Media Arts Discovery Grant Program

The Access/VSA Media Arts Discovery Program is a contract opportunity issued by The Office of Accessibility and VSA, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Access/VSA’s stated goal is to create opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in arts education. Through its Access/VSA Programs, the office supports arts education experiences in classrooms and community settings across the United States, including literary, media, visual, and performing arts experiences for students with disabilities. The Media Arts Discovery Program is intended to provide media arts workshops or residencies for students with disabilities from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, ages 3 to 18, or students up to age 22 who receive special education services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Each funded program must provide 5 or more instructional hours per student and must serve at least 75 students with disabilities. The program must help students create original works of media art using technological tools, including moving image, cinema, film, video, multimedia, photography, computer or digital media, sound, virtual media, and interactive design. Programs may be delivered in person, virtually, or through a hybrid model. They may take place in community settings, self-contained special education classrooms, inclusive classrooms, schools, school districts, cities, counties, states, or regions. All Access/VSA programs must be arts-based, educational, and involve individuals with disabilities. They must be physically and programmatically accessible or be conducted so that requests for accommodation, effective communication, or physical access can be fulfilled. Programs must also have clear learning objectives, intended outcomes, and alignment with state or national arts education standards. Contract amounts are up to $20,000 per contract, subject to funding availability and the Center’s evaluation of the proposed scope and costs. The contract must be based on a firm fixed-price quote. Payment is made in two parts: 60 percent after October 1, 2026 with receipt of a signed contract agreement, contingent on the Center’s receipt of budgeted U.S. Department of Education funds, and 40 percent upon receipt of the final report and invoice. The contract term runs from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, but programming must be completed by August 31, 2027, and the final report is due by September 8, 2027 at 11:59 PM EDT. Eligible contractors must be non-commercial nonprofit entities. Commercial for-profit entities, non-United States entities, and individuals are not eligible. Contractors must have at least three years of experience operating an arts education program and must demonstrate past practice or experience working with children or youth with disabilities in the covered age and grade ranges. Contractors must also have at least one key program staff member, consultant, or advisor with special education credentials who is substantively involved in program development or delivery. Contractors must demonstrate capacity to recruit students with disabilities, manage the program timeline, comply with background check requirements, comply with applicable laws, and provide accessible spaces, accommodations, and effective communication. Proposals must be submitted online through the Kennedy Center’s SMApply portal by June 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT. Each contractor may submit only one Media Arts Discovery Program proposal, and eligible contractors may submit proposals to no more than two different 2026-2027 Access/VSA Requests for Contract Proposals. The Center will issue a contract offer for no more than one proposal per eligible contractor. The proposal form requests organizational and contact information, proposed contract fee, projected participant numbers, program summary, goals and objectives, standards alignment, expected student learning outcomes, educational strategies and accommodations, arts activities, assessment plans, proposed dates and locations, organizational qualifications, personnel biographies, special education credentials, partners, budget justification, and general program data. An optional RFP question and answer webinar is scheduled for May 14, 2026 from 3:00 to 4:00 PM EDT, with ASL interpretation and captioning provided. Selected contract recipients are expected to be notified by September 11, 2026. Questions about the RFP should be directed to Stephanie Litvak, Manager, Access/VSA Programs, at 202-416-8847 or sslitvak@kennedy-center.org. To request an accommodation or alternate format materials, applicants should contact Stephanie Litvak at least two weeks before the submission deadline.

Align the proposal closely with the Media Arts Discovery core components; show strong past practice in quality media arts education; clearly demonstrate ability to identify, recruit, and engage students with disabilities; provide clear goals, objectives, learning outcomes, and standards alignment; document organizational capacity and qualified personnel, including special education credentials; build a transparent budget that avoids unallowable costs; emphasize educational quality, skill-building, number of students with disabilities served, and reasonable per-student cost.