Americans for the Arts and lifestyle brand Free People today announced a first-time partnership, which includes a Creative Spirit Fund that empowers public school arts educators to fund the next generation of diverse creators.

The partnership advocates for the importance of arts in early public education. Through this program, Free People will be distributing 10 awards of $4,000 each to public school educators across the United States in great need of support in teaching art, music, dance, theater, and creative writing and other artistic disciplines. Contestants will be champions of diversity and creativity within their local communities and can use their award to purchase supplies and equipment that nurture the creativity of their students.

Americans for the Arts President and CEO Nolen V. Bivens commented, “Americans for the Arts firmly believes in the value of arts education and the positive impact creative expression has on every student’s life. We are grateful to have a partner such as Free People that understands the important role that the arts play in our lives and are committed to empowering teachers to encourage students to express their creativity through the arts. Together our networks bring more attention to the importance of the arts in early education, encouraging students to embrace their creativity, and inspiring a new generation of innovative, forward-focused youth.”

Students, parents, and teachers can nominate a teacher at their school by writing an essay (300 words or less) answering the prompt: How has an arts teacher championed your new creative spirit at school?

Submissions will be accepted on the Americans for the Arts website until Friday, December 2, 2022 at 5:00 pm ET.

Details on the partnership can be viewed on the Free People website.