Illinois e-News Release

Thursday, October 5, 2023

The Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA), in cooperation with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), is pleased to announce that funding is available for school districts and other eligible applicants in fiscal year 2024 (FY24) with the Arts and Foreign Language Education Planning Assistance Grant.

The Arts and Foreign Language Education Grant Program (AFL) is designed to assist school districts and other eligible applicants with the development or enhancement of curricular programs in the arts or foreign language. AFL was established by the Illinois state legislation in 2006. It enables the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the Illinois State Board of Education to provide grants to eligible applicants for the purpose of supporting arts and foreign language education in schools, with an emphasis on ensuring that these areas become part of the school’s core curriculum. Funding is available in each discipline for up to four years, with one year of planning and three years of implementation.

The Illinois Arts Council Agency has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from eligible applicants that seek resources to develop district-based plans for initiating, strengthening, or expanding instruction in the arts or foreign language. Annual grant awards will not exceed $40,000 depending on programmatic needs, size of district, and level of planning to take place. Proposals are due December 5, 2023.

An online, interactive informational webinar about the Arts and Foreign Language Education Planning Assistance Grant, designed to provide technical assistance on the RFP and answer questions about the process, will be held Wednesday, October 25, at 1 PM.

To access the RFP and register for the webinar, visit www.arts.illinois.gov/AFL.