20 U.S.C. § 954a — Access to the arts through support of education

(a) Purposes. The purposes are: (1) to make the arts more accessible through education for all Americans, including diverse cultures and urban and rural populations, by encouraging quality arts education at every level alongside formal elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education and nonformal education for all ages; (2) to develop and encourage research on teaching quality arts education; and (3) to encourage and help artists, arts institutions, and Federal, State, regional, and local agencies work in arts education. (b) Contracts and grants. The Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts may make contracts with or grants to a State or other public agency, individual, artist, nonprofit society, performing or nonperforming arts or educational institution or organization, association, or museum in the United States. The purpose is to foster exceptional talent, public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the arts and support artists’ education, training, and development through projects that: (1) improve arts instruction for American youth and lifelong arts learning; (2) improve arts instruction in teacher-education programs; (3) develop arts faculty resources and talent; (4) improve arts curriculum materials; (5) improve evaluation and assessment of arts education and instruction; (6) create cooperative programs with the Department of Education and partnerships among State and local arts and education agencies, arts organizations, businesses, colleges, and universities; (7) support apprenticeships, internships, and other career-oriented work-study for artists and arts teachers and encourage artist residencies at every educational level; (8) support technology and better facilities and resources for arts education at every level; and (9) develop demonstration arts-education projects, productions, workshops, and programs and collect and publicly share information about their implementation and effectiveness. (c) Advisory council. To advise on arts education, the Chairperson must appoint an advisory council on arts education.