Community Arts Funding

Community Arts Funding is sponsored by ArtsMemphis. Provides funding to Tennessee 501(c)(3) nonprofits and government entities planning public arts projects in Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby, and Tipton Counties. Funding is for initiatives that broaden arts access, improve community quality of life, or support cultural enterprises.

ARTSmemphis is pleased to support artists living and working in Shelby County through the ARTSassist grant. This grant supports visual, dance, and film (directors) artists. Musicians are supported in partnership with Music Export Memphis .

ARTSassist grants are generously supported by our contributors. We are especially grateful to Mark Goshorn Jones for enabling the addition of film to our direct artist support. ARTSassist grants support the expansion and innovation of quality artistic work, providing financial flexibility for creative risk-taking and artist career support.

The ARTSassist Grant Program enables ARTSmemphis to demonstrate the value of artists’ work to our region by supporting working artists in their artistic practice. In the next cycle 13 grants of $5,000 each will be awarded. ARTSmemphis strives for proportionate distribution of grant awards according to the number of applicants in each discipline and based on artists’ career stages.

Grant recipients will receive a Form 1099 to report this taxable income. Our Artist Advisory Committee (AAC) identifies jurors and advises on the development of grant guidelines and application requirements. Carl Moore, Co-Chair, Visual Art Jazmin Wilson, Co-Chair, Film Marico “Dr. Rico” Flake, Dance Kong Wee Pang, Visual Art The FY27 ARTSassist grant application will open August 10, 2026.

Application deadline is October 4, 2026. August 10: Grant application opens. August 13: Info Session Recording & Presentation August 18-September 29: Office Hours for help and support via Zoom REGISTRATION REQUIRED September 21: Deadline to schedule optional interview for application responses.

October 4: Grant application deadline November 23: Applicants notified December 5-13: Grants announced during ARTSweek To be considered for this grant, the applicant must meet all of the following requirements: U.S. citizens, individuals lawfully admitted to the US for permanent residence, or individuals who have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the US. Documentation is required.

Residents of Shelby County, TN for at least three years prior to the application deadline. Documentation is required. Grant recipients are expected to remain a resident of Shelby County for minimally six months following execution of a grant contract.

If a grant recipient relocates before six months have passed, partial grant repayment may be required. The artist is 21 years or older. Documentation is required.

The artist has not received an ARTSassist grant award or Emmett Award within the past five (5) years (since July 2021). Individuals must be considered a Professional Artist for minimally three years. Individuals are at the professional level if they: Consider their artistic endeavors as a career.

Make significant time investment in their artistic disciplines through practice, performance and production. Have created and presented their own original works to the public or performed for the public within the past three years. Public presentation of the work must be through in person venues/events, not through online or virtual means.

Eligible Artistic Disciplines Dance: Including Choreography or Solo Dance, all genres Film: Including screen-based projects presented via film, television, video, and the Internet. Directors only, not open to actors or screenwriters. Visual Arts: Two- and Three-Dimensional Fine Artwork Note: All submitted artwork must be the original work of the applicant.

Work generated in whole or in part by artificial intelligence (AI) will not be considered. The following individuals are not eligible: Individuals currently enrolled as a full-time student or planning to enroll in a full-time degree-seeking program for their artistic practice in the next 12 months. Grant award decisions are competitive, and awards are based on an artist’s documentation of work and in alignment with the stated criteria.

Submission of an application for funding does not guarantee that funding will be awarded. Artist collectives/collaborations/teams are welcome to apply. If your collaborative is awarded a $5,000 grant, one person will be provided with the grant funds.

Grants are intended to support an artist’s career, not an arts organization. There are two primary steps in the review process: Reviewed by ARTSmemphis staff and Artist Advisory Committee (AAC) for eligibility. Reviewed by a three-person jury.

Jurors are selected by AAC members. One jury per artistic discipline. Jurors will be selected by members of ARTSmemphis’ Artist Advisory Committee and will be professionals from outside of Memphis to ensure no bias in the review process.

Each three-person jury will rate the assigned applications based on the evaluation criteria and will identify the top scoring applicants in each discipline. Attention will be given to applicants’ demographics to ensure a diverse range of top applicants, in terms of gender, ethnicity, and career stage. 1st Review – Staff & AAC: Ensure each application is complete, competitive, and that the applicant is eligible.

History of creating art and presenting to the public Evidence of active engagement in creating artwork and presenting it to the public for minimally three years. Creative Practice – 5 points Artist demonstrates vibrant and active creative practice through work samples, resume and description of work.

Impact to Practice – 5 points Artist describes the overall impacts to their creative practice and what will change as a result of this grant. Growth Potential – 5 points Artist demonstrates readiness to take their practice/career to the next level and describes how they will use the grant to support that growth. Evaluation will also include a section for recommendations from the panelist to the applicant.

If an applicant would like to request feedback on their application after the decisions are announced, they can contact Nur Abdalla, nabdalla@artsmemphis. org . To Apply, please visit the ARTSmemphis Grant Platform .

Describe the current nature of your work. (300 words maximum) Be sure to address what you want your art to communicate with viewers. Describe how grant funding would impact your career / creative practice.

(300 words maximum) For this application, you may provide information through one of three formats: Audio or Video. You may provide a link to an audio or video file of your responses for each question. Please ensure that all links are not password protected.

Interview with ARTSmemphis staff. We will record a Zoom meeting and link that recording in the application. This document should include a current listing of your performance record, grants, awards, residencies and other professional activities, including dates and locations.

Be sure to provide an artistic resume, rather than a summary of your employment history. If applying for the ARTSassist Grant as a collaborative group, each artist is required to submit a resume, or documentation of artistic accomplishment. Compile this information into one file.

This document should not exceed 2 pages. An expectation of artists working at a professional level is that they have a digital presence to present and promote their work. Work samples must be recent works that have been created/performed in the past three years.

Links to at least 3 but no more than 5 works, with a total combined run time of 15 minutes maximum, with no password protection. If you are providing work samples of commissioned works/pieces no more than 1 of your work samples should be commissioned work. Artist work samples must demonstrate substantial human creative control, direction, and editorial input rather than raw, unedited machine output.

Grants for Filmmakers are generously supported by Mark Goshorn Jones. Grant award decisions are competitive, and awards are based on an artist’s documentation of work and in alignment with the stated criteria. Submission of an application for funding does not guarantee that funding will be awarded.

Artist collectives/collaborations/teams are welcome to apply. If your collaborative is awarded a $5,000 grant, one person will be provided with the grant funds. Grants are intended to support an artist’s career, not an arts organization.

This program will support short film projects awarding grants of $5,000 each. For this grant, a short film is defined as under 30 minutes run time. Production Grant: For short films that have not yet begun principal photography.

Post‑Production Grant: For short films that have completed principal photography and are entering the post-production, outreach, and distribution phase. Filmmaker applicants must affirm agreement with the following Safety and Labor practices: Production will not exceed 2-3 shooting days. Shooting days will not exceed 12 hours for all cast & crew.

This includes load-in and load-out. A respectable amount of the grant money will go towards paying your cast/crew. Meals, snacks, and beverages will be provided on set for each day of production.

Safety specialists will be on-set for any scenes that require the use of guns, knives, or weapons. Submission Guidelines for Production Grants Most film categories and genres are welcome to submit: Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Experimental. Music Videos are not eligible.

All filming must take place within Shelby County. Submissions that do not require additional fundraising beyond the amount given by this grant are strongly recommended. If there are already additional funds in place, that is acceptable.

Grant recipients must have principal photography completed before September 30th, 2027. The film must be completed within one year of the grant award. Completed films should aim to be no longer than 15 minutes.

Submissions need to consider the amount being awarded and what can realistically be achieved at this budget level. Submission Guidelines for Post-Production Grant: Most film categories and genres are welcome to submit: Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Experimental. Music Videos are not eligible.

The Post-Production Grant can be for short films that have already completed principal photography. Grant funds can go towards any post-production services including editing, color grading, sound, music, marketing, and distribution. All filming must have taken place within Shelby County.

Grant recipient must have principal photography completed before the grant application deadline. All post-production must be completed before September 30th, 2027. There are two primary steps in the review process: Reviewed by ARTSmemphis staff and Artist Advisory Committee (AAC) for eligibility.

Reviewed by a three-person jury. Jurors are selected by AAC members. One jury per artistic discipline.

Jurors will be selected by members of ARTSmemphis’ Artist Advisory Committee and will be professionals from outside of Memphis to ensure no bias in the review process. Each three-person jury will rate the assigned applications based on the evaluation criteria and will identify the top scoring applicants in each discipline.

Attention will be given to applicants’ demographics to ensure a diverse range of top applicants, in terms of gender, ethnicity, and career stage. 1st Review – Staff & AAC: Ensure each application is complete, competitive, and that the applicant is eligible. History of Creating Art and Presenting to the Public Evidence of active engagement in creating artwork and presenting it to the public for minimally three years.

Creative Practice – 5 points Artist demonstrates vibrant and active creative practice through work samples, resume and description of work. Impact to Practice – 5 points Artist describes the overall impacts to their creative practice and what will change as a result of this grant.

Growth Potential – 5 points Artist demonstrates readiness to take their practice/career to the next level and describes how they will use the grant to support that growth. Film: Does the application content demonstrate the ability and likelihood to complete the project within 12 months? Is the proposed project feasible based on the amount of funding provided?

Evaluation will also include a section for recommendations from the panelist to the applicant. If an applicant would like to request feedback on their application after the decisions are announced, they can contact Nur Abdalla, nabdalla@artsmemphis. org.

To Apply, please visit the ARTSmemphis Grant Platform . Describe the current nature of your work. (300 words maximum) Be sure to address what you want your art to communicate with viewers.

Describe how grant funding would impact your career / creative practice. (300 words maximum) All applicants will submit the following details about their project. Title, Logline, Synopsis, Theme, Artistic Alignment, Grant Impact, Timeline, Distribution Plan Production Grant application will require a script, budget, and list of cast and crew.

Post-production Grant application will require a rough cut or scene, production and post-production budget. For this application, you may provide information through one of three formats: Audio or Video. You may provide a link to an audio or video file of your responses for each question.

Please ensure that all links are not password protected. Interview with ARTSmemphis staff. We will record a Zoom meeting and link that recording in the application.

This document should include a current listing of your screening/exhibition/performance record, grants, awards, residencies and other professional activities, including dates and locations. Be sure to provide an artistic resume, rather than a summary of your employment history. If applying for the ARTSassist Grant as a collaborative group, each artist is required to submit a resume, or documentation of artistic accomplishment.

Compile this information into one file. This document should not exceed 2 pages. An expectation of artists working at a professional level is that they have a digital presence to present and promote their work.

Work samples must be recent works that have been screened/created in the past three years. Links to up to 3 works, with a total combined run time of 15 minutes maximum. If you are providing work samples of commissioned works/pieces no more than 1 of your work samples should be commissioned work.

Artist work samples must demonstrate substantial human creative control, direction, and editorial input rather than raw, unedited machine output. Grant award decisions are competitive, and awards are based on an artist’s documentation of work and in alignment with the stated criteria. Submission of an application for funding does not guarantee that funding will be awarded.

Artist collectives/collaborations/teams are welcome to apply. If your collaborative is awarded a $5,000 grant, one person will be provided with the grant funds. Grants are intended to support an artist’s career, not an arts organization.

There are two primary steps in the review process: Review by ARTSmemphis staff and Artist Advisory Committee (AAC) for eligibility. Review by a three-person jury. One jury per artistic discipline.

Jurors will be selected by members of ARTSmemphis’ Artist Advisory Committee and will be professionals from outside of Memphis to ensure no bias in the review process. Each three-person jury will rate the assigned applications based on the evaluation criteria and will identify the top scoring applicants in each discipline.

Attention will be given to applicants’ demographics to ensure a diverse range of top applicants, in terms of gender, ethnicity, and career stage. 1st Review – Staff & AAC: Ensure each application is complete, competitive, and that the applicant is eligible. History of creating art and presenting to the public Evidence of active engagement in creating artwork and presenting it to the public for minimally three years.

Creative Practice – 5 points Artist demonstrates vibrant and active creative practice through work samples, resume and description of work. Impact to Practice – 5 points Artist describes the overall impacts to their creative practice and what will change as a result of this grant.

Growth Potential – 5 points Artist demonstrates readiness to take their practice/career to the next level and describes how they will use the grant to support that growth. Evaluation will also include a section for recommendations from the panelist to the applicant. If an applicant would like to request feedback on their application after the decisions are announced, they can contact Nur Abdalla, nabdalla@artsmemphis.

org. To Apply, please visit the ARTSmemphis Grant Platform . Describe the current nature of your work.

(300 words maximum) Be sure to address what you want your art to communicate with viewers. Describe how grant funding would impact your career / creative practice (300 words maximum) For this application, you may provide information through one of three formats: Audio or Video. You may provide a link to an audio or video file of your responses for each question.

Please ensure that all links are not password protected. Interview with ARTSmemphis staff. We will record a Zoom meeting and link that recording in the application.

This document should include a current listing of your exhibition record, grants, awards, residencies and other professional activities, including dates and locations. Be sure to provide an artistic resume, rather than a summary of your employment history. If applying for the ARTSassist Grant as a collaborative group, each artist is required to submit a resume, or documentation of artistic accomplishment.

Compile this information into one file. This document should not exceed 2 pages. An expectation of artists working at a professional level is that they have a digital presence to present and promote their work.

Work Samples must be recent works that have been created in the past three years. Images: Images of 10 works, submitted in PDF format, 1 work per page. It is recommended that you include work details (title, year, medium, size) on the PDF page with the image.

If you are providing work samples of commissioned works/pieces no more than 3 of your work samples should be commissioned work. Artist work samples must demonstrate substantial human creative control, direction, and editorial input rather than raw, unedited machine output. Jurors for the FY27 Grant will be announced later.

Expectations for Grant Recipients If you are awarded a grant, below are some things you should expect: Artists awarded an ARTSassist Grant are required to provide ARTSmemphis with one or more of the following before receiving grant funds: Signed W9 with Social Security Number or EIN (for payment purposes). Proof of residency for at least three (3) years in Memphis, TN or Shelby County, TN.

The following are examples of acceptable forms for proof of residency: Driver’s License or State ID. Signed and dated tax forms. Personal Property tax receipt.

Lease agreement signed by the applicant and landlord, with the landlord’s contact info. One or more utility bills that show your address and applicant’s name on the bill (EX: MGLW etc.). Other documentation as discussed with ARTSmemphis staff.

Provide a short bio (100 words maximum) and head shot or photo of yourself producing/performing your art for ARTSmemphis to use in grant announcements, promotion, and fundraising. Artists awarded an ARTSassist Grant are encouraged to recognize ARTSmemphis support in the 12 months following the award of the grant. Verbal or printed acknowledgement of ARTSmemphis support at an event in which the artist’s work is featured is appreciated.

Filmmakers will receive text and logos for inclusion in closing credits of completed project(s). ARTSmemphis expects to coordinate an exhibition and/or showcase of ARTSassist grant recipients work and artists are encouraged to participate. Sarah Fleming & Laura Jean Hocking