Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville to receive $150,000 grant
November 30, 2021

KNOXVILLE - The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville has been selected to receive an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the local arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic. The Arts & Culture Alliance is receiving $150,000 and will use this funding to distribute grants in their community to eligible recipients to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation. In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $20,200,000 to 66 local arts agencies nationwide for subgranting.

“The NEA’s significant investment in local arts agencies, including the Arts & Culture Alliance, is a key element in helping the arts and culture sector recover and reopen, while ensuring that that American Rescue Plan funding is distributed equitably,” said Ann Eilers, NEA’s acting chair. “These grants recognize the vital role of local arts agencies and will allow them to help rebuild local economies and contribute to the well-being of our communities.”

“We could not be more grateful for this meaningful support from the NEA,” said Liza Zenni, Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance. “Every penny of these funds will be awarded in local grants ranging from $500 to $15,000. The NEA funds will be added to American Rescue Plan Grants allocated from Knox County and the City of Knoxville.”

The Arts & Culture Alliance will use 100 percent of NEA funds to support: 1) non-profit organizations whose primary mission is arts and culture-related to serve their communities, especially the underserved; and 2) individual artists conducting well-defined projects. Applications will be accepted from Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Hamblen, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier & Union counties and will be due on March 15, 2022.

This is the second of three installments of the NEA’s American Rescue Plan funding. Last April, the NEA announced that 40 percent of its $135 million in ARP funding would be allocated to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for regranting through their respective programs. The third installment of APR funding to arts organizations to support their own operations will be announced in early 2022.

For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of local arts agencies funded in this announcement, visit www.arts.gov/COVID-19/the-american-rescue-plan.

About the Arts & Culture Alliance
The Arts & Culture Alliance serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. The Alliance receives financial support from the Tennessee Arts Commission.