The Tennessee Arts & Rural Health Initiative supports arts programs that increase health and wellness outcomes involving patients, their families, and staff in rural TN hospitals.
Donor Name: Tennessee Arts Commission
State: Tennessee
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/31/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
The Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) was awarded $75,000 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to fund a new statewide initiative, Tennessee Arts & Rural Health. In conjunction with additional state funding, this new initiative seeks to use the arts as a way of adding value in increasing health and wellness outcomes by using arts-based activities and programs involving patients, their families, and staff in rural TN hospitals.
The Commission seeks to fund to create or continue arts and health programming involving patients, their families, or staff. A minimum of one award will be made in each of the state’s three grand divisions (i.e., East, Middle, & West). Eligible applicants must have a 501c3 status. Either the rural hospital or a rural nonprofit arts or non-arts organization can apply but the arts or non-arts organizations must partner with a rural hospital to provide the programming. Projects must involve an arts form or component (i.e., music, dance, visual arts, literary arts, etc.).
Examples of proposed projects that could be implemented in rural hospitals include:
- Artist infused spaces that lead to the creation of murals at the hospital
- Meditation gardens with public art component
- Arts exhibition space for hospital lobbies
- Creation of arts healing spaces by patients and staff
- Professional artist-led art classes held at hospital for in-patients and their families
Funding Information
Between $5,000 and up to $25,000 (non-matching), reimbursed to grantee after completing reporting requirements.
Grant Period
January 1, 2026 – June 1, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
- An organization is eligible to apply for funding if the organization is legally chartered in Tennessee, has an active IRS 501(c)3 status, can provide a current copy of the organization’s bylaws, Board of Directors, and an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Failure to provide all nonprofit status documentation will result in the application being disqualified.
- Programs must be broadly open to the public and not exclude any individuals from participating. Programs may not give preferential treatment to individuals “on the grounds of disability, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other classification protected by Federal, Tennessee State constitutional, or statutory law” or engage in legal discriminatory practices or programs.
- The Tennessee Arts Commission reserves the right to deny any application, if the proposed activity is outside of the scope or spirit of the agency’s mission, purpose, or this grant program.
For more information, visit TAC.
