Project Announcement
The Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) was awarded $50,000 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in conjunction with State of Tennessee funding in the amount of $125,000 for a total of $175,000 to continue funding the Fiscal Year 2027 statewide initiative, Tennessee Arts & Rural Health. This initiative use the arts to increase health and wellness outcomes through arts-based activities and programs involving patients, families, and staff in rural TN hospitals.
Eligible applicants must either operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, local entity of government, or be a parent hospital with a nonprofit status that operates a nonprofit hospital located in a rural county. Local entities of government or 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations must be legally chartered & headquartered in Tennessee. If a parent hospital manages a hospital located in a rural county, only one application will be accepted per parent hospital, and the recipient hospital and arts programming must be located and implemented in the rural county. Organizations that received funding in FY26 are eligible to apply for FY27 funding preferably with a new project. An organization is eligible to apply for funding if the organization is legally chartered in Tennessee and operates as a local entity of TN government or has an active IRS 501(c)3 status, can provide a current copy of the organization’s bylaws, Board of Directors, and an active federal Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Failure to be a local entity of government or provide all nonprofit status documentation will result in the application being disqualified. Preferable projects include those that use the arts to increase or enhance patient health or wellness outcomes, build creative spaces for hospital environments, or add to overall staff, family, or community involvement in the arts within a healthcare setting. Examples of proposed projects include the following: Increase or enhance patient health or wellness outcomes: Build creative spaces for hospital environments: Community involvement in the arts within a healthcare setting: Projects must involve an arts form or component (i.e., music, dance, visual arts, literary arts, etc.) and be implemented/held at the rural hospital. * The letter of intent should not provide details of your project but should include a brief email indicating your hospitals interest in applying, the name and county of the rural hospital in which services will occur, and a contact name, email, and phone number. This email should be sent to Kim Johnson, Director of Arts & Health, kim.johnson@tn.gov. All applicants must first 1) send a letter of intent by September 30, 2026 and 2) receive confirmation back that the applicant can proceed in filling out the application. Next, the application can be filled out by 1) registering in the online grants system if the organization has not previously registered and then 2) filling out the application. Again, if your organization has received funding in the past and previously registered in the online grants system, you will not need to re-register. If your organization is new to the online grants system, Instructions on how to register are located here. After you complete the registration, you will receive a Username and Password. This will allow you access into the online grants system to complete and submit an application by the deadline. Note that applicants will be instructed on how to complete the application after letters of intent are reviewed. Programs must be broadly open to the public and not exclude any individuals from participating. Programs may not give preferential treatment to individuals “on the grounds of disability, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other classification protected by Federal, Tennessee State constitutional, or statutory law” or engage in legal discriminatory practices or programs. Compliance with the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Title VI training requirements must be met before any funding is released. Title VI training does not need to be completed during the letter of intent or application process, but if funding is received, then the organization is required to complete the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Title VI training. If awarded funding, any marketing about the proposed project must include the logos of the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. 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. Applications are reviewed in-house by Commission staff. Funding notification will take place via email. A completed FY27 Title VI training and certification must be completed before any grant funds are disbursed All Commission sponsored programs, services and facilities are fully accessible to all Tennessee artists and citizens. No person of on the grounds of disability, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin or any other classification protected by Federal, Tennessee State constitutional, or statutory law shall be given preferential treatment or excluded from participation in services, programs and employment provided by the Commission and its contracting agencies. If an individual believes they have been subjected to discrimination, they may file a complaint with the TN Arts Commission by contacting the Title VI Coordinator at kim.johnson@tn.gov (615-532-9797) or the Civil Rights Enforcement Division of the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office at Online Complaint Portal; phone: 615.741.5825, email CRED@ag.tn.gov; or by mail to P. O. Box 20207, Nashville, TN 37202. All Commission sponsored programs, services and facilities should be fully accessible and compliant with American with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunication. The ADA extends the requirements under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, to all activities of state and local governments and places of public accommodation operated by private entities, including places of public display. Resources to assist in meeting these requirements can be found on the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Accessibility Resources page. Any grantee shall promptly notify the State in writing of any significant changes in the organization’s structure, leadership, or financial circumstances that could affect services provided under the grant contract resulting from this application. These projects are supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Rural hospitals often lack the resources to effectively use interventions like the arts to create programs that increase patient health and wellness outcomes, build healing environments where staff and patients can thrive, and improve the quality of life in communities through participation in the creative arts. Research has shown that when the arts is used in conjunction with medical care, patient health outcomes increase. The use of the arts in medical settings has proven to provide a therapeutic, low-cost, non-pharmacological alternative to medications. Examples in the research include using music to improve cognition and memory in Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients or using dance to improve physical mobility of Parkinson patients. Even within hospitals, participation in the arts can stimulate therapy and engagement with patients, help families connect with their loved ones, enhance staff hospital relationships, and help to contribute to the patient’s comfort and well-being. The arts have many benefits and are proving to be a vital tool in improving overall health and wellness for many people.
For this initiative, only hospitals based in rural counties in Tennessee will be considered. The rural designation is defined by the Governor’s Rural Task Force as well as the designation for rural used by the Commission’s Rural Arts Project Support and Small Rural Partnership Support grant programs. See map below.
Contact: Kim Johnson, Director of Arts & Health, Kim.Johnson@tn.gov; 615-532-9797
