ARTSmemphis nears $100 million milestone in grants to local artists and organizations

Wendy Guzmán | Memphis Business Journal

Local arts funding organization ARTSmemphis is close to reaching a major milestone in funding.

ARTSmemphis is set to soon surpass $100 million in grant dollars distributed to local artists and arts organizations since its founding in 1963.

“For ARTSmemphis, it is a really transformative moment,” ARTSmemphis president Elizabeth Rouse told MBJ. “Most of that funding has come from Memphians — from individuals, corporations, and foundations based here. There has been some outside support and some government support as part of that, but really it's private philanthropy stepping up to make sure that ARTSmemphis is here to support the arts community long term.”

According to Rouse, the organization expected to pass the milestone by the end of its fundraising year on June 30. About 93% of revenue this year came from private funding.

In the last year, about 50% of funding provided by ARTSmemphis was through individual donors, and close to 40% from corporate support, Rouse said.

ARTSmemphis receives support from the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC), which in turn receives about 20% of its funding from federal sources like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). TAC is mostly funded by the sale of specialty license plates.

Outside of the TAC, there’s no government funding for ARTSmemphis, Rouse noted. She sees this as an opportunity for more individuals and corporations to support Memphis and its arts community.

“We have folks who give $5 a month, $10 a month, and then we have really major supporters at higher dollar levels,” she said. “I think the important message here is that every dollar counts, and it takes a lot of people to step up and raise money to make a milestone like this possible. We've been able to do that through many, many sources.”

Additionally, ARTSmemphis has an endowment that funds an annual grant program that goes directly to 85 organizations.

Rouse considers the funding milestone a jumping-off point for the next $100 million.

“The organizations and artists that we support are at risk with some potential federal funding cuts, and so it's been important for individuals and others to step up to make sure that we're able to increase our support of arts organizations and artists in the community," she said.