Attendees to the October 15 announcement included state and local representatives, CAP students and families. L to R: CAP String Orchestra students; CAP Dance Ensemble member and student speaker A’laiya Crew and her mother Montoya Crew; FL Rep. Kiyan Michael; Rev. Kimberly Hyatt, CAP President & CEO; FL House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan; FL. State Senator Clay Yarborough | Photo by Marian Puckett
The Cathedral Arts Project (CAP) today announced $3.95 million in new federal, state and philanthropic funding that will significantly expand arts education opportunities in Northeast Florida and, for the first time, extend its model to classrooms nationwide through educator professional development.
Among the grantors and funding partners are the U.S. Department of Education, the State of Florida and private national foundations. The U.S. Department of Education awarded CAP a $2.55 million Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) grant, the largest government grant in CAP’s history and its first direct federal education award. CAP is one of only 12 organizations nationwide selected for the highly competitive AAE grant, which will fund three years of arts education programming and professional development for educators.
In addition, CAP received a $991,758 one-year state appropriation through the Florida Department of Education, bringing its combined federal and state funding to more than $3.54 million. Philanthropic funding includes significant investment from individuals and national funders, among them the Hearst Foundations ($100,000 for Emerging Artists Programs), the Find Your Light Foundation ($50,000 to provide professional development and program infrastructure), and an anonymous national foundation, whose $260,000 matching gift will strengthen CAP’s long-term transformational philanthropy and public awareness efforts.
A Nationwide Plan for Arts Integration
The federal and state funding is projected to reach 2,900 students in Northeast Florida. Over the three-year federal grant, CAP will also provide ongoing professional development to 70 educators nationwide, who are expected to reach another 4,200 students by incorporating CAP’s arts-integrated teaching practices into their own classrooms. Together, the federal and state funding is expected to reach more than 7,000 students across Northeast Florida and beyond.
CAP’s national professional development initiative will serve general education teachers, special education professionals, school administrators, homeschool and microschool educators and teaching artists. Training will be offered virtually and, where possible, in person throughout the three-year grant period. CAP will also develop a digital curriculum database featuring lesson plans, instructional videos and examples of student work, giving educators across the country resources to bring arts integration into their learning environments. In the initiative’s second year, a local conference or learning event is planned to bring educators together to share best practices.
“What began with 10 students in Duval County has grown through the extraordinary commitment of a community that believes every child deserves access to the arts,” said the Rev. Kimberly Hyatt, CAP President and CEO. “Seeing what Jacksonville helped build now recognized and supported at the state and national levels reflects growing confidence in the power of arts education to unlock the potential of every child. We are incredibly grateful to the educators, families, partners and supporters who made this growth possible, and proud to carry what we have built here into classrooms across the country.”
Historic Grant Builds on CAP’s Successful Campaign
The new funding builds on the momentum of CAP’s REIMAGINE campaign, which surpassed its expanded $26 million goal to reach more students, expand upon the organization’s Teaching Artist Fellowship model and bolster its student exhibitions and performances, this past August. The historic campaign reflects years of support from individuals, businesses and foundations locally and nationally, helping lay the groundwork for CAP’s continued growth and expanded reach.
“REIMAGINE challenged us to think bigger about what is possible through arts education,” said Mark LaBorde, chair of CAP’s REIMAGINE campaign cabinet. “We believe investing in arts education is an investment in the future of our community. To see that momentum now build through unprecedented support from government and philanthropy at both the state and national levels shows that the ambition behind REIMAGINE was only the beginning.”
The announcement was made Thursday at CAP’s downtown Jacksonville headquarters alongside students, families, board members, community leaders and elected officials.
About the Cathedral Arts Project
The Cathedral Arts Project, Inc. is a nationally recognized nonprofit provider of arts education and therapeutic programs for children and young adults in Northeast Florida. Learn more at capkids.org.
