ArtStarts in Schools is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to making the arts an essential part of how young people learn in British Columbia. Working with educators, artists, families and communities, ArtStarts has, since 1996, built a province-wide ecosystem of programs that combine arts, creativity and classroom learning for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Role of ArtStarts in the funding ecosystem
ArtStarts administers a portfolio of grant programs designed to support artists, schools and school districts. On its grants portal, the organization highlights several recurring streams:
- Grants to support artists, including Artists in the Classroom, which funds BC-based professional artists to collaborate directly with schools on rich, hands-on learning experiences, and Creative Spark Vancouver, which supports emerging artists in Vancouver to lead arts-based projects for young people aged 5–18.
- Grants to support schools, where educators partner with artists through programs such as Artists in the Classroom to expand the role of the arts in education and activate student learning.
- Grants to support school districts, notably Artists in Education, which funds district-level artistic programming such as performances, workshops and residencies across BC.
These funding streams are complemented by the ArtStarts Artist Directory, which connects funded and bookable artists with schools, and by extensive exhibitions that often showcase projects emerging from Artists in the Classroom grants.
Publics served and types of support
ArtStarts focuses on young people in public and independent schools across urban, rural and remote communities. It supports:
- Artists from all disciplines who wish to work in educational settings, through grants, residency opportunities and capacity-building resources.
- Teachers and schools seeking to integrate arts into curriculum through funded collaborations with professional artists and access to vetted performers.
- School districts that develop broader arts programming, touring performances and workshops for their student populations.
In addition to financial assistance, ArtStarts runs the ArtStarts Ignites residency program (currently on hiatus), which has offered early career artists time, space, mentorship and professional development—covering topics such as accessibility, facilitation and grant writing—to grow their artistic practice in an educational context.
Programs, learning and impact
Beyond grants, ArtStarts’ activities include booking school performances, producing an annual showcase for young-audience presenters, hosting gallery exhibitions of young people’s art and providing free family programming. The organization emphasizes equity, access, anti-oppressive practice and cultural safety, working to ensure that students who face barriers—and marginalized artists—can both contribute to and see themselves reflected in arts programming at school.
Annual reports and strategic plans published by ArtStarts document hundreds of thousands of arts experiences for young people each year, demonstrating the organization’s central role in channeling public, foundation and corporate funding into arts-in-education projects across British Columbia.
