Nine public schools in five states will be receiving $50,000 each from the Leonore Annenberg School Fund for Children and five emerging artists will receive a total of $300,000 from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Art.

The nine schools that will each receive the $50,000 are located respectively in Florida, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Tennessee and were chosen through partner non-profit organizations in the areas.

"The Leonore Annenberg School Fund's 2015 grants total more than $500,000 for resources such as interactive whiteboards and playground equipment; programs to increase proficiency in math and science; and an initiative using the arts to improve reading skills," according to a press release.

At the same time, a separate fund managed also by the Annenberg Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania will be giving five emerging artists a total of $300,000 from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Art, according to a statement from the center.

"Arts fellowships totaling $300,000 were awarded to soprano Julia Bullock; pianist Sean Chen; visual artist Caitlin Cherry; actor, writer and filmmaker McKenzie Chinn; and American Ballet Theatre soloist Joseph Gorak," according to the statement.

Including the current group of arts fellows, the Fellowship Fund has paid or pledged more than $5 million over the last eight years in career-development grants to artists to create work, receive training, travel to performances, develop studios, buy materials, pay for living expenses and health care, pay down student debt, or otherwise develop their talents to their fullest. The arts fellows, selected in consultation with partner organizations such as the Yale School of Drama, the Juilliard School, and American Ballet Theatre, work under the guidance of mentors chosen by the partners and the Leonore Annenberg Fund.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor