National Program for Arts and Technology Act of 2013

To authorize the Secretary of Education to establish the National Program for Arts and Technology. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Program for Arts and Technology Act of 2013 2. Finding and purposes (a) Finding Congress finds that the National Program for Arts and Technology established under this Act will be one of the first national replication programs in the United States dedicated to addressing the complex needs of the poor and undereducated by improving the sustainability of neighborhoods, communities, and regions. (b) Purposes It is the purpose of this Act to establish the National Program for Arts and Technology to provide competitive grants for qualified centers and interested communities to establish a qualified center that adopts the guidelines set forth by the Secretary, for the purposes of— (1) creating an institution within an environment of poverty where individuals feel and foster a sense of belonging, and are valued and treated with dignity; (2) creating professional jobs for instructors, trainers, artists, administrators, and others; (3) collaborating with Federal agencies, private industry, nonprofit philanthropic organizations, and planning and economic development organizations to leverage other investment dollars on behalf of all stakeholders; (4) assisting business and industry to achieve long-term vitality by ensuring the development of a trained and knowledgeable workforce; (5) coordinating with existing social service entities and nonprofit organizations on developing diverse and equitable communities; (6) developing industry specific job training programs for the under and unemployed that are both affordable and accessible; (7) bridging the gap between education and lifelong learning for poor performing students through the discipline of craftsmanship in the visual arts; and (8) developing complimentary extended day or year programming in partnership with the local public schools to help engage at-risk students by connecting classroom instruction with applied and experiential programming in the arts. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Center of Origin The term Center of Origin (2) Interested communities The term interested community (A) Demonstrates to the Secretary financial support from 1 or more of the following: (i) Sectors of government. (ii) Education. (iii) Philanthropy. (iv) Social services. (v) Corporations. (vi) Arts organizations. (B) Convenes an advisory committee comprised of diverse community stakeholders who are committed to creating a qualified center in their community. (C) Has identified potential funding that will be used to secure the Federal matching requirements described in section 4(c). (3) National Program for Arts and Technology The term National Program for Arts and Technology (4) Qualified center The term qualified center (A) Operates under the guidelines and practices established by the National Program for Arts and Technology, in consultation with the Secretary, and— (i) provides education and training to underemployed or unemployed individuals in industry specific job skills; (ii) is accessible to communities and neighborhoods that have limited access to transportation; (iii) compliments the learning of targeted public middle school or high school students who are at-risk of dropping out of school; and (iv) is housed in a facility that has been reclaimed and renovated to sustainable building standards or newly constructed as a highly efficient green space. (B) Has a valid affiliation agreement with the Center of Origin and complies with the following: (i) Meets quarterly performance goals, which may include— (I) students’ school attendance and behavior; (II) retention in programming; (III) meeting and exceeding recruitment and enrollment metrics; (IV) student outcomes and performance in training; and (V) job placement. (ii) Adheres to essential operating conditions, including environment, targeted populations, and educational model. (iii) Participates in professional development opportunities for members of the board, executives, and staff. (5) Secretary The term Secretary 4. Grant program (a) Program authorized From the amounts appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall establish and implement the National Program for Arts and Technology to award grants, on a competitive basis, to qualified centers and interested communities to— (1) provide financial support to the centers and communities to establish a new qualified center to carry out the purposes described in section 2(b); and (2) provide management expertise to guide the centers and communities through the 3-phase replication protocol developed by the Center of Origin to ensure standardization across all qualified centers as to performance goals and objectives, operating culture, and teaching models. (b) Limitation on Use of funds Federal funds received under this Act may not be used for capital expenditures or endowment gifts. (c) Matching funds required To be eligible to receive a grant under this Act, a qualified center or interested community shall, for each fiscal year for which the grant is received, provide non-Federal contributions (which may include in-kind contributions) toward the amount of the grant in an amount equal to $1 for each $1 of Federal funds provided under the grant. (d) Application and annual report (1) Application (A) In general To be eligible to receive a grant under this Act, a qualified center or interested community shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (B) Content An application submitted under subparagraph (A) shall, at a minimum, contain— (i) a description of activities to be carried out under the grant; (ii) information on specific measurable goals and objectives to be achieved through activities carried out under the grant; (iii) evidence of an affiliation with a local community; and (iv) evidence of a teaching model consistent with the Secretary’s criteria prescribed pursuant to regulations. (2) Annual report (A) In general Each qualified center or interested community receiving a grant under this Act shall submit to the Secretary an annual report at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (B) Content An annual report submitted under subparagraph (A) shall, at a minimum, describe the degree to which progress has been made toward meeting the specific measurable goals and objectives described in the applications submitted under paragraph (1). (e) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 to carry out this Act for the period of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.

Summary: National Program for Arts and Technology Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish and implement a national program for arts and technology that addresses the complex needs of the poor and undereducated by awarding competitive grants to qualified centers (private, nonprofit educational entities) and interested communities to provide: (1) financial support to establish new qualified centers, and (2) management expertise to guide such centers and communities. Prohibits federal funds received under this Act from being used for capital expenditures or endowment gifts. Requires a qualified center or an interested community to match federal contributions.