TN Arts Initiatives

Tennessee Arts Commission Initiatives are strategic programs designed to expand accessibility, participation, and inclusion in the arts for all Tennesseans. The programs invest in arts and cultural assets across TN through grants, workshops, professional development and partnerships.

TN Military, Veterans & the Arts
An initiative is to encourage organizations serving Tennessee’s military members, veterans, and their families to use the arts as part of the many ways they achieve their goals and provide services to military audiences and to encourage arts organizations to engage military audiences in outcomes-based activities that enhance Tennessee’s communities.

Creative Aging TN
An initiative to help promote the following outcomes in older adults throughout the state: health and wellness; lifelong learning and engagement; increased positive attitudes/perceptions about aging; and connecting older adults to their communities.

Creative Placemaking Grants

The Creative Placemaking grant competition is designed to help communities enhance the distinctive local character of Tennessee places for positive economic and community outcomes.

Creative Aging Tennessee II

The Creative Aging Tennessee II initiative continues the work started with Creative Aging TN I. This initiative focuses on the provision of 1) national training in sequential learning techniques for a core group of artists and nonprofits in Tennessee, and  2) to address resource gaps, especially in rural areas, a $75,000 grant program will provide seed funding to nonprofits throughout Tennessee to serve older adults.

Creative Aging Tennessee III

Building upon the success of the Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging program which for Tennessee was the Creative Aging Tennessee II program, the Tennessee Arts Commission sought funding from the States Leading Creative Aging program, a joint initiative of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and E.A. Michelson Philanthropy.

Tennessee Arts & Rural Health Initiative

The Tennessee Arts Commission, in partnership with the Tennessee Hospital Association, has launched the inaugural Tennessee Arts & Rural Health Initiative, a $175,000 pilot program designed to enhance health and wellness outcomes through innovative, arts-based projects in rural hospitals. This strategic investment—comprised of $75,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts, $90,000 in state funds, and a $10,000 Targeted Arts Development Initiative grant specifically for distressed Hancock County—supports ten transformative projects distributed across Tennessee’s three grand divisions: four in West Tennessee, three in Middle Tennessee, and three in East Tennessee. Scheduled for implementation between January and June 2026, these grants empower nonprofit hospitals and community partners to serve patients, families, and healthcare staff, bridging the gap between creative expression and clinical well-being in the state’s most underserved rural regions.

Tennessee Person-Centered Music Program (TPCMP)

The Tennessee Person-Centered Music Program (TPCMP) offers Tennessee nursing home residents, including those with dementia and Alzheimer’s, personalized music through digital devices to deliver individualized playlists to reduce medication usage and adverse behaviors while improving quality of life and health outcomes.