The Clarksville-Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Development Council invites organizations seeking funding for artistic and cultural projects that benefit the community to apply for an Arts Build Communities grant. Projects which address COVID-19 recovery through the arts are encouraged, though not required.
Arts Build Communities is a program funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and administered by the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council in cooperation with the Tennessee Arts Commission. ABC grants offer financial support for arts projects in all disciplines such as dance, music, opera/musical theatre, theatre, visual arts, design arts, crafts, photography, media arts, literature, interdisciplinary and folk arts.
This year, in lieu of our annual grant workshop, online tutorials are available at https://tnartscommission.org/abc-tutorials.
Funds awarded to a single organization in this grant category range from $500 to $3,500, marking an increase in the maximum award from past years.
Eligible organizations in the counties of Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart can apply for these grant funds. In order to be eligible, applicants must be state-recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations or government entities (including public schools and libraries) and must be able to provide a dollar-for-dollar match toward the single proposed project. In addition, the proposed project must occur between August 16, 2020, and June 15, 2021. Any organization awarded Major Cultural Institution, Cultural Education Partnership, or Partnership Support funding for FY2021 is not eligible to apply.
Applications must be submitted online by 11:59pm (CST) on July 1 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 beginning at 10:00am on Monday, July 27, at the Customs House Museum (200 S Second Street, Clarksville). In the event in-person meetings are not feasible, panel review meetings will be conducted remotely in the form of conference calls. 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. However, an exception has been made for FY2021 to allow in-school, curriculum-based projects. 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.