Short answer: Match each cost to the right source. Ask the district whether federal Title IV-A money can expand the arts program. Apply through the school for a state arts agency residency grant, with parent fundraising as the required cash match. Fund art supplies and sheet music as a yearly budget line, and big equipment such as a kiln through a sponsor or local grant, priced with installation. Pool everything the parent group raises for the whole program.
Art and music money comes in very different shapes: a box of clay every month, a kiln once a decade, a week with a visiting muralist. This guide is part of fundraising for school projects and covers the arts program as a whole: where the money comes from, how a parent group's fundraising becomes a grant match for a visiting artist, and how to pay for supplies versus equipment. Ensemble costs such as instruments, uniforms and trips are covered in the band and orchestra fundraising guide.
Where arts and music money comes from
Parent fundraising works best as the last piece, not the first. Find out what the district and outside funders will pay, then raise what's left, ideally as a match that brings in more.
| Source | Who applies | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| District budget | Principal, arts coordinator | Teachers, core supplies, instrument repair | Parent money shouldn't quietly replace what the district funds |
| Federal Title IV-A | District | Expanding the program: curriculum, staff time, arts partners, supplies | Supplemental only; the district decides how it is spent |
| State arts agency grants | Usually the school or district | Artist residencies, teaching artists' fees and materials | Cash match rules; some exclude large equipment and fundraising events |
| Local arts councils and foundations | School or parent group, per guidelines | Residencies, a mural, a kiln, a festival | Deadlines once or twice a year; final reports |
| Parent group | Parent group | Grant matches, supplies, extras | Pool the money for the whole program |
| Business sponsors | Parent group or school | A concert season, a kiln, a mural | Recognition rules in district policy |
A local funder's application usually needs a short budget and a clear outcome. The guide to grants for schools and parent groups shows how to find local funders and what a proposal needs.
Federal Title IV-A money for the arts
Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants) goes to school districts, and one of its purposes is a well-rounded education. Washington's state education agency, for example, says districts may use these funds to "implement or expand" arts programs, and it defines the arts as dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts. Its examples of allowable uses include arts curriculum and arts integration, hiring staff or adding time for existing staff, contracting with an arts organization, buying music, costumes and copyright permission, competition registration, professional learning, and supplies for enrichment activities.
Two points matter for parents. First, the district applies and decides; Washington's guidance tells interested staff or community members to contact the district's federal programs administrator. Second, the money must supplement, not supplant, existing state or local funds, so it is for growing a program, not replacing what the district already pays for. The size of each district's allocation depends on federal appropriations and changes from year to year, so ask what your district received before planning around it. States write their own guidance, so ask what applies in yours.
How a parent group can put a proposal in front of the district
- Find the right person
Ask the principal who manages federal programs for the district and when the yearly plan for Title IV-A is written. That window is the moment to be heard; after the plan is set, the money is usually committed.
- Bring one specific, new thing
A media arts elective, a teaching-artist partnership for a grade level, or a summer arts enrichment week. Something the program doesn't do now fits the supplement rule; a request to pay the existing art teacher doesn't.
- Show what it costs and who it reaches
A one-page outline with the cost, the number of students, the staff involved and how success would be judged is easier to approve than an idea.
- Offer what the parent group adds
Volunteers, an exhibition night, or a cash contribution toward a part federal money can't cover. That shows the community is invested without asking parents to fund the whole thing.
Artists-in-residence: where parent money becomes a match
A residency brings a professional artist into the school for several sessions with the same students: a mural with fourth graders, a week of hand drumming, a poetry unit ending in a reading. Many state arts agencies run some form of arts-in-education grant for this, and many require the school to put in cash of its own. That required cash is the most valuable thing a parent group can raise for an arts program, because every dollar unlocks more.
Two states, two sets of rules
North Dakota's fiscal 2027 Artist in Residence grant is a noncompetitive reimbursement program. It pays up to 90 percent of the project cost for Title I or 21st Century schools and 70 percent for other schools, with a cap of $3,000 (the same guidelines also list a $2,500 cap for non-Title I schools and out-of-state artists, so confirm the cap with the council). Residencies run 10 to 20 contact hours over 2 to 5 days. Public and private schools, school districts and certain nonprofits and public bodies may apply; parent groups aren't listed as applicants, but they can supply the match. The school needs a cash match of at least 10 percent if it is a Title I or 21st Century school and at least 30 percent otherwise. The match must be cash, not in-kind, and can't come from the state arts council, the National Endowment for the Arts or other federal funds. The budget form covers the artist's fee, lodging, travel, per diem and supplies; the program doesn't fund capital costs over $5,000, fundraising events, concerts or other performance-based activities, or projects that replace arts programs or teachers. Applications are due at least six weeks before the project starts.
Montana's fiscal 2027 Arts Education Residencies grants work differently. Awards range from $2,500 to $10,000, K-12 public schools are among the eligible applicants, and most applicants must match the grant one to one in cash. First-time applicants, tribal schools and the smallest schools (Class C or smaller) get a two-to-one match instead, so the grant covers two-thirds of the project. The fiscal 2027 round had a single deadline, March 19, 2026, for projects running from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, and the program doesn't set a fixed length: activities can take a single day or run over days, weeks or months. The lesson from the two: the same parent fundraiser can be worth a very different grant depending on your state's match ratio, applicant list and calendar, so read your own state's guidelines before you set a fundraising target.
Example A school that isn't a Title I school plans a $3,500 residency under a program like North Dakota's. Under a 70 percent grant share, the grant is $2,450 and the school's cash match is $1,050. The PTA commits $1,050 from its spring fundraiser in a letter the school attaches to the application. Each dollar the PTA raised brings about $2.33 of grant money with it. Under a one-to-one rule like Montana's standard match, the same $1,050 would support a $2,100 project, but the smallest award there is $2,500, so the school would need $2,500 in match for a $5,000 residency.
Finding and applying for your state's program
- Find your state arts agency's education program
Search for your state's arts council or arts commission and look for arts education, arts in schools or residency grants. The district arts coordinator often already knows the program and its contact.
- Read four things in the guidelines
Who may apply, the match ratio and whether it must be cash, the award range, and whether deadlines are rolling or once a year. Note what the grant won't pay for; equipment and fundraising events are common exclusions.
- Pick the artist with the teacher
Many state arts agencies keep a roster of approved teaching artists. Start there; some programs ask for extra paperwork if you choose someone off the roster.
- Confirm the applicant
The school or district usually applies. Get the principal's agreement and find out who signs and who will handle the money.
- Commit the match in writing
The parent group's board votes the match amount and sends a short letter to the school. Raise it before the residency, because many programs pay by reimbursement after the costs are incurred.
- Plan the final report from the start
Most programs want attendance, photos or student work, and a short evaluation. Assign a volunteer to collect them during the residency, not after.
Supplies versus equipment
Arts costs fall into two kinds that suit different money. Mixing them up is how a program ends up with a new kiln and no clay.
| Consumable supplies | Equipment | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Paper, paint, clay, glaze, reeds, strings, sheet music | A kiln, pottery wheels, a set of risers, a piano, display panels |
| How often | Every year, in step with enrollment | Once every several years, plus upkeep |
| Best money | A per-student line in the parent group's annual budget; a wish list for gaps | A sponsor, a local foundation grant or a named-gift campaign |
| State arts grants | Supplies tied to a residency are often allowed | May be excluded or capped |
| Before you raise | Ask the teacher for a per-student cost | Get the full installed price and district approval |
Recurring supplies
Supplies belong in the annual budget as a per-student amount, not in a one-off drive that leaves the spring short. Ask the art and music teachers what they spend per student beyond the district's allotment, multiply by enrollment, and fund that line before extras.
Example The art teacher estimates $6 per student beyond the district allotment for clay, glaze and paper. With 420 students, the PTA sets a $2,520 supply line. The music teacher asks for $600 for sheet music and replacement classroom percussion. The two lines total $3,120 and are funded from the fall fundraiser before any new project is considered.
Families can donate some materials: clean jars, fabric scraps, old magazines, cardboard tubes. Paints, solvents and glazes are different. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, federal law requires art materials sold to consumers to have their formulas reviewed for chronic health hazards under the ASTM D-4236 practice and to carry a statement that they conform to it. Accept chemical materials only in their original labeled containers, and let the teacher decide what goes into a classroom.
A kiln and other big equipment
Before raising a dollar for a kiln, ask the district's facilities office what installation needs: electrical work, ventilation and placement can cost as much as the kiln and may need district contractors. Get the full installed price and the district's approval, then raise for that total. Add a yearly upkeep line too: kiln elements wear out, pianos need tuning, and wheels need repair. Equipment bought with parent money usually becomes district property; the projects guide explains who owns what you buy and how to put the gift in writing. The budget worksheet keeps purchase, installation and upkeep lines separate.
Putting it together: one school's arts year
Here is how the pieces combine when a parent group plans the year around the arts program instead of a single purchase.
| Cost | Total | Parent group pays | Other source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art supplies (420 students at $6) | $2,520 | $2,520 | None |
| Sheet music and classroom percussion | $600 | $600 | None |
| Kiln ($3,200) plus electrical and venting ($1,800) | $5,000 | $0 | Business sponsor $2,500; local foundation grant $2,500 |
| Fourth-grade mural residency | $3,500 | $1,050 (match) | State arts grant $2,450 |
| Total | $11,620 | $4,170 | $7,450 |
Example The parent group raises $4,170 and the program receives $11,620 of value, because $7,450 comes from a sponsor, a foundation and a state grant that the parent group's work helped secure ($4,170 + $7,450 = $11,620). Separately, the principal proposes a media arts elective for Title IV-A funding, which costs the parent group nothing.
Concerts, shows and art sales as fundraisers
Arts programs have something most projects don't: a product families already want to see. These fit the program as a whole:
- A student art show with a silent auction. Frame a selection of work, or sell framed prints of student pieces with the families' permission.
- A concert with a dessert or bake table. Admission stays free; the table and a donation basket raise the money. Check the district's food rules for school-day sales on the fundraising calendar page.
- An evening gallery walk. Every class shows something, and the parent group announces what this year's money will pay for.
- A pledge event.An art-a-thon has students create for pledges; a school dance-a-thon suits a dance program.
- A mural or kiln sponsor. A local business funds a visible piece of the program and is thanked at every show; the sponsorship letter templates help with the ask.
Music at a fundraiser has copyright rules. Federal copyright law (17 U.S.C. 110(4)) exempts some live, nonprofit performances of nondramatic music where no performer, promoter or organizer is paid and either admission is free or the net proceeds go only to educational, religious or charitable purposes. When admission is charged, the copyright owner can still object in writing at least seven days before the performance. Plays and musicals need a license, and recording or streaming a concert needs separate permission; confirm with the district before selling tickets.
Keep the program open to every student
Pool what the parent group raises and spend it on the whole program: supplies every student uses, a residency for a whole grade, loaner materials for students who need them. Don't credit fundraising to individual students' fees; the clubs and teams guide explains why pooled funds matter. If the program charges fees for an elective or after-school class, offer waivers through the teacher or counselor, handled privately.
Grant rules, match requirements and Title IV-A uses differ by state and change each year. Read your state arts agency's current guidelines, ask the district's federal programs office what it allows, get facilities approval for equipment, and confirm music licensing for any ticketed show with the district.
Sources
- Well-Rounded Education: Title IV, Part A and the Arts, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (Washington) (accessed 2026-10-30)
- Artist in Residence Grant Program: Program Overview and Application Instructions, FY2027, North Dakota Council on the Arts (accessed 2026-10-30)
- Arts Education Residencies, FY27 Guidelines, Montana Arts Council (accessed 2026-10-30)
- Art Materials: Business Guidance, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (accessed 2026-10-30)
Frequently asked questions
How can a school raise money for its music program?
Start with what the district and outside funders will pay, then raise the rest. Ask whether Title IV-A funds can expand the program, apply through the school for state or local arts grants, and use parent fundraising for a grant match, sheet music and classroom instruments. A concert with a dessert table and a business sponsor for a season fit well. Pool everything for the whole program.
What are good fundraising ideas for a school art program?
A student art show with a silent auction of framed work, an art-a-thon where students create for pledges, a supply wish list at back-to-school night, and a business sponsor for big equipment such as a kiln. The most useful thing a parent group can do is often to raise the cash match for an artist-in-residence grant.
Can a PTA apply for an artist-in-residence grant?
It depends on the program. Some state arts agency grants are open to schools and districts rather than parent groups. North Dakota's, for example, lists schools, districts, certain nonprofits and public bodies as applicants, not PTAs or PTOs. The parent group can still make the project possible by providing the required cash match to the school.
Can a parent group get Title IV-A money for the arts?
Not directly. Title IV-A goes to the school district, which decides how to spend it within federal rules and its state's guidance. A parent group can bring the principal a specific proposal, such as a teaching-artist partnership or a new arts elective, before the district writes its yearly plan, and offer volunteers or events alongside it.
How do we pay for a kiln for the school art room?
Ask the district's facilities office for the full installed cost first, because electrical work and ventilation can cost as much as the kiln. With district approval, raise that total from a business sponsor, a local foundation grant or a named-gift campaign, and add a yearly line for replacement parts and repairs.