Manage Annual Grants

Grant award and denial emails are sent to all applicants on or around June 3, 2024. If you do not receive an email notify Commission staff.

If awarded funding, the digits within your application identification number (for example, #A-1801-02248) will become the identifying numbers associated with the award. It may also be referred to as your Grant number or your Tracking/Contract number. The preceding letter may change.

Award emails include instructions on how to accept the award. To accept the award you must first submit a correct and complete Revised Budget Form by June 17, 2024. You are encouraged to submit it as soon as possible.

Upon receipt and approval, a contract will be generated for your award and emailed to the primary signatory listed on your application.

How to submit a Revised Budget Form
Log on to the grantee portal and fill out the Revised Budget Form. Submit electronically by June 17, 2024 date. We encourage you to submit it as soon as possible.

Revised Budget Forms will be found in the Grants Management – Reports Due link in the left-hand menu of the Online Grants System.

The forms in this portal do not auto-save. Always click the “Save” button before navigating away from the form you are editing to save your work.

Beware—clicking the back navigation button on your web browser will exit you from the system, and you will lose your work.

Instructions:

• A Revised Budget Form does exactly what the title suggests – it shows what your new budget is based on your actual grant award. Your award letter will note the exact amount of grant funding you will receive. It will more than likely be less than what you requested in your application.
• If your organization has received more than one Annual Grant award make sure that you filling out the correlating Revised Budget, by identifying the correct identifying number (for example, Revised Budget #G-1701-02248 for application #G-1701-02248).
• Click on the appropriate Revised Budget and click the Edit button at the top of the page.
  1. Confirm Contract Signatory. The primary signatory listed in this section is the person who has the legal authority to bind the applicant or applicant organization to the provisions of any contract awarded pursuant to your grant application. Think carefully about who will sign your grant contract.  The contract will be sent to that person by email for digital signature, so it is very important that their name, title and email are set up in the Online Grants System.
     If the name in this section is not correct, please input the correct information in the available fields.
  2. Select the appropriate fiscal year for the Revised Budget from the drop down menu.
  3. Follow the instructions to input grant and match in the revised budget line items for expenditures and income:
     • Project grantees (All Annual grants including Arts Build Communities and Creative Placemaking): Do not include the entire budget for the project. Include the expenditures and income for the grant award and the required match only.
     • Operating support grantees: Do not include your total operating budget as requested in the original application. Include only the expenditures and income for the grant award and match.
     • Arts Education grantees: Applications do not require a match (with the exception of Arts360). Even if you showed a match in your Arts Education application, do not show a match in the Revised Budget.
  4. In the COMMENTS text box input the following:
     • Budget Explanations: If your Revised budget includes any expenditures in the “Professional Fee, Grant & Award” AND/OR the “Other Non-Personnel” line items, clearly identify those expenses and amounts in the Comments text box.

  5. Budget Change Requests.  Grantees may require changes to the budget and/or scope of their FY2025 project grants as submitted. Changes will be considered and approved on a case-by-case basis as long as the overall spirit of the proposed project reviewed by the grant panel remains consistent. While filling out the Revised Budget for your award, you may be aware of the need to adjust your project. Please briefly describe your requested changes in the text box provided and make appropriate revisions to your budget. Your program director will contact you if additional information is needed.

  6. Updated Organizational Information. Answer the following questions. If you answer “yes” to either, input information in the comment section below:
     1. Has your organization experienced significant staffing changes since time of application?
     2. Have there been significant changes to your organization’s finances since time of application?
  7. Click Save at the bottom of the form, and then click Submit.

• HINTS
  • Ensure that you input your Revised Budget figures in the correct categories on the Revised Budget Form. You may NOT move funds that you listed on your original application to a different line item in your Revised Budget unless you seek approval from the TN Arts program director assigned to your grant. (For example, if in your grant application you requested $5,000 in Commission funds for Contracted Artist Fees and showed a $5,000 match in Space Rental, those categories cannot change. The amounts will change based on your actual grant award, but the categories must stay the same.)
  • Provide an exact cash match on the Project Income table using the same categories you requested in your application. Do not overmatch (more than your grant award) or leave this area blank if this is an Arts Education grant not including Arts360, Arts Access, Rural Arts Facilities Fund, or Rural Arts Project Support grant since these do not require a match. The Funds Awarded amount will populate automatically upon saving your Revised Budget and be calculated into the Total Income.
  • If any component of the project changes, you must contact your program director immediately.

If you have questions about completing the required information, contact the appropriate program director or the grants management director. No grant contracts will be issued until this form has been received.

Failure to submit your Revised Budget by June 17, 2024 date may result in the cancellation of your award.

Annual Grant contracts must be electronically signed and submitted. No grant funds may be obligated toward the funded project until a contract between your organization and the Commission has been executed and approved by all parties.

Upon receipt of a correct revised budget a contract will be generated for your award and an email from DocuSign will be sent to the primary signatory listed on your application. Please inform the primary signatory about this email. When received, please review the contract and budget for this award.

How to use DocuSign to reply to a request for an electronic (digital) signature
The primary signatory listed on your grant application will receive and emailed grant contract from the Tennessee Arts Commission for review and digital signature. To reply to this request as soon as possible.

Read through the contract carefully.  If you have questions, please contact hal.partlow@tn.gov or 615-741-2093.

If there are no questions, please proceed to sign.

1. Click on the Signature icon on the left.
2. Drag the signature icon with your name and place it on the line for Grantee Signature.
3. Drag the Date Signed above the DATE on the Grantee Signature line.
4. On the line for “PRINTED NAME AND TITLE OF GRANTEE SIGNATORY (above), click and drag your first name, last name, and title from the fields on the left.  If the title box is blank, please type in your title.
5. Click FINISH at the bottom.
6. When the “Log in to DocuSign” pops up, click NO THANKS.

You should now see a message from DocuSign that “You have successfully signed your document using DocuSign.”

After you successfully submit a signed contract it will be routed for TN Arts Commission signature.   An executed copy will be returned to you via DocuSign email and uploaded into your grant file in the Tennessee Arts Commission online grant system.

Failure to Return a Contract by June 30, 2024
The primary signatory of your organization must respond to the DocuSign email referencing this request with an electronic signature NO LATER THAN June 30, 2024. Failure to respond to the DocuSign request by this date may result in the cancellation of your award.

• Any organization that fails to deliver a signature and any requested items by June 30, 2024 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if the grant will be cancelled.
• In case of late contracts, the organization will be responsible for positively reporting what extenuating circumstance(s) caused them to miss the deadline and specify what compelling reasons should allow for the acceptance of the late compliance.
• A request for an exception to policy must be submitted via email.
• No grant funds may be obligated toward the funded project until a contract between your organization and the Commission has been executed and approved by all parties.

FY2025 Title VI annual training must be completed after July 1, but before an organization submits its first request for payment from the Tennessee Arts Commission.  All grant funds will be held until training requirements are met. If you are an Annual grant recipient who will not request an initial Request for Funds payment before December 13, 2024, your organization is still responsible for submitting a Title VI Training and Certification form no later than December 13, 2024.

Click here for instructions for submitting Title VI Training & Certification

TN Arts Commission’s Title VI Coordinator
If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Arts Access/Title VI Coordinator, Kim Johnson, at 615-532-9797 or kim.johnson@tn.gov.

Project activities occur throughout the year. Grant funds may be obligated toward the funded project when:

1. a contract between your organization and the Commission has been executed and approved by all parties, and
2. Title VI annual training has been completed and approved by the Commission’s Title VI Coordinator.

Requesting Funds
In order to receive funds, you must complete and submit the Request for Funds Form. Funds are generally drawn down in stages. All Request for Funds forms can be found in Grants Management – Reports Due in the left-hand menu of the Online Grants System.

First Request for Funds or Requesting all Funds in One Request – Click on the 1st Request for Funds Report and click the Edit button at the top of the page. You may request 40% of your grant award prior to the activity, after there is a fully executed contract and you have submitted Title VI training certification. To do this, choose the 1st Request for Funds option in the drop-down menu, click Save at the bottom of the form, and click Edit again at the top of the page. This will allow the page to populate with the correct form fields for this request. Note that if you are requesting funds for 40% advance of your total award in your first draw, you do NOT have to include check numbers; however the request for advance must be as close as is administratively feasible to the actual disbursement and shall not exceed anticipated expenditures for a 30 day period. Additionally, if you receive an advance, and your project does not occur or your grant is cancelled, your organization will be required to repay the total amount advanced.

Complete the form, and click the Save button at the bottom. Once saved, click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

You may choose also choose to request all of your grant funds in one draw. If you have spent your matching funds already and would like to closeout the grant, choose “Closeout” from the drop down menu, Save, and click the Edit button again to show the correct form fields for this request. Then see the Grant Closeout Instructions below.

Second and (if necessary) third Request for Funds are drawn down on a reimbursement basis. Provide check numbers in the itemized expenditure section of the Request for Funds Form showing how both grant funds AND matching funds were spent. Most people only request funds twice, 40% at the beginning and then the remainder when the project is over, to avoid the paperwork. However, up to three requests may be submitted. Second and third requests for funds must include an Itemized Expenditures Sheet Annual Grant, which can be downloaded from the Information – Document Library link located in the left-hand menu of the Online Grants System.

The Annual Grant Expenditures Form should contain check or receipt numbers where indicated (or CC/DC if payment was made by credit or debit card); sign and date the form before saving and attaching. Once completed, save the form to your computer and attach it to the bottom of the Request for Funds page.

Final Request for Funds Deadline – (regardless of whether it is your 1st, 2nd or 3rd) must be submitted no later than 30 days following the project end date or June 15, whichever comes first. Keep records of check or receipt numbers for all grant and match expenditures, as you will have to report this information when closing out the grant.

Annual Final Evaluation (closeout) Instructions
When you have submitted your Final Request for Funds, representing 100% of your grant award, you must close out your grant by submitting an Annual Final Evaluation form, Itemized Expenditures Sheet Annual Grant, and documentation of Tennessee Arts Commission credit. You will not receive payment until all forms and required documentation is submitted electronically.

You will find the Annual Final Evaluation Form in the Grants Management – Reports Due link in the left-hand menu of the Online Grants System.

The Annual Final Evaluation form should include final expenses for the entire activity of the grant, not just Arts Commission funds and the category specific required match.

The Itemized Expenditures Sheet Annual Grant may be downloaded from the Information – Document Library link located in the left-hand menu of the Online Grants System.

The Annual Grant Itemized Expenditures Form should ONLY contain expenditures paid for by the grant and by the minimum category specific matching requirement. Check or receipt numbers must be included where indicated (or CC/DC if payment was made by credit or debit card).

Important Closeout Information

• Grants must be closed out no later than 30 days after the project end date or June 15, whichever comes first.
• Operational Grants – Do not wait until the end of the fiscal year to close out your grant. When possible, closeout your grant prior to the ending date listed in your grant application.
• Closing out your grant in a timely and efficient manner is vital to your continued success as an Arts Commission grantee. Your organization’s funding history – that is, your record of turning forms in on time and itemizing spent funds – is shared with grant review panelists each time you submit a new application. A favorable funding history improves your application’s overall rating.
• All expenditures listed on Itemized Expenditures Form must be for activities occurring within the term of the grant contract. For Example: A payroll check issued July 3 would most likely be for work performed in June or earlier of the previous fiscal year and, therefore, unallowable.

• Proof of Tennessee Arts Commission credit. Your organization must provide proof of Commission credit by attaching to the Annual Final Evaluation Form. Proof might include a brochure, poster, newspaper article, program, etc. that shows the Arts Commission logo and gives credit to the Commission for funding. See the Logo Usage and Credit section of the website for further information.
• OPTIONAL Document: Grantees are encouraged but not required to upload a photo or link to a video illustrating the results of the grant-funded project during closeout.
• Operating Support Recipients.  If you received any of the following grants your organization is contractually obligated to promote specialty license plates.

• • Major Cultural Institution
  • Partnership Support
  • Small Rural Partnership Support
  • Small Urban Partnership Support

For a guide to Specialty License Plate Promotional Activity Documentation required for closing out your grant, follow this link.

• 40% Advance. If your organization requests funds for 40% advance of your total award in your first draw, you do NOT have to include check numbers; however the request for advance must be as close as is administratively feasible to the actual disbursement and shall not exceed anticipated expenditures for a 30 day period.
• Federal Funding. If your organization’s contract budget indicates funds from a federal source and your federal award is used to support salaries, recipients must maintain records that accurately reflect the work performed by an employee whose salary is charged, in whole or in part, to the federal funds. Personnel expenses must be documented using personnel activity reports, time and effort reports, or other records that comply with your organizations internal controls and established accounting policies. Written and signed contracts must also be maintained if the grant supports contracts with artists or contractual personnel.

All grantees are encouraged to participate in arts advocacy efforts during the grant period. Arts Advocacy is communicating to elected officials your views on the importance of the arts and how public support of the arts can and has impacted your community. Examples of arts advocacy may include membership in Tennesseans for the Arts, writing letters to state legislators and other state/local elected officials, inviting state/local elected officials to arts events, and writing newspaper articles that create awareness about public support for the arts through the organization’s activities (news articles that primarily market events are not considered arts advocacy).