ARTSmemphis Announces Funding for 32 Nonprofit Arts Events and Programs Across West Tennessee
MEMPHIS – ARTSmemphis, the Mid-South’s primary arts funder, has announced the distribution of $86,080 through its Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant program to 32 nonprofit organizations in West Tennessee.
Arts Build Communities, in partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission, directly supports arts projects that broaden access to arts experiences, address community quality of life issues through the arts, and enhance the sustainability of asset-based cultural enterprises. The Tennessee Arts Commission designates ARTSmemphis annually as its designated West Tennessee partner for arts funding in the Lauderdale, Fayette, Shelby and Tipton counties.
“We are proud to have grown the number of ABC grant recipients this year,” said Elizabeth Rouse, President and CEO of ARTSmemphis. “And thanks to the generosity of the Tennessee Arts Commission, this is the second year in a row that we’ve been able to increase our maximum grants from $3,500 to $5,000 per organization and expand support to even more counties in West Tennessee. ”
For organizations that are solely arts-based, the ABC grant can be an introduction to the ARTSmemphis pipeline of grantmaking opportunities. “The ABC grant is an ideal entry point for nonprofits to understand our approach to funding and to begin developing a deeper and long-lasting partnership,” continued Rouse. However, grant recipients are not required to be solely arts-focused in mission and may be awarded funding for arts programs that further their greater goals; for example, the YMCA of Memphis received funding for their series of arts classes in their Active Older Adults Class series.
ABC-funded programs, listed below, will be featured throughout the year on ARTSmemphis’ channels and events calendar. For more information, visit artsmemphis.org.
2025 ARTS BUILD COMMUNITIES GRANTEES
AngelStreet | Annual Spring Concert
Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation | Expression with Music in Family Grief Support
Buckman Performing Arts Center at St. Mary's School | Fisk Jubilee Singers Buckman Residency
Center for Transforming Communities | Measuring Love Exhibition
Children's Museum of Memphis | CMOM Supports the Arts: Pop-up Art Performances
Classical Melodies Incorporated | Mini Concert Series
Company D | Wonders in the Night
Contemporary Arts Memphis | Activating Arts Programming in New Space
Crosstown Arts | Crosstown Arts Residency Program
Crosstown Radio Partnership | Meeting in the Middle 2025
Germantown Symphony Orchestra | 2024 Young Artists Concert
International Bluegrass Music Association | Blues, Bluegrass, and Strings
Les Passees | Kids on the Block: Safety Heroes!
Memphis Artists for Change | Mecca Memphis: Community Creations
Memphis Challenge | Tell Me A Story: What's Keeps You Up At Night
Memphis Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association | Fostering Creativity in the Classroom
Memphis ChoralArts | All Men Sing - An American Voice
Memphis Jazz Workshop | Spring Student & Faculty Concert
Memphis Youth Symphony Program | MYSP Young Person's Concert
National Civil Rights Museum | 2025 Ruby Bridges Reading Festival
OFF THE WALLS | Communications with the Unknown
Perfecting Gifts Inc. | Performing Arts Academy
Princeton James Project | Cooler Summit 2025
RiverArtsFest Inc | ARTSmemphis Partners Stage
Skool of Artistic Revelation (SOAR) | Peace Puppets
The Actors Renaissance Theatre | Intimate Cruelty
The Collegiate School of Memphis | Theatre Productions 2024-2025
Trezevant Manor Foundation | Trezevant Loves the Arts
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc. | 2025 Using Art to Tell Our Stories IV: We Remember Fort Pillow
YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South | Bringing the Arts to Active Older Adults at the YMCA
Young Actors Guild | Orange Mound Music Fest
ABOUT ARTSmemphis. ARTSmemphis, a 501(c)3, is the Mid-South’s primary arts funder, working behind the scenes to expand the foundation of Memphis’ arts through diligent and diverse support. The granting organization has distributed over $97 million since 1963 to local artists and arts organizations and serves as a funding partner, advocate and connector for local artists and arts organizations. f For more information, visit artsmemphis.org.