Meridian USA

The Center for Educational Innovation Inc. (CEI), operating as Cei-Pea, received a $4.23 million Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Arts in Education program (CFDA 84.351). The award, made on October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2026, supports CEI's Multisensory Education Through Art (META) program, which delivers arts-based educational initiatives designed to enhance student learning outcomes for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students, with particular emphasis on disadvantaged and disabled student populations. The grant funds the development and delivery of multisensory education programming that integrates arts instruction across academic disciplines to improve literacy and academic performance.

CEI's META program provides comprehensive arts education services including professional development for arts educators and school principals, development and dissemination of accessible instructional materials, arts-integrated programming that may include online resources, and community outreach activities that strengthen partnerships among schools, local educational agencies, and cultural institutions. This award represents the continuation of the federal government's sustained investment in CEI's arts education model, following a prior META program grant awarded in October 2021 that extends through September 30, 2026, demonstrating organizational capacity to execute complex educational programming while maintaining compliance and delivering measurable outcomes in arts-integrated education.