Lehigh Valley Arts Council, the region’s leader for arts advocacy, announces three free workshops in May for the Pennsylvania Partner in the Arts grant opportunity, Project Stream.

Identical in scope, these workshops are hosted by the arts council each year at different locations across the region. Aspiring applicants should attend one to better understand the art grant’s application process and review criteria.

These workshops will mark the start of the arts council’s 15th year as the regional partner administering the PPA program on behalf of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

“The PPA program seeks to reach underserved communities with public arts engagement,” explains Zach Kleemeyer, community engagement manager for Lehigh Valley Arts Council. “These workshops are helpful to applicants because they can receive immediate feedback on their project ideas, as well as prepare themselves for all that will be asked of them — everything from making application to reporting on the project after it’s complete.”

The Project Stream grant opportunity is very competitive and people who have attended a workshop generally received a better review. Nearly 60 applications are submitted annually, with 40 percent funded. Applicants can apply for up to $2,500. The total amount of grant funding available this year is $39,709.

Scheduled for May of this year, there will be one workshop held in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties respectively. Interested applicants are encouraged to direct all questions to Zach at 610-437-5915 or PPA@LVArtsCouncil.org, as well as RSVP their intention to attend one of the workshops:

• May 7 at Anita Shapolsky Art Foundation, 20 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe

• May 9 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 200 S. Broad St, Nazareth

• May 15 at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, 522 W. Maple St, Allentown

For more information, visit http://www.lvartscouncil.org/project-stream.