The Clarksville/Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Development Council (AHDC) 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/Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Development 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, April 10, 2023, at 5:00pm, 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 meeting 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.
Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and local entities of government in Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart counties are eligible to request between $500 and $5,000 for arts projects taking place between August 16, 2023, and June 15, 2024. ABC grant requests must be matched dollar-for-dollar with project-related cash expenses and income. Any organization awarded Major Cultural Institution or Partnership Support funding for FY2024 is not eligible to apply.
Applications must be submitted online by 11:59pm (CST) on July 3, 2023, through the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Online Grants System. 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. Faxed, 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 in early August, 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-Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Development Council, at ahdc@artsandheritage.us.