KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Lake County Rural Arts Initiative, or LCRAI, has completed its sixth year of giving through the Teacher Art Grant Fund. 

Thanks to the generous funding from the Lake County Wine Alliance, Lake County’s chapter of 100+Women Strong, individual and corporate donors, over 700 art grants totaling over $88,000 have been given directly to teachers.

The funds have been available to any teacher serving transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade students in a Lake County public or charter school.

Some teachers opt to purchase basic art supplies for students such as crayons, construction paper, paint and glue, while others use these funds for art-related equipment purchases for the classroom and specialized project-based supplies.

This year, the board has decided to focus on art integration in the schools with their full support of the grant program. LCRAI is integrating arts for children into the community and Lake County schools. Research shows that participation in the arts by children and teens raises self-esteem as well as their classroom grades in other subjects.

LCRAI is currently seeking partners and additional funding to continue this valuable mission serving the children and teachers of Lake County, California.

Lake County Rural Arts Initiative was founded in February 2018 with the goal of making Lake County an arts and culture destination.

Past works have included murals around Clear Lake, public art installations, and sponsorship of Teacher Art Grants. 

The all-volunteer board works hard to ensure a near-zero overhead, meaning that the donations received go directly to providing as many art integration grants as possible. 

To learn more about the LCRAI or to apply for or donate to the Teacher Art Supply Grants, visit the organization’s website or Facebook page. LCRAI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.