2024/2025 Public School Grants

Hickory Playground has donated more than $80,000 to public school arts departments in Catawba County since our founding in 2016. Despite COVID-19, we were thrilled to be able to donate $12,000 in 2021, $15,000 in 2022, and $12,000 in 2023. Our primary area of financial support is arts education in public schools in Catawba County, North Carolina — if you are looking for funding in that area, scroll down! If you are looking to contact us for something other than financial support, please feel free to reach out to us.

Hickory Playground defines “arts education in public schools” as anything that arts educators within public schools in Catawba County, NC see as a necessary component of their students’ holistic, well-rounded arts education. As an example: this does not include utilizing funds to redecorate a teacher’s or administrator’s office, but it might include utilizing funds to redecorate a chorus room, a theatre space, etc.

A holistic approach to arts education is crucial. Hickory Playground believes teachers understand their students and their students’ needs. Hickory Playground funding has been utilized to purchase musical equipment, to pay for choir trips, to purchase rights for musicals, to assist in the advertising of high school theatre performances, to assist in the purchasing of props and theatrical equipment, and more. We are eager to support holistic, well-rounded arts education in Catawba County, and we trust Catawba County arts educators to do a fantastic job with the limited resources we can provide. If you have any concerns about your department’s or school’s usage of Hickory Playground funding, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. 1st deadline: Dec. 31, 2024. 2nd deadline: May 1, 2024.

Please complete the form below.
all fields are required.

Name

First Name

Last Name

School

Professional Email

Arts Education Area (Theatre, Choir, etc.)

Amount of Funding Requested

Message

Outline the way(s) you would utilize financial support from the Hickory Playground. Make sure to include a detailed explanation of the estimated cost of your project(s) -- if the cost is greater than the amount requested, include both your other sources of funding AND explain what you will do with the funding if you do not raise enough money. Failure to follow the above directions will result in a lack of funding from the Hickory Playground.

Additional Requirements

There are two (2) requirements when an applicant is selected for a Hickory Playground Public School Grant: 1) The Grantee agrees to attend the following year's Annual Festival so as to pay forward the funding made available to the Grantee. 2) Hickory Playground requires selected applicants to present a receipt or report reviewing how grant monies were utilized. This Grant Report will be due via email to admin@hickoryplayground.com no later than December 1st, 2025. Please confirm that you have read the above requirements in their entirety. Note that failure to adhere to either of the above requirements may result in a lack of future funding.

I have read the above requirements and agree with them. I will attend the next Hickory Playground and I will send a Grant Report no later than December 1st 2025

I do not wish to recieve funding from Hickory Playground.

Hickory Playground funding is preferential to community members of Catawba County, North Carolina, and the surrounding area. Specifically, Hickory Playground seeks to work directly with public school arts educators who commit to increasing visibility of and engagement with Hickory Playground's mission, vision, and fundraising events.

2024/2025 Public School Grants

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. 1st deadline: Dec. 31, 2024. 2nd deadline: May 1, 2024.

Please complete the form below. all fields are required.

Previous Projects and Events

Please complete the form below.
all fields are required.