Ovation Partners With The President's Committee On The Arts And The Humanities And Americans For The Arts For The 2nd Annual Innovation Grant Awards Program

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ovation, America's only arts network, has partnered with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH); and Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to introduce the second annual innOVATION Grant Awards Program, which will officially launch August 26.  This year's innOVATION grant awards will be made to schools that have developed model STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of integrating the arts into educational curriculum.

Ten thousand dollars ($10,000) innOVATION STEAM grant awards will be made to up to eight schools with exemplary STEAM programs. The open application process will kick off August 26. Elementary through high school-level schools within the United States, including charter and magnet schools, are eligible to apply online at www.ovationtv.com/innovation-steam.  The submission deadline is October 28.  The final eight grant award recipients will be announced at a special ceremony in Washington, DC, in early 2014.

"It's time that we reconnect the arts and sciences in education. There is no better way to provide students with 21^st century work skills and to regain America's competitive edge than to integrate the arts into education," said Charles Segars, CEO, Ovation. "Ovation is proud and honored to partner with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and Americans for the Arts and to focus this year's innOVATION grant awards on STEAM-model schools which integrate the arts into STEM curriculum."

Efforts to support STEAM are growing due to interest in linking the arts with other curricular areas also related to creativity and innovation. One example of the growth of the STEAM movement can be seen in the recently introduced House Resolution on STEAM (H. RES. 51), which calls for policy changes that will encourage educators to integrate broadly defined arts with traditional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum. This Resolution mirrors local efforts focused on encouraging the creativity needed to drive the innovation economy forward. The Resolution further encourages the inclusion of art and design in the STEM fields during reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Higher Education Act, and for a STEM to STEAM Council to facilitate a comprehensive approach to incorporate art into Federal STEM programs.

"At this moment in our nation's history, there is great urgency around major transformation in America's schools," said President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, Robert L. Lynch. "In many cases, students who graduate from high school increasingly lack the creative and critical thinking skills needed for success in the workforce. In such a climate, the outcomes associated with arts education –– which include increased academic achievement, school engagement, and creative thinking –– have become  even more important. We aim to change the tide by rewarding those schools that have succeeded in integrating the arts into their core STEM curriculum and hope they will inspire others to do the same."

"The President's Committee has made increasing access to arts education a signature focus over the last four years, and we are thrilled to partner in this program to highlight the exciting intersection between STEM subjects and the arts," said Rachel Goslins, Executive Director of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.  "It is in the intersection between these two core areas that we can best foster the kind of innovative, creative and problem-solving learning that our students need to compete in the world today."  

The innOVATION Grant Program invites school administrators and teachers to submit programs that have effectively incorporated the arts with these core subjects into their curriculum and can show the creativity and innovation of the program as well as robust partnerships between the arts and their communities to enhance learning. Applicants will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of educators and education specialists as well as members of the STEAM caucus, Ovation, AFTA and PCAH.

For further information on the 2nd Annual innOVATION Grant Awards Program, please visit www.ovationtv.com/innovation-steam.

The President's Committee for the Arts and Humanities
Created in 1982 under President Reagan, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is an advisory committee to the White House on cultural issues.  The PCAH works directly with the three primary cultural agencies—National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services—as well as other federal partners and the private sector, to address policy questions in the arts and humanities, to initiate and support key programs in those disciplines and to recognize excellence in the field.   Its core areas of focus are arts and humanities education, cultural exchange, and creative economy.

About Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org

About Ovation
Ovation is America's only arts network, whose mission is to connect the world to all forms of art and artistic expression. Ovation programming is one-of-a-kind mix of original and selectively curated series, films, documentaries and specials. The network reaches a national audience of nearly 50 million homes and is available on national cable systems, as well as nationally on DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse. Ovation is also available on VOD (in both standard and high definition). Ovation's diversified viewer experiences extend across its linear network, the popular ovationtv.com, and active social presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. See the Ovation Facebook page for the latest information and conversations happening across the Ovation brand and the arts: www.facebook.com/OvationTV.

SOURCE Ovation