Deadline: 13-Jan-25
The Tennessee Arts Commission is seeking applications for its Arts Access Grant Program.
This grant category offers direct support for arts projects that focus on increasing access to underserved and underrepresented people which may include ethnic groups, people with disabilities, people age 60 years and older, and active duty/veterans and their families. Ethnic groups are defined as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or other groups that constitute less than the state’s current majority population.
Funding will depend upon an organization’s rating in the review process and upon the total amount of funds available to the Commission for grant allocation. This grant program is competitive, and most grant requests are not fully funded.
If eligible, Arts Access applicants may also submit applications in the Arts Education, Project or Operating Support and the Arts Build Communities categories.
Focus Areas
- Proposed projects or programming must involve one or more Tennessee Arts Commission recognized art forms, including:
- Visual arts
- Craft
- Media
- Design
- Music
- Theater
- Dance
- Folk and ethnic arts
- Literary arts
Funding Information
- Funds awarded to a single organization in this category range in amounts from: $1,000 to $25,000 for arts organizations & for non-arts organizations.
- Funding will depend upon an organization’s rating in the review process and upon the total amount of funds available to the Tennessee Arts Commission for grant allocation. This grant category is competitive.
Eligible Activities
- The following are examples of activities and expenditures that are consistent with the funding philosophy for AA:
- Contracted artists fees for professional artists
- Master classes, workshops, programs, projects or activities involving artists
- Specific aspects of workshops, festivals and conferences
- Public performances, productions and exhibitions produced by the applicant
- Exhibitions of art by professional artists
- Promotion, publicity and newsletters
- Materials and supplies needed for participants in the proposed art project
- Administrative and artistic staff support (except for applicants who apply for or receive operating support from the TN Art Commission in other grant categories).
- Technical/production support
- An organization may submit only one AA application for any given fiscal year. AA applicants may also apply in the following grant categories for distinct activities (grant eligibility requirements apply):
- Arts Project Support
- Rural Arts Project Support
- Arts Build Communities
- Partnership Support
- Major Cultural Institution
- Small Urban Partnership Support/Small Rural Partnership Support
- Creative Placemaking categories
- Arts Education categories (if eligible)
Ineligible Activities
- The following activities and expenditures are inappropriate for funding through this program:
- Payments to members of the organization’s board
- Insurance Premiums
- Endowments
- Honoraria
- Office space rental
- Janitorial service and general physical plant maintenance
- Food and hospitality
- Permanent equipment purchases
- Scholarships and subsidized programming
- Payment of accumulated deficits
- Capital improvements
- New periodicals, books, etc. (such as vanity publications)
- Out-of-state travel
- Scholarly arts-related research and writing
- Cash awards
- Purchase of local public art
- Legal fees
- Planned fundraising events
- Events to which the general public is not invited
- Consultant fees for technical assistance
Eligibility Criteria
- An organization is eligible to apply for funding if the organization is legally chartered in Tennessee, has an active IRS 501(c)3 status, can provide a current copy of the organization’s bylaws, and an Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Failure to provide all nonprofit status documentation will result in the application being disqualified.
For more information, visit Tennessee Arts Commission.
