GRANT MAKING
Grant making is an integral part of ArtsBuild’s mission to building stronger communities through the arts, by giving financial support to local arts organizations as well as non-arts organizations. We want everyone to be inspired by the arts in our community. That takes access, and access takes funding. ArtsBuild grant programs serve "More Arts in More Places for More People."
Grant making is an integral part of ArtsBuild’s mission to build a stronger community through the arts, by giving financial support to local arts organizations as well as non-arts organizations. We want everyone to be inspired by the arts in our community. That takes access, and access takes funding. ArtsBuild grant programs serve "More Arts in More Places for More People".
Mission Support
ArtsBuild supports local arts organizations whose mission is to create and provide year-round arts programs and experiences that are vital to the cultural life of the community. The grants, awarded annually, provide general operating funds to eligible organizations. Mission support grants are designed to support access to the arts and to supplement other earned revenue and contributed income generated by the organization.
A grants review panel made up of volunteers evaluates each organization’s application, heavily weighted on the organization’s efforts to create access to the arts across our community – through outreach, inclusion, and diversity in programming and participation.
Each Mission Support grant recipient enriches Chattanooga and Hamilton County making it a better place to live, work and visit.
ENGAGEMENT MAP —
Mapping Our Work
ArtsBuild created a Google map with help from the Chattanooga Design Studio illustrating the geographic reach of our grant-making, arts education and arts leadership programs over the past 5 years. Additionally, ArtsBuild supports every elementary school in Hamilton County. This project has helped us to identify those areas of our county that are well-served, and those where we may be able to bring more arts to more people.
Community Cultural Connections
Community Cultural Connections grants began in 2012 in response to Chattanooga’s city-wide cultural plan Imagine Chattanooga 20/20. The goal of this grant program is to make arts and culture more accessible to underserved populations, inclusive of geographic area, ethnicity, age and individuals with disabilities. Since the program started, grants of up to $2,000 have been made to more than 100 unique organizations, artists, or groups using the arts to make our community a better place.
Arts Build Communities
The Arts Build Communities (ABC) grants program is funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and administered locally by ArtsBuild for Hamilton County. ABC grants are designed to provide support for arts projects that broaden access to arts experiences, address community quality of life issues through the arts, and enhance the sustainability of asset-based cultural experiences. Non-profit organizations in Tennessee are eligible to apply. If your organization is in a Tennessee county that’s not Hamilton County, we can connect you with the correct designated agency.
The application for FY 2025 closed July 1, 2024.
Equity Grants for Individual Artists
The Equity Grants for Individual Artists program provides grant-funded support for artists traditionally not found at the “funding table.” This program evolved from ArtsBuild’s Equity in the Arts grant program active in 2017 and 2018 and funded by the Benwood Foundation. Equity in the Arts grants supported projects led by local Black and Latino artists.
The current evolved grant program strives to support the work of diverse artists who are reflective of our community and is aimed at providing more equitable grant funding. The program is for artists who identify as one or more identity groups: Arab/Middle Eastern, Asian, Black or African-American, Hispanic/Latino(a)(x), Indigenous (e.g., Native American, Pacific Islander), BIPOC Female, and Living with Disabilities. Each year, a different group is prioritized for grant funding. Award amounts are up to $10,000. Since 2021, 24 artists have been recommended for funding, totaling $202,237. For many of the artists who receive this funding, it is their first major artist grant.
Grant funding is made available in three funding categories: Artist Works, Equipment, and Professional Development. Funding is provided by individual donors, Lyndhurst Foundation, and Benwood Foundation.
Artists Work Grants
The Artists Work Grants program provides funding to individual artists, artist studios, and non-profit arts organizations to produce artworks for public spaces in Chattanooga. Funding for the program was provided by the Lyndhurst Foundation, Benwood Foundation, and individual ArtsBuild donors.
2024 - 2025 Artists Work Grants
2023 - 2024 Artists Work Grants
2020 - 2021 Artists Work Grants
Artist Emergency Fund
ArtsBuild has established an ongoing Artist Emergency Fund to help self-employed artists of all disciplines in Hamilton County recover from lost income due to the cancellation of scheduled gigs or work opportunities (such as a commission, performance, contract, etc.) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidelines will be available for future eligibility to apply for funds. The Artist Emergency Fund is supported by individual donors, the Benwood Foundation, Lyndhurst Foundation, and Footprint Foundation.
Arts Recovery Fund
The Arts Recovery Fund is designed to help ease the financial burden of startup, grassroots, and small arts and culture non-profit organizations in Hamilton County with annual budgets of less than $50,000. The purpose of this grant is to help small arts and culture organizations to survive and get back on the growth track because they are a vital part of what makes our community a great place to be.
FY 2021 Arts Recovery Fund Grants
Grant Review Panels
Grant review panels are critical to ArtsBuild’s work of awarding grants. Our grant panels are composed of members of the community who volunteer their time, passion, and experience to review grant application materials and help us make recommendations to select the strongest applicants for each funding opportunity. They work both independently and virtually alongside ArtsBuild staff and board members and other panelists to evaluate grant applications, ensuring an equitable, honest, and thorough review and ranking process.
Serving as a panelist offers individuals an opportunity to more deeply connect with the work of artists and arts organizations involved in our community, insight into the grant-making process, as well as networking opportunities within the arts sector. If you are interested in serving on a grant panel, please contact Melissa Astin at melissa@artsbuild.com.
Title VI
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on a person’s race, color, or national origin. All Tennessee Arts Commission grantees are subject to compliance with this and other applicable federal laws.
If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination or to request an accommodation, contact Kim Johnson, Director of Arts Access, at 615-532-9797 or the Tennessee Relay Center at 1-800-848-0298 (TTY) or 1-800-848-0299 (Voice).
ArtsBuild Nondiscrimination Policy
ArtsBuild does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of funding and services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors.
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