Rose Center Announces FY25 Arts Build Communities Grant

​

​

​

FY25 Arts Build Communities Grants Now Open

Rose Center Announces Arts Build Communities Grant Recipients

 

Rose Center serves five East Tennessee counties as a Designated Agency of the Tennessee Arts Commission, overseeing the Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant program. For fiscal year 2025, eight organizations have received grants totaling $18,160 through Rose Center. 

 

“The ABC grant program is an opportunity to bring innovative arts programming to communities all over the state of Tennessee,” said Rose Center Executive Director Beccy Hamm. “It’s always exciting to see what kinds of projects are proposed each year.” In fy24, ABC grants across Tennessee totaled $582,967, resulting in an additional investment of $2,364,032. Projects in Rose Center’s service area received $18,160 in grants, with an additional investment of $34,000. These projects served 10,000 individuals.

 

CWEET (Clean Water Expected in East Tennessee) will present their Art & Gardening Festival in April of 2024. The event, happening in downtown Newport, features local musicians and storytellers, and showcases local artists and gardeners who present workshops for all ages.

 

Del Rio Elementary School will receive funding for a mural painted at the school’s entrance. Students will be able to contribute suggestions for subject matter, and watch artist Thelma Ogle bring those ideas to life.

 

East Tennessee Artscapes will offer three free metalsmithing and jewelry making workshops for residents of Cocke County. Beginner and intermediate classes are in January 2025, and a class for those with dexterity challenges will be held in May 2025.

 

Fuzion School of the Arts in Jefferson County will perform “The Grinch and the Seven Whos” for 2000 elementary and middle school students. The show focuses on themes of kindness, friendship and generosity. 

 

Grainger County Parks and Recreation used its ABC grant funds to pay musicians for the Grainger County Fall Festival Concert Series in October. The festival, held in Grainger County Park, also features local arts and crafts vendors.

 

Hope & Thrive Academy received a grant for their “reStart- Respite in Art” program. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities will engage in project-based learning through arts and crafts, and will participate in community craft events throughout the year.

 

Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center will host their first Earth Day Festival, which celebrates the music, art, crafts, culture and skills held by folks in Hogskin Valley and surrounding area, while promoting sustainable living and Earth care.

Walters State Community College has received funding for their Mildred Haun Conference in February 2025,with workshops in Appalachian literature, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and songwriting. This year’s event will also include musicians and visual artists. 

 

ABC grants are available to nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies (schools and libraries, for example) in all 95 Tennessee counties. The ABC grant program is designed to 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.

 

Eighty percent (80%) of the funds for these grants come from the sale of Tennessee Specialty License Plates. Forty percent (40%) of the extra fee for ANY of these plates, and 90% of the ARTS plates fees, goes to the Tennessee Arts Commission. 

 

Organizations in Hamblen, Jefferson, Cocke, Grainger and Claiborne counties may apply through Rose Center. The next grant cycle begins April 1, 2025, with an application deadline of July 1, 2025, for projects occurring August 15, 2025 through June 15, 2026. Applicants may request up to $5000 for their projects. Detailed information is available at www.tnartscommission.org or by calling Rose Center, 423-581-4330. A grant workshop will be held in the spring of 2025.