Disney on Broadway School of Excellence Grant

Program Description

Disney Theatrical Group (“DTG”) has launched the Disney on Broadway School of Excellence Grant: a new nationwide initiative recognizing student creativity and excellence in school theatre.

In collaboration with the Educational Theatre Foundation (“ETF”) and Music Theatre International (“MTI”), this program will award complimentary licenses of select Disney musicals to middle and high schools throughout the U.S., to be performed in the 2026-2027 school year. Through an application process operated by ETF, the Disney on Broadway School of Excellence Grant (the “Grant”) will celebrate schools that display both outstanding artistic achievement and student-led engagement in areas such as stagecraft, theatrical design, choreography, direction, and performance.

ETF, DTG, and MTI (the “Sponsors”) are calling on all eligible schools with significant student involvement in the theatrical process, including involvement at leadership levels, to apply. School eligibility requirements are detailed in the “Who Is Eligible?” section below, including a requirement for applicant schools to have an active Thespian troupe status with the International Thespian Society at the time of submitting their application. Together, these schools will honor the timeless magic of Disney musicals on stage and represent the future of theatrical storytelling for the next generation.

How to Apply

Submit your application online at https://foundation.schooltheatre.org/school-of-excellence between 12:01 am ET on February 1 and 11:59 pm ET on April 1, 2026.

Please note: Schools are not eligible to receive a School of Excellence grant: 1) Two years in a row or 2) More than twice in a five-year period. If a school received a grant in 2025, it is not eligible to reapply for the 2026-2027 Grant. Schools are encouraged to re-apply if a previous application was not selected for the grant. 

Application must be submitted by an authorized staff/faculty member representative at the applying school. Applicants may submit only one (1) application per school. In the event more than one (1) application is received from a school, only the first application submitted will be reviewed. Applicants that submit incomplete applications, fail to submit their applications on time, or that do not meet all the eligibility criteria will be disqualified.

Please note that awarded schools will be required to create a vendor account with MTI in order to participate in the Program. In order to avoid processing delays, it is recommended that applicants who do not currently have an MTI vendor account begin the process of creating an account at the time of their application to the Program. For more information, visit https://www.mtishows.com.

Application Period

All applications must be submitted during the entry period, which begins at 12:01 am ET on February 1, 2026 and closes at 11:59 pm ET on April 1, 2026.

Incomplete applications started but not submitted before the closing deadline will not be accepted or reviewed.

Sponsors

The Sponsors of this Program are:

Disney Theatrical Group (DTG): 214 W. 42^nd St, New York, NY, 10036;

Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF): 1330 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 23A, New York, NY 10019;

Music Theatre International (MTI): 423 West 55th Street, Second Floor, New York, NY 10019.

Who Is Eligible?

• Applicants must be an accredited school within the United States or U.S. territories. Camps/academies are not eligible.
• Schools may be located within any U.S. state or territory. There is no limit to the number of schools accepted per state.
• Schools must be an active Thespian troupe in good financial standing with EdTA at the time of application.
• Schools must have a student population of middle and/or high school students (grades 6-12). Elementary schools serving only grades K-5 are not eligible.
• A Thespian troupe that has received the Disney on Broadway School of Excellence Award shall not be eligible to receive the award again within a two-year period following their most recent win and not more than twice in a five-year period.

Award

Schools accepted into the Program will receive:

• Complimentary performance rights (including free rental of production materials) to produce up to three (3) performances of their chosen Disney musical. Note that even though the performance rights are complimentary, schools must enter into a license contract with MTI (“License”) and must open a vendor account with MTI if they don’t already have one.
  • Schools may have the option to add additional performances with paid royalties and additional material rental fees, if applicable.
  • In order for the license to be royalty-free, each performance must have a capacity limit of five hundred (500) audience members per performance (regardless of the actual number of seats in the venue). For purposes of determining the capacity limit, the relevant number is not the number of seats in the venue, but the number of seats the school expects to sell on average for the performances. For performances where the school expects to make available for sale more than five hundred (500) tickets per performance, royalties will apply for the expected ticket sales in excess of five hundred (500) audience members per performance.
• Complimentary production materials, which shall be comprised of the following:
  • Script
  • Score
  • Performance Accompaniment and Guide Vocal Tracks (JR. titles only)
  • ShowKit (JR. titles only)
  • Downloadable Resources and Choreography Videos (JR. titles only)
• Complimentary logo pack
• Complimentary video license
• Opportunity to participate in exclusive virtual webinars hosted by Sponsors and theatre professionals.
• Please note that MTI offers additional production resources (such as digital scenic projections by Broadway Media and promotional artwork by Subplot Studio) which are not included in the award hereunder and which are available for purchase directly through MTI.

Selection

All applications will be read and evaluated by a panel of adjudicators from each of the three (3) Sponsor organizations.

Applications will be judged on multiple factors, including: (a) the school’s ability to produce a quality stage production in the designated time frame; (b) the school’s choice of Disney musical for their theatre program, and the school’s ability to demonstrate such musical’s connection to their students and/or school community; (c) the breadth of and level of commitment to student involvement in the production and rehearsal process, including involvement at leadership levels; and (d) a brief response from a current student in the school’s theatre program to one (1) of three (3) student prompts. The number of schools selected for the Program will be determined by Sponsors during the evaluation process.

Schools selected for the program will be notified in early September 2026 and must confirm their acceptance by completing their License within one (1) week of this notification, or within one (1) week of the school’s successful creation of an MTI vendor account, if the school does not already have an active account with MTI.

Selected schools will be announced publicly.

Production Period

Schools must produce and perform their Disney musical production during the 2026-2027 school year, concluding no later than June 30, 2027.

Schools receive the right to perform up to three (3) royalty-free performances of a Disney musical as part of the Program (provided such performances are within the above-mentioned capacity limits). Additional performances may be added, but after three (3) performances, royalties will apply, as well as additional material rental fees, if applicable. See also Award section above regarding ticket sales for capacity larger than five hundred (500) audience members.

Program Terms

Schools participating in the Program must agree to:

• Select from the list of designated Disney musical titles provided. Requests to perform a different Disney musical not listed in the application will not be awarded.
• Complete the License within one (1) week of acceptance into the program, or within one (1) week of school’s successful creation of an MTI vendor account, if the school does not already have an active account with MTI.
• Produce the Disney musical indicated in their application on stage during the 2026-2027 school year, concluding no later than June 30, 2027.
• Produce their Disney musical production with middle (grades 6-9) and/or high school (grades 9-12) students.
• Attend virtual meetings with Sponsors throughout the Program as requested.
• Provide photos and videos of the production to Sponsors, accompanied by signed media releases (to be provided by Sponsors upon acceptance).
• Abide by all Program guidelines,  including without limitation marketing and branding guidelines, set forth by Sponsor organizations and in the License with MTI, including but not limited to:
  • Usage of the Disney, ETF, and MTI names and logos.
  • Usage of the “Disney on Broadway School of Excellence” name and artwork.
  • Proper billing for the Disney musical production as set forth in the MTI license contract.
  • Usage of the artwork and language promoting the Disney musical production in any and all marketing, including but not limited to: press releases, advertisements, posters, playbills, e-blasts, social media content, and media appearances.
• Abide by all Terms set forth in the MTI License.

Any school which violates any of the foregoing Program terms may be subject to immediate revocation of its License and removal from the Program, in the Sponsors’ sole discretion.

General Conditions

This Program is void where prohibited or restricted by law.

By applying for this Program, entrants agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions and agree to release ETF, DTG, MTI, their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, employees, agents and representatives of each of them, and any entities responsible for the administration, promotion and fulfillment of the Program (“Released Parties”) from any and all liability for injuries, losses, or damages of any kind resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Program.

Released Parties are not responsible for technical, network, electronic, computer, hardware, or software failures of any kind, including any injury or damage to applicant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in or downloading any materials in this Program. Released Parties are also not responsible for incomplete, distorted, or delayed Internet/email computer applications. In the event that technical difficulties compromise the integrity or ability of the applications under this Program, Sponsors reserve the right to terminate this Program at any time.