Arts Commission. Arts for All is committed to maintaining the presence of arts throughout all years of a child’s education.
“We are committed to supporting school districts in their efforts to implement comprehensive K-12 arts education,” said Arts for All Director Denise Grande in the release.
The grants help schools address their most pressing arts needs, helping to provide a balanced education for all students in the district.