January 29: Virtual Information Session, Recording

March 23: LOI/Organization Profile opens

Tuesdays @ Noon: Virtual office hours, registration required. Please note, office hours are group discussions for anyone who registers. ARTSmemphis staff will be present for the first 15 minutes of a scheduled office hour but will sign off if no registered participants log on.If none of these times work for your schedule, please contact Nur Abdalla to schedule an office hours appointment.

April 20: Deadline to submit draft application to ARTSmemphis for feedback.

April 27: LOI Deadline. Must be submitted to access the narrative application.

May 1: Streamlined narrative application

Early October: Grant decisions approved

• FY26 Operating Support grant recipient

• Have a current 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status, with a primary place of business in Shelby County.

  • 501c3 organizations that are not registered in Shelby County must demonstrate a permanent location in Shelby County and a history of minimally three years of providing programming in Shelby County.Organization’s primary focus is arts-based.

• The organization creates, exhibits, and/or performs works in any of the following fine, performing, applied or literary art forms as a primary public function

  • Dance

  • Music

  • Theatre

  • Visual Art

  • Photography

  • Literature

  • Multidisciplinary (primarily performing arts)

  • Multidisciplinary (primarily non-performing arts)

  • Film/Media

  • Humanities

  • Folk/crafts/traditional arts

  • Other

  • The arts should be referenced in the organization’s mission and/or vision statement, strategic planning documents and/or other foundational materials.

• Received at least two grants through ARTSmemphis since July 2023. This is to ensure your organization is familiar with the application process and ready to submit a competitive application.

  • Includes any of the following grant programs:

    • Arts Build Communities

    • ArtsFirst

    • ArtsZone

    • FedEx Arts Program

    • Operating Support

• Offer programs that are accessible to all Shelby County citizens regardless of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or any characteristic protected by law.

• Have at least a three-year programming history and offer consistent programming throughout the calendar year, minimally 9 months out of the year.

• Last fiscal year reported expenses are no less than $50,000.

• Have one full-time equivalent staff. This means that minimally 40 hours per week are conducted in service of the organization by paid or unpaid staff.

• Have an active and financially (including in-kind) supportive Board of Directors.

• Evidence of fiscal responsibility, must have minimally:

  • Two revenue streams (earned, contributed, reserve or endowment)

  • Contributed revenue must represent one of these revenue streams.  Minimally three contributors are required.

• Ability to provide all requested data and information.

Other Requirements:

• Have proof of compliance with all local, state, and federal laws or requirements (i.e., IRS form 990, state auditor forms, TN solicitation license, Title VI, etc.).

  • Visit the Tennessee Secretary of State website on Charitable Organizations for links and helpful information.

• If a grant is awarded and your organization engages or serves youth under age 18, a Board-approved Child Protection Policy is required before funds will be distributed. Organizations should use resources provided by the Memphis Child Advocacy Center.  ARTSmemphis staff can provide sample policies if needed.

Non-Eligible Organizations:

The following entities are not eligible for a FY27 Operating Support Grant but may be eligible for other grant opportunities through ARTSmemphis.

• Organizations with a mission that is not arts-based.

• Organizations that have not received minimally two grants through the Arts Build Communities, ArtsFirst, ArtsZone, FedEx Arts Program, or Operating Support programs since July 2023.

• Organizations with a previous fiscal year expenses of less than $50,000.

• K-12 schools, institutions of higher education or individual departments of colleges and universities.

• Religious organizations, churches or church-affiliated programs, and programs that have implicit religious content, express a particular religious view, or advance a religious purpose.

• Governmental institutions, i.e., public libraries, park and recreational facilities, schools, etc.

• Arts-missioned programs or projects operating under a fiscal agent that does not have an arts-based mission.

• Arts-missioned organizations with less than three years of programming history or that provide programs less than 9 months per year.

• Organizations without a full-time employee or equivalent, meaning less than 40 hours per week are conducted in service of the organization by paid or unpaid staff.

Organizations that are not eligible for the FY27 operating support grant are encouraged to apply for an Arts Build Communities grant, the deadline for which is typically around July 1. 

General

• ‍You may register for virtual office hours and/or contact Nur Abdalla in advance of the deadline with any questions.

• All grant applications must be submitted using the online grant application platform.

• This grant provides general operating funding, and therefore, the application process includes a comprehensive and thorough review of information about your organization’s operations.

• Data and information provided by organizations during grant application processes is utilized by ARTSmemphis to advocate and secure funding for the local arts sector, including this grant program.

• If at any point during the grant period, there are governance, financial or capacity concerns, ARTSmemphis reserves the right to withhold grant funding until further conversation can be advanced regarding plans to address noted concerns.

• Submission of an application for funding does not guarantee that funding will be awarded. Award of funding one year does not guarantee funding the following year. If not awarded funding, this does not exclude organizations from the opportunity to apply for funding in following years.

• Grant awards may not be used for regranting funds to other organizations.

• In fairness to others, no deadline extensions are granted, and we will not accept incomplete applications. An application may be deemed incomplete and ineligible if information is not provided in the appropriate format by the deadline.

FY27 SPECIAL NOTES

• As ARTSmemphis works on developing a new, comprehensive grant and support program, the FY27 Operating Support grant will only be open to eligible FY26 Operating Support grant recipients. Those organizations will receive an access code via email

• ARTSmemphis and the City of Memphis Office of Creative and Cultural Economy are participating in a 10-city national pilot with SMU DataArts and Bloomberg Associates to strengthen how city arts agencies collect and understand data about the health of their local arts ecosystems. As a result, there are some new and revised questions in the LOI/Organization Profile. Your organization’s participation will help build a clearer, data-informed picture of the financial and operational realities facing Memphis' arts and cultural community. More details on this in the General Grant Guidelines section

• The narrative application is very streamlined this year, and we are testing new board support questions.

• There is no panel review this year. Some organizations may meet with ARTSmemphis staff for follow up conversations on a case-by-case basis.

Review and Selection Process

• ‍ ARTSmemphis staff and board members will review applications,

  • Upon review of your application, ARTSmemphis staff may request a meeting to clarify aspects of or concerns presented in your application, determined on a case-by-case basis.

  • ARTSmemphis staff including CFO will review the financial information submitted by all applicants. They will identify questions to be clarified in writing via email or in meeting (most likely virtual unless an in person meeting is requested)

  • Award amounts are determined by assigning a base award related to budget size and performance against evaluation criteria.

  • Our budget for FY27 is based on our fundraising and will be determined in June 2026. We anticipate a minimum of $1.3M and are working towards an increase.

  • These grants should supplement other revenue, both earned and contributed, generated by the organization.

  • Our goal is for the minimum grant award to be $5000.

  • ARTSmemphis strives to increase funds distributed to organizations whose leadership and audiences are representative of our community. 

Suggestions

• ARTSmemphis encourages applicant organizations to be organizational partners of Tennessee Nonprofit Network to take advantage of their resources, forums, and learning opportunities to ensure utilization of best practices and implementation of current trends in nonprofit administration.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The following criteria will be considered in reviewing application data and information. Organizations receiving an average score of 24 or less will not be recommended for funding.

Mission, Capacity, and Impact (60%)

Mission (10 points)

• Does the organization demonstrate progress against their stated mission and goals?

• Do the organization’s goals align with ARTSmemphis’ mission and vision?

• Does the organization demonstrate artistic excellence and artistic merit?

Capacity (10 points)

• Is there stability within the organization and its leadership? Does the organization have the administrative capacity to carry out its goals today and plan for tomorrow?

• Does the organization have the artistic capacity to carry out its goals?

Impact (10 points)

• Does a program(s) or initiative noted in the application engage underserved populations?

• Does the organization currently collaborate with other organizations to expand impact, access and sustainability of programming?

• Does the organization present programs that increase relevance and/or representation of all members of the community or use art to tell stories that are representative of all members of the community?

• Does the organization have leadership and audiences that are representative of our community?

  • ARTSmemphis strives to support organizations that are reflective of and serving our community.

Governance and Fiscal Accountability (40%)

Governance (10 points)

• Does the Board financially (including in-kind) support the organization and is it actively involved in the organization?

Fiscal Health & Accountability (10 points)

• Organization demonstrates responsible financial stewardship, diverse revenue streams, and efforts to improve efficiency of operations and control expenses.

• If the organization is operating at a deficit, does it have a reasonable plan for reversing this trend?

• Does the organization have reserve funds available? Are there controls in place to maintain a reserve?

APPLICATION

• To Apply, please visit the ARTSmemphis Grant Platform.  If multiple staff are working on the same grant, please use the “Collaborate” option to invite them versus sharing log in information. Tutorial available here.

HELPFUL TIPS

We encourage you to:

• Read the guidelines thoroughly, check your eligibility, and carefully complete your application.

• Review the online application early so that you can plan ahead.

• Communicate with ARTSmemphis about any questions you have, or to review your draft application as early as possible before the deadline. We are happy to assist, but last-minute help is limited due to the timing and volume of requests.Start your application in the online platform early, as email reminders are sent through this system.

• You may find it efficient to draft your narrative responses in a word processing document and then to copy and paste your final draft into the online system.

The FY27 Operating Support grant application is in two parts:

1.    LOI - serves as an organization profile. Click here for PDF or Word documents

2.    Application - available after completing and submitting the LOI. Click here for PDF or Word documents.

• We recommend using a PDF or Word version of each form to compile your information/responses, and then transferring this information into the online application.

• Please be aware that you must first submit the LOI form to access the online Application. BOTH parts are required for a complete application.
  

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

ORGANIZATION PROFILE

• (referred to as LOI in the online grant system)

• This step in the application process is used to collect organization information and data.

• ARTSmemphis collects data about the leadership and audiences of organizations, requesting information if an organization is Black, Indigenous or Person of Color (BIPOC)-led and/or BIPOC-serving:

• Financial Information

  • Upload FY25 and FY26 YTD Balance Sheet/ Statement of Financial Position

  • Upload FY25, FY26 budget and FY26 YTD Income Statement/ P & L/Statement of Activity

  • Submit your financial data into the table in the online application.

    • Revenue line items conform to the Tennessee Arts Commission grant applications as much as possible for consistency and efficiency. 

    • Information requested includes:

      • FY25 Revenue & Expense Actuals

      • FY26 Budget

      • FY26 Year-to-Date (YTD) Actuals

  •   List of top 10 donors (by total giving amounts) for your most recently completed fiscal year (FY25). Submit this information into the table in the online application. 

    • If known, list name, amounts and if the gift was for a specific purpose.  This includes individuals, corporations, foundations, grants, and other contributors. Anonymous donations or donors what wish to remain anonymous should be listed as such.

    • We ask for this information to understand the diversity of your support and understand which corporations/foundations are or are not providing significant support for the arts.

    • Please do NOT include support from or through ARTSmemphis. This includes:

      • Operating Support 

      • Enhancement Grants

      • ArtsFirst

      • ArtsZone

      • FedEx Arts Program 

      • Belz Foundation

      • Arts Build Communities

  • Organizations with a budget of $1M + must provide your most recently completed audit

• Workforce and Board Information list

  • Number of full-time, part-time, contract and volunteer positions, as opposed to number of people

  • Workforce demographics, if tracked

  • Workforce benefits & compensation

  • Board list or link

• Participant & Artists Information

  • Total number of participants & artists, including paid and unpaid artists

  • Participant & artists demographics, if tracked

• Locations

  • Programming locations and zip codes

  • Programming location addresses, if tracked.  Please note that this information will be required in the FY28 Operating Support application.

  • City Council and County Commission district

APPLICATION

• The FY27 narrative section of the application includes options to respond in writing, by recorded audio or video, or by scheduling an online interview with ARTSmemphis staff that is recorded.

• Questions include Planned Changes, Mission Achievement – Impact Story, Board Support, and a Governance checklist.

AngelStreet Memphis

Arkwings

Ballet Memphis

Blues City Cultural Center

Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre

Circuit Playhouse, Inc.

Collage Dance

Contemporary Arts Memphis

Creative Aging Memphis

Crosstown Arts

Everystory

Germantown Community Theatre

GPAC

Hattiloo Theatre

Iris Collective

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Memphis ChoralArts

Memphis Jazz Workshop

Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum

Memphis Symphony Orchestra

Memphis Youth Symphony Program

Metal Museum

Music Export Memphis

New Ballet Ensemble & School

New Day Children's Theatre

On Location: MEMPHIS

Opera Memphis

Orpheum Theatre Group

Overton Park Shell

Perfecting Gifts

Princeton James Project

PRIZM Ensemble

RiverArtsFest, Inc.

Soulsville Foundation

Tennessee Shakespeare Company

Theatre Memphis

TheatreWorks

UrbanArt Commission

WYXR

Young Actors Guild