Metro Arts Commission Announces THRIVE Neighborhood Art Funding Program

Last week, we told you about

on the topic of what role arts organizations can play in Nashville's future as an arts-focused community. Today, the Metro Arts Commission expanded its role in a big way by announcing a proposal-based funding program called THRIVE, which offers opportunities for artists to apply for public money for projects that engage the community in a given neighborhood.

Are you one of the many folks I've seen recently doing live video art with a projector, and you want to put together an exhibition with other artists in your neighborhood? Or do you have some other great idea for engaging people in your area, and you need a little financial support to make it happen? You're the target audience for this funding.

THRIVE has a well-organized website, but here are a few of the most important points before you dive in:

— The pool of money to be awarded to projects is $40,000 for the 2015 fiscal year (all projects funded during this fiscal year have to be completed by June 1, 2015), and the maximum amount to be awarded to any one project is $4,000.

— Proposal submissions are done online. There are a variety of forms you need to submit along with your proposal; Also, the page on which you submit your application does not let you save a draft and finish it later. Solution? The Tools & Resources page provides you with a proposal worksheet and links to download all the forms you need.

— The proposals are graded on a 100-point score, divided across four criteria:

* Artistic Excellence (Maximum of 30 points). Does your project give a fresh perspective on the arts, or use techniques in a new or unusual way?

* Neighborhood Impact (Maximum of 30 Points). What specific neighborhood do you plan to target, and how will your project serve its residents' needs?

* Community Engagement (Maximum of 30 points). How strong is your plan for getting local people involved in the project, whether they're creating the art or just having it in their lives?

* Project Feasibility (Maximum of 10 points). Are your timeline and budget realistic?

— Metro Arts staff will review proposals the third Thursday of every month, and the proposal submission deadline is the end of the previous month. So, if you'd like to start a project in November, you'd want them to review it in October, and you have until September 30 to submit your proposal.