Applications Open for FY22 Annual Grants & FY21 Special Opportunities Grant

From Ann Brown, Associate Director of Grants –

FY2022 Annual Grants

Applications are open for FY2022 Annual Grants. Annual Grants support an array of arts activities and projects, including some virtual offerings, by arts organizations, nonprofits, local governments, and schools in communities across Tennessee. Before completing an application, it is strongly recommended that you first read the grant guidelines, which you can find on the individual grant pages located under Grant Opportunities.

Last year, the Commission introduced two new operating support grant opportunities for small arts organizations that allow for use of less restrictive funds and help build capacity and develop leadership potential. Small Rural Partnership Support and Small Urban Partnership Support are open to approved arts organizations that exist in either a rural or an urban county (see guidelines for county list).

These grants were developed to offer unrestricted operating support to those organizations that historically apply in a Project Support category but lacked some of the necessities to move up into the Partnership Support category, notably the annual financial audit and full-time employee requirements.

FY2022 Grant Applications have the following deadlines:

• Monday, January 11, 2021
  Application Deadline for Major Cultural Institution, Partnership Support, Small Rural Partnership Support, Small Urban Partnership Support
• Tuesday, January 19, 2021
  Application Deadline for Arts Access, Arts Project Support, Rural Arts Project Support, Arts Education Community Learning, Arts Education Teacher Training, Funds for At-Risk Youth, Creative Placemaking
• Monday, January 25, 2021
  Application Deadline for Individual Artist Fellowship

FY2021 Special Opportunities Grant

Applications are also open for the FY2021 Special Opportunities: COVID-19 Arts Resilience Grant. This new opportunity provides non-matching funds for nonprofit organizations and local governments (ranging from $500-5,000) to support creative responses to COVID-19 through the arts.

Applicants must complete and successfully submit all sections, including required uploaded documents, of the FY2021 Rolling Grant Application electronically at a minimum of 30 days in advance of the project start date. Projects may occur 30 days after application submission through June 15, 2021.

Special Opportunities applications are encouraged that:

• • Increase community and organizational resiliency
  • Create a sense of belonging and place
  • Advance community and public health efforts
  • Document this unprecedented moment
  • Promote community dialogue
  • Enlist and employ artists and creative workers to do projects that benefit Tennesseans and their communities
  • Stimulate economic recovery

Example projects include outdoor public art projects, murals, drive-in dance and theater performances, outdoor music concerts, virtual literary arts experiences, and more. These funds also support the purchase of technology, investment in strategic planning, or working with a consultant.

Organizations are eligible to receive one Special Opportunities: COVID-19 Arts Resilience Grant during Fiscal Year 2021. Current grantees, including organizations receiving operating support, are eligible to apply for a Special Opportunities Grant as long as the proposed project is a separate and distinct project not currently funded under other Commission grant programs during FY21.

To Apply

Both Annual Grant and Special Opportunities Grant applications are accepted through the Commission’s online grant system. If you do not have an account, you can learn about how to register here. As registration may take between 1-7 days to be approved, it is important that you register well ahead of any grant application opening or deadline to avoid missing a potential funding opportunity.