Thea's Art Closet
To date, Thea’s Art Closet has given more than $1.9 million in art supplies to hundreds of underfunded schools across the state, making the arts accessible for students in high-poverty areas and to classrooms with little-to-no budget for art supplies and other creative materials. Teachers may apply for funding two projects per semester (four projects per school year).
Thea Foundation partners with DonorsChoose, an online fundraising platform where teachers may post projects they’d like to complete with their students but for which they don’t have the funds to purchase the supplies.
Teachers, it only takes a few minutes to apply, and you could receive thousands of dollars in materials each year. DonorsChoose will walk you through the 6 easy steps to getting your supplies.
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HOW IT WORKS
When a teacher launches a project in Arkansas that teaches the arts or infuses the arts into another subject, Thea Foundation kicks in with up to half of the funding up front to encourage people to donate to the project and get it fulfilled faster. Once the project is approved by Thea Foundation and the matching grant applied, teachers may share it with their colleagues and friends and ask for donations, and DonorsChoose makes the project available to a global audience and to huge corporate and nonprofit donors. When a project is fulfilled, DonorsChoose quickly purchases and delivers the supplies directly to the school.
Need help getting your Thea's Art Closet project started?
Watch this step-by-step tutorial on how to submit your project for funding.
If you have any questions, please email Nick at nick@theafoundation.org.
Once you have created your project on DonorsChoose, email Nick Leopoulos at nick@theafoundation.org with a link to your project so that Thea Foundation may approve it.
Rules and Regulations:
Please thoroughly read the rules and regulations below before launching your project on DonorsChoose. A teacher is eligible to receive four Thea’s Art Closet grant per scholastic year, two during the first semester and two during the second semester. High school teachers are eligible for funding from Thea for up to $1,250 for a project valued at $2,500 or less. Middle school teachers are eligible for funding from Thea for up to $750 for a project valued at $1,500 or less. Elementary school teachers are eligible for funding from Thea for up to $500 for a project valued at $1,000 or less. Once you have created your project on DonorsChoose, email Nick Leopoulos at nick@theafoundation.org with a link to your project so that Thea Foundation may approve it.
Only teachers at public schools in the state of Arkansas qualify for funding from Thea's Art Closet. Multiple teachers in a singular school may apply. A teacher is eligible to receive four Thea’s Art Closet grant per scholastic year, two during the first semester and two during the second semester. High school grants are limited to arts instruction (studio and history) only. Middle school and elementary school grants can support both art-specific programming or the infusion of the arts into another subject. Thea’s Art Closet funding is only available to Arkansas public schools. Thea’s Art Closet grants are paid out at one time through DonorsChoose.org, who will purchase and deliver the materials directly to the school. Thea’s Art Closet Funding may be used for electronic equipment if the tech is in support of teaching arts in the classroom (the request will be considered). If rejected for Thea Foundation funding, a teacher may still pursue funding through DonorsChoose.org. All projects must meet DonorsChoose.org qualifications, which may be found at www.donorschoose.org. If you have questions regarding your request for electronics or about your application in general, please contact Nick Leopoulos at nick@theafoundation.org or (501) 379-9512.