Grant Opportunities from South Arts

From Jordan Young, Communications & Program Assistant, South Arts –

South Arts has many grant opportunities currently available to artists and arts organizations in Tennessee:

Southern Prize and State Fellowships – Deadline: December 3, 2018
Visual arts fellowships of up to $30,000
The South Arts State Fellowships and Southern Prize acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. The South Arts State Fellowship is a state-specifi­c prize awarded to the artists whose work reflects the best of the visual arts in the South. A review panel will select one winner per eligible state, with artistic excellence being the sole criterion. Each winner will be awarded a $5,000 South Arts State Fellowship, earn a spot in the Southern Prize & State Fellowships Exhibition, and compete for one of the two South Arts Prizes. A national panel will then convene to evaluate the body of work represented by the nine State Fellowship recipients and select the Southern Prize winner and finalist to receive an additional $25,000 and $10,000 respectively, based on artistic excellence. The Southern Prize winner will also receive a two-week residency at The Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences.

Folk & Traditional Arts Master Artist Fellowships – Deadline: January 15, 2019
Fellowships for folk & traditional master artists in Appalachian counties of KY, NC, and TN of $9,000
These fellowship awards recognize folk and traditional artists from Appalachian Regional Commission counties in Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee who have demonstrated long-term practice and expertise of their art form or cultural practice. The 2019 Folk & Traditional Arts Master Artist Fellowship will provide $9,000 awards (with limited restrictions) to individual folk and traditional artists to support their continued training, research and/or learning opportunities. Three fellowships will be awarded to traditional master artists from each state (eligible counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee) for a total of nine awards.

Momentum – Dance Touring Initiative for Southern Companies – Deadline: January 18, 2019
Funding and professional development over three years for modern dance/contemporary ballet companies gain touring capacity
Momentum is an intensive professional development program over a three-year period for a group of five Southern dance companies, which will include mentorship, networking, conference showcasing and exhibiting, on-site planning meetings with presenters, tour-prep residencies, and touring. If you are a modern dance or contemporary ballet company based in the South with touring aspirations but limited success, this new program is an opportunity to build both your artistic and technical capacity.

• Webinar: Wednesday, November 14, 2018, 10am-11am (Central) / 11am-12pm (Eastern). Participate in the webinar.

Traditional Arts Touring – Deadline: December 5, 2018
Funds up to $5,000 to support organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern traditional artists
The Traditional Arts Touring grant program works to increase the public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the traditional arts in the South, through funding projects which bring a traditional artist/ensemble and a scholar/folklorist for multi-day residencies in Southern communities. The maximum request is $5,000. For projects taking place between September 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.

Performing Arts Touring – Deadline: March 4, 2019
Funds up to $7,500 to support organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern performers
The Performing Arts Touring program is an opportunity for presenting arts organizations in South Arts’ nine-state region to receive fee support to present Southern performing artists from outside of the presenter’s state. Touring support is awarded to theatre, music, opera, musical theatre, and dance projects that contain both a public performance and an educational component. These grants are limited and very competitive. The maximum request is 50% of the artist fee, up to $7,500 for dance projects or $5,000 for all other projects. Projects must take place between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.

• Webinar: Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 10am-11am (Central) / 11am-12pm (Eastern). Participate in the webinar.

Literary Arts Touring – Deadline: May 1, 2019
Funds up to $2,500 to support organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern writers
The Literary Arts Touring grant program offers presenting organizations the opportunity to receive financial support to engage Southern writers (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry) who reside outside of the presenter’s state. Support is awarded to literary projects that contain both a public reading and an educational component such as a writing workshop. The project can include a single engagement by a writer or multiple writers involved in an event (for example, writers series or festivals). The maximum request is 50% of the writers’ fees, up to a total grant of $2,500. Each writer is required to fully-participate in the reading and educational/outreach component. Projects must take place between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.

• Webinar: Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 10am-11am (Central) / 11am-12pm (Eastern)! Participate in the webinar.

Express Grants – Deadline: Year-round, at least 60 days prior to activities
Funds up to $2,000 to support rural organizations presenting out-of-state, Southern performers or writers
This new, quick turnaround grant program is an opportunity for presenting organizations in rural Southern communities (with populations of 50,000 or below) to engage Southern guest performing or literary artists from outside of the presenter’s state. Support is awarded to theatre, music, opera, musical theatre, dance, fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry projects that contain both a public performance or reading and an educational component. Grants are very limited and awarded on a first-come/first-served basis, so early submission is encouraged. The maximum request is $2,000. For projects taking place between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.

Professional Development and Artistic Planning – Deadline: Year-round, at least 60 days prior to activities
Funds up to $1,000 to support organizations either attending new professional development opportunities, traveling to see new work, or hosting an artist planning visit
Funding is available for the professional development needs of Southern presenters/programmers/curators to strengthen program design and increase organizational capacity. Applications are only accepted for new professional development opportunities. Artistic planning activities can include travel to see/explore work for future public presentations or planning meetings with artists for future public presentations. Proposed projects must support or relate to the applicant’s work as a presenter. For the purposes of these guidelines, presenters are defined as organizations that present or host artists for engagements in their communities. Grants are very limited and awarded on a first-come/first-served basis, so early submission is encouraged. The maximum request is $1,000. For projects taking place between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.