Strategies:
- Building from the Arts Partner Standards of Practice, design and implement an arts partner designation system to support, improve, incentivize, and recognize organizations and teaching artists pursuing high quality student experiences. It will be essential to engage arts partners and teaching artists in the development of the designation system to ensure it reflects the diverse needs, capacities, and structures of organizations of all sizes and types.
- Highlight organizations and teaching artists that engage with the Arts Partner Standards of Practice designation as high-quality partners within the Creative Schools Fund, making it easier for schools to identify and select them—while still allowing schools the flexibility to partner with other partners.
- Encourage arts partner organizations to participate in the Arts Partner Standards of Practice designation process by issuing a CPS Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that gives higher ratings to organizations that complete the designation.
- Establish regular virtual or in-person support hours for arts partners to receive direct assistance with navigating CPS systems, such as procurement, vendor onboarding, and safety and security protocols.
- Develop an Arts Partner Readiness Guide to help arts organizations proactively complete key CPS requirements and streamline the school partnership process. The guide should include clear, step-by-step instructions for vendor registration, fingerprinting, background checks, timelines, support contacts, and FAQs.
- Advocate for process improvements across relevant CPS departments (e.g., Procurement, Safety and Security, Vendor Management) to reduce administrative barriers for arts partners and expand equitable access to school-based opportunities.