Rural Arts Facilities Fund Grant

Rural Arts Facilities Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Tennessee Arts Commission
Amount: Up to US $200,000
Last Updated: November 18, 2025

Summary

The Rural Arts Facilities Fund, established by the Tennessee Arts Commission, aims to support rural communities in enhancing their arts and cultural facilities. Grants of up to $200,000 are available for projects that benefit local arts programming, foster community identity, and promote economic growth. Eligible applicants include local governments and nonprofit organizations in rural Tennessee. By investing in these facilities, the program seeks to improve access to arts experiences, create jobs, and stimulate tourism in underserved areas.

Overview

About The Tennessee Arts Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly with the special mandate to stimulate and encourage the presentation of the visual, literary, music and performing arts and to encourage public interest in the cultural heritage of Tennessee. TN Arts Commission Governing Policies can be found here. Mission The mission of the Tennessee Arts Commission is to cultivate the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities. Our vision is a Tennessee where the arts inspire, connect and enhance everyday lives. Rural Arts Facilities Fund Rural Arts Facilities Fund (RAFF) grants are designed to help rural communities carry out initiatives that build, renovate, or expand arts and cultural facilities. Project applications must demonstrate a history and/or commitment to arts and cultural programming in the community, cross-sector community support, feasible plans for revenue generation and facility management, and sustainable long-term operational goals. Public investment in rural arts and cultural facilities can help rural communities in a number of ways, including, but not limited to, expansion of arts and cultural opportunities for underserved audiences, job creation, tourism development, enhanced creative learning opportunities, as well as strengthening a community’s distinctive identity and quality of life. The Tennessee Arts Commission is committed to advancing the arts as a driver of the creative economy and creative placemaking, as well as accelerating transformation of rural areas through the nonprofit arts and creative sector. The RAFF grant program builds upon work accomplished through the Creative Placemaking grant program and Tennessee Stages programs. Creative Placemaking grants provide funding for arts projects that enhance the distinctive local character of Tennessee places for positive economic and community outcomes. Many Creative Placemaking grants projects have helped renovate or enhance rural arts facilities. With Tennessee Stages, the Commission created a searchable online database of performing arts stages across the state to help communities in all 95 counties increase capacity for providing arts experiences to their citizens. In addition to serving as a mapping tool and a block-booking resource for Tennessee’s performing arts industry, the project draws attention to the value and scope of these important assets, especially those in rural communities which may be underutilized. Applicants may request up to $200,000 for projects that build, renovate, restore, preserve, or enhance rural arts facilities, including performing arts centers, art museums and galleries, multi-purpose arts centers, amphitheaters, and mobile stages. (Please note that applications targeting outdoor arts facilities must demonstrate that the proposed project will maintain or increase regular arts and cultural programming.)

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. An applicant is eligible to apply if the organization is located one of Tennessee’s Rural Counties and meets one of the following qualifications: The organization is an entity of local governmentThe applicant is a nonprofit arts organization legally chartered in Tennessee and in possession of a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service declaring the organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue CodeApplicants may only submit proposals to build, renovate, or expand facilities that are owned by nonprofit organizations or local government entities. Examples of eligible projects or activities may include but are not limited to: Architectural or design plans for new buildings, expansions, or adaptive re-use of existing facilities Cultural facilities improvements, including essential technology updates, equipment purchases, and infrastructure upgrades for presenting, producing, exhibiting, and/or preserving arts and cultural assets Stage renovation or enhancement (improvements to sound, lighting, seating, stage curtains, green rooms) Capital improvements that increase accessibility to arts programming for persons with disabilities and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act

Ineligibility

Proposals for facilities that are privately held or owned are ineligible.Organizations that were awarded three consecutive Rural Arts Facilities Fund grants in FY24, FY25, and FY26 are not eligible to apply for the FY27 Rural Arts Facilities Fund grant.Schools, colleges, and universities are ineligible to apply.Ineligible Projects for RAFF Grant category:Salaries and benefits Operating support for arts organizations or ongoing arts programming Marketing and promotional materials Purchase of land or a facility Facility rental Equipment or materials purchases that do not directly impact presentation, production, exhibition, and/or preservation of arts and cultural assets Carrying out regular facility maintenance Paving a parking lot or other exterior projects unrelated to arts programming