The Tennessee Arts Commission is accepting applications for its Partnership Support Grant Program to support qualified arts organizations headquartered and chartered in Tennessee.
Donor Name: Tennessee Arts Commission
State: Tennessee
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/13/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Funding will depend upon an organization’s rating in the review process, circumstances that may affect services to the community, and upon the total amount of funds available to the Tennessee Arts Commission for grant allocation.
The total cash operating expenses, verified by an audit submitted by the applicant, will be determined by the sum total of:
- Salaries, Benefits & Taxes,
- Professional Fee, Grant & Award,
- Supplies, Telephone Postage & Shipping, Occupancy, Equipment Rental & Maintenance, Printing & Publications,
- Travel, Conferences & Meetings, and
- Other Non-Personnel
Operating support applicants (SUPS, SRPS, PS, MCI) may not submit an application for APS/RAPS in the same fiscal year. However, all operating support applicants may submit applications in the Arts Access and Arts Education categories, and SUPS and SRPS applicants may also submit an application in the Arts Build Communities category. These additional requests are based on eligibility, and applicants must provide proof that funds requested for AA, AE or ABC grants will not be used for Salaries, Benefits & Taxes and that the applicant can independently meet the cash matching requirements for each additional request without using the cash match or Commission funds requested from its operating support application.
Funding Information
Organizations may request 20% of their total cash operating expenses in their most recently completed fiscal year at the time they submit their application, up to but not exceeding the maximum grant request amount of $100,000.
Project Period
July 1, 2026-May 15, 2027.
Eligibility Requirements
- Applicant must be a free-standing arts group independent of any other organization. Therefore, applicants must be an established arts organization responsible for its own programming (by producing or presenting/curating), or an arts council which serves and interacts with local arts organizations.
- An organization is eligible to apply for funding if the organization is legally chartered in Tennessee and has its headquarters and home season, or activities equivalent to a home season for non-producing organizations, in Tennessee, and meets either of the following qualifications: active IRS 501(c)3 status or public arts council that serves a broad population and interacts with local arts organizations. A significant amount of year-round public activity and programming must be evident that significantly impacts Tennesseans and their communities. Organization must have a board-approved long-range plan covering at least the current and next fiscal years.
- Government units that are local arts agencies are eligible for Partnership Support funding. Colleges, universities and other government units are not eligible for funding in this category.
- Applicant must have received a minimum of three years of Commission funding during the last five years in the following grant categories: Partnership Support, Small Urban Partnership Support, Small Rural Partnership Support, Arts for All (formerly Arts Access), Arts Project Support, Rural Arts Project Support, Creative Placemaking, Arts Education Community Learning, Arts Education Teacher Training, or Arts Pathways for Youth Success.
- Applicant must have at least one full time, year-round paid professional administrator at the time of application. Employees cannot be paid by a subsidiary entity. In general, “full-time” means the individual is paid for a minimum of 37.5 hours of work per week.
- NEW: Beginning in Fiscal Year 2027, Partnership Support applicants are not required to submit a single entity audit for the most recently completed fiscal year. However, the total cash operating expenses must be verified by an audit or Form 990 submitted to the IRS within 12 months from the application date and provided by the applicant at the time of application. Note:
- Applicants may choose to demonstrate ongoing fiscal responsibility through a single entity audit conducted externally by a certified public accountant (CPA) for its most recently completed fiscal year at the time the application. Submitting an audit is optional.
- Audit costs for the applicant organization are an allowable grant expense.
Please Note: An organization should not apply in this grant category if at the time of application, it is aware they cannot meet all of the above stated requirements.
For more information, visit Tennessee Arts Commission.
