Arts Pathways for Youth Success grants provide funds for out-of-school time projects serving youth from communities and groups that have been traditionally underserved and underrepresented.
Donor Name: Tennessee Arts Commission
State: Tennessee
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/13/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
This category provides funds up to $25,000 to support out-of-school time, arts learning programs designed for underserved and underrepresented youth in grades PK-12, which may include ethnic groups, youth with disabilities, and youth from low-income backgrounds.
Ethnic groups are defined as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or other groups that constitute less than the state’s current majority population.
Objective
Prepare students for success in school, career and life through the arts.
- Strategy 1: Advance arts education and arts integration initiatives that develop 21st century learning and literacy skills.
- Projects using Strategy 1 are encouraged to:
- demonstrate a commitment to the artistic advancement of skills and knowledge for students.
- link content to arts and non-arts (if applicable) state and/or national curriculum standards and explain how the standards will be incorporated as part of instruction.
- explain how standards relate to the project outcomes being evaluated.
- Projects using Strategy 1 are encouraged to:
- Strategy 2: Nurture initiatives that build skills to prepare students for jobs in the creative sector.
- Projects using Strategy 2 are encouraged to:
- offer work-based learning opportunities to shadow professionals in the creative sector.
- develop creative sector work readiness knowledge, attitudes, and skills in students.
- incorporate portfolios for students to demonstrate skills development.
- Projects using Strategy 2 are encouraged to:
- Strategy 3: Encourage positive youth development through the arts.
- Projects using Strategy 3 are encouraged to:
- create a safe and affirming environment conducive to positive youth development through the arts.
- foster relationship-building and social skill development through small-group interaction, collaboration with professional and student artists, and community engagement.
- promote student ownership by involving participants in planning, leadership roles, and developing student voice.
- Projects using Strategy 3 are encouraged to:
Grant Period
July 1, 2025-June 15, 2026.
Eligible Projects
Eligible projects must provide hands-on, experiential arts learning activities. Professional artists must be integral to the project and provide primary instruction in one or more of the following artistic disciplines: performing, visual, literary, and/or folk arts.
Eligible Expenses
Eligible expenses include:
- Permanent education staff salaries including administrators or teaching artists (Based on the percentage of time spent on the project. This is particularly important for applicants that also receive an Operating Support grant covering permanent staff salaries.)
- Professional contracted artist fees
- In-state travel and/or lodging for artists
- In-state transportation for students to and from the site location for participation in the arts learning project. These costs may include bus rentals, driver fees, fuel, or other non-capital transportation costs necessary to ensure equitable access to the project, ensuring that no student is hindered by a lack of transportation resources.
- Space rental (for locations in which the applicant must pay to use and is not currently renting)
- Marketing
- Consumable supplies related to the project.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be one of the following:
- nonprofit organizations or government agencies with a primary mission to serve youth
- libraries
- nonprofit arts organizations
- PK-12 schools or school systems (public or schools with nonprofit 501(c)3 status).
For more information, visit Tennessee Arts Commission.
