Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts Project Support Grant (US)

Deadline: 19-Jan-21

The Tennessee Arts Commission is seeking applications for its Arts Project Support grant program to support arts projects and activities across all disciplines that focus on community vitality and engagement in urban counties.

Funding Information

Funds awarded to a single organization in these categories range from $500 to $9,000 for non-arts organizations and arts organizations, and entities of local government.
Arts organizations serving a statewide audience may apply for up to $10,000.

Eligibility Criteria

First-time applicants to this category are encouraged to contact the Commission’s program staff prior to submitting an application to verify eligibility.
All applicants are required to have a DUNS number. Information and application instructions can be found here.
K-12 schools are not eligible under this category. Arts education-based projects, especially those primarily serving youth, must be submitted in one of the four Arts Education grant categories.
Applicant organizations must be chartered in Tennessee. National or regional 501(c) 3 organizations, chartered in Tennessee, and serving as an umbrella organization applying for funds for another group are restricted to one application only per fiscal year. All Nonprofit, 501(c)3 applicants must upload the most recent copy of their by-laws. All Nonprofit, 501(c)(3) applicants must upload these to their organization profile during registration, prior to submitting on their application.
Debarment and Suspension. Grantees are required to sign contracts certifying to the best of its knowledge and belief, that it, its current and future principals, its current and future subcontractors and their principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal or state department or agency.

Evaluation Criteria

The Tennessee Arts Commission reserves the right to deny any application if the proposed activity is outside of the scope or spirit of the agency’s mission, purpose, or this grant program. Commission staff will contact all applicants and inform them of the advisory panel review schedule. Advisory panels reviewing grant applications for this program use the following evaluation criteria citing evidence that the:

Proposed project demonstrates artistic, cultural and/or educational value to the community being served (10 points);
Proposed project advances the organization’s mission to the community being served (10 points);
Organization understands and is responsive to the diverse interests and needs of the community it serves (10 points);
Proposed project supports the work of artists through payment of fees, services or appropriate benefits (10 points);
Organization understands and acts as an advocate for the public value of the arts in the community (10 points);
Planning procedures are comprehensive, inclusive and communicated (10 points);
Organization understands principles of documentation and evaluation and results are used to guide future planning and programming (10 points);
Oganization understands and demonstrates the value of public and private partnerships (5 points);
Organization demonstrates financial stability and a broad base of financial support (5 points);
Organization’s ability to carry out proposed project based on history of TAC funding (10 points);
Organization’s application is well planned, addresses all questions, and is correct and complete in all information provided (10 points).

Additionally, panellists may ask applicants to address other topics, including but not exclusive to:

How the organization meets the evaluation criteria?;
Specific information found in the grant application;
Community outreach activities;
Unique services offered by the organization;
Evidence of local, state, regional, or national recognition and impact;
General arts advocacy efforts in Tennessee and nationally;
Organizational long-range goals and objectives;
Detailed information about major productions, presentations, or exhibitions in the recent past, the present, and the next two years;
Preservation, conservation, or restoration activities;
The space(s) in which your organization conducts its artistic and administrative activities;
Recent and anticipated major equipment acquisitions;
Program evaluation process;
Board and committee responsibilities;
Board/staff relationships;
Board diversity;
Educational programming;
Salary information for administrative and artistic personnel, if applicable;
Hiring practices and personnel policies;
Policy and procedures relevant to financial activities, such as planning and fund-raising.