Rural Arts Project Support for arts projects and activities across all disciplines that strengthen community vitality and foster meaningful community engagement in rural counties.
Donor Name: Tennessee Arts Commission
State: Tennessee
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/20/2026
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 and upon the total amount of funds available to the Commission for grant allocation. This grant program is competitive, and most grant requests are not fully funded.
Funding Information
Funds awarded to a single organization in these categories range from $1,000 to $25,000 for non-arts organizations, arts organizations, and entities of local government.
Project Period
July 1, 2026-June 1, 2027.
Appropriate Activities
Proposed arts projects must involve one or more Commission recognized art forms, including: visual arts, craft, media, design, music, theater, dance, folk and ethnic, or literary arts. The following are example activities and expenditures that are consistent with the funding philosophy Rural Arts Project Support:
- Projects that involve and promote professional artists, especially Tennessee artists
- Visiting artists conducting master classes
- Specific aspects of workshops, festivals, and conferences
- Public performances, productions, and exhibitions produced by the applicant
- Exhibitions of art by professional and folk artists, especially Tennessee artists
- Projects involving and promoting folk and traditional artists
- Promotion, publicity, and newsletters
- Administrative and artistic staff support
- Research and documentation as part of an arts project or program development
- Consultancies and residencies for administrative and artistic activities
- The development of long-range planning documents
- Improved program accessibility for underserved constituencies, e.g. children, people living in rural communities or isolated settings, people with living with disabilities, people of color, and senior citizens
- Art in public places
- Extensions of literary projects, journals with continuing publication, or juried anthologies
- Apprenticeship programs
- Computer software/training
- Technical/production support
- Technical assistance projects
- Touring/presenting projects that bring professional and/or traditional folk performers to communities across the state
Eligibility Criteria
- First time applicants to this category are encouraged to contact Commission’s program staff prior to submitting an application to verify eligibility.
- Unique Entity ID (UEI): All applicants are required to have a Unique Entity ID. Information and application instructions can be found here.
- K-12 schools are not eligible under this category. Arts education-based projects, especially those primarily serving youth, must be submitted in one of the Arts Education grant categories.
- Applicant organizations must be chartered in Tennessee. National or regional 501(c)3 organizations, chartered and headquartered in Tennessee, and serving as an umbrella organization applying for funds for another group are restricted to one application only per fiscal year
For more information, visit Tennessee Arts Commission.
