The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Council (AHC) invites organizations seeking funding for artistic and cultural projects that benefit the community to apply for an Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant.
Arts Build Communities is a program funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and administered by the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Council in cooperation with the Tennessee Arts Commission. ABC grants provide support for arts projects that broaden access to arts experiences, address community quality of life issues through the arts, or enhance the sustainability of asset-based cultural enterprises. Arts disciplines covered by this grant program include dance, music, opera/musical theatre, theatre, visual arts, design arts, crafts, photography, media arts, literature, interdisciplinary and folk arts.
On Monday, June 3, from 4:00pm to 5:30pm, Dr. Ellen Kanervo, executive director of the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Council, will host a free grant workshop detailing information about the grant and how to apply. The workshop will be held in the Glass Study Room at the back of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library (350 Pageant Lane #501, Clarksville). While attendance at the workshop is not mandatory, applicants are strongly encouraged to attend, as there have been some changes to the program this year.
Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and local entities of government in Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart counties are eligible to request up to $5,000 for arts projects taking place between August 16, 2024, and June 15, 2025. In FY2025, this grant does not require matching funds.
Applications must be submitted online by 11:59pm (CST) on July 1 through the Tennessee Arts Commission’s online grant system at tnarts.fluxx.io. Applicants accessing the Online Grants System for the first time must register their organizations and create an organizational profile. Guidelines are available at https://tnartscommission.org/grants/arts-build-communities-grant. Mailed or hand-delivered applications will not be accepted.
Applications will be reviewed by an advisory panel and discussed at an open panel review meeting on August 7, conducted remotely via conference call. A representative from the applying organization is strongly encouraged to participate to answer questions that may arise about the application or proposed project. Awards will then be announced in mid-August.
All events sponsored in part or entirely with ABC funds must be open to the general public. Community involvement is an important component in the planning and implementation of ABC projects. Since ABC awards are not restricted to arts organizations, this grant program brings the arts to a larger segment of the community through arts projects at public schools, libraries and other service organizations.
For more information, please contact Dr. Ellen Kanervo, executive director of the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Council, at [email protected].