Applications for the Grants for Teachers program are open now through June 23. Chenango County educators can request up to $500 in grant funding to incorporate the arts into their curriculum. (Photo by Sarah Genter)

CHENANGO COUNTY — The Chenango Arts Council is accepting applications for the Grants for Teachers program now through June 23.

The program provides grants up to $500 to Chenango County educators to incorporate the arts into their curriculum.

Any teacher of any subject in grades Pre-K through 12 in Chenango County can apply for grant funding. The grants can be used for a new project or to incorporate the arts into existing curriculum.

Funding may be used for things like repairing or refurbishing equipment, purchasing materials, arts-related field trips, in-school performances, interactions with professional artists, arts-related staff development, STEAM workshops with a focus on the arts, and more.

"It just has to be to incorporate the arts, like it could be buying paints or going on a field trip or doing something with music. It’s open to anybody who wants to maybe add that to their curriculum," explained Chenango Arts Council Administrative Assistant Mary Beth Miller. "Our last grant cycle, a project was actually a botany class, and they did a lot of paintings of leaves and things like that, different kinds of leaves. The students really responded well to that and the teacher was really excited to continue with that project. It can be a new project or it can be to support an existing part of the curriculum."

She said incorporating the arts in non-artistic subjects can open new pathways for students to learn.