Opportunity Overview
The Tennessee Arts Commission is accepting FY27 applications for the Student Ticket Subsidy (STS) program. STS provides reimbursement funding to Tennessee K-12 public schools for artist fees, tickets, and transportation associated with eligible arts field trips and in-school arts projects. Schools must partner with an artist or organization on the Commission’s Teaching Artist Roster, and funded projects must take place during the school day.
Funding
Funding is allocated by county and awarded first-come, first-served and by demand. The current FY27 public grant page does not state a per-school maximum award or total statewide funding pool, so Atlas does not infer either amount. The Commission’s prior-year official announcement stated a $3,000 school maximum, but that prior-year ceiling is not treated as a verified FY27 amount unless the Commission confirms it in current materials.
The school must pay the teaching artist up front. Reimbursement occurs only after the project is completed and the required final evaluation and invoices are approved. Grant funds cannot cover school administrative fees, and the full award must support the approved STS activity.
Eligibility and Geography
Eligible applicants are Tennessee K-12 public schools. Schools must use their legal name in the Tennessee Arts Commission Fluxx Online Grants System and work with an approved Teaching Artist Roster artist or organization. The Commission’s current page lists numerous counties where FY27 STS funding is already closed; schools in counties not listed as closed remain potential applicants while their county allocation is available.
Project and Submission Requirements
Eligible project dates are September 12, 2026 through May 21, 2027. Applications must be submitted at least 30 days before the proposed project. The current public guidelines do not publish a single statewide closing date, closing clock time, or time zone because funding is rolling and county allocations can close as funds are exhausted.
First-time applicants must register the school as an organization in the Fluxx Online Grants System and complete the Organization and People profiles. Applicants select a Teaching Artist Roster partner, prepare the application using the STS draft worksheet, complete the Assurances section with a primary signatory who has legal authority, submit through Fluxx, and verify that the application appears under Submitted Applications.
Closeout and Payment
Awardees must submit the signed Artist Invoice and, when applicable, the Transportation Invoice with the final report. The final evaluation is due within 30 days after the project or by June 1, whichever comes first. No funds are released until required documents are submitted and approved. Payment is issued directly to the school, and the school must verify its mailing address using the W-9 supplied with the award letter.
N9+ / Dr. Miltie Relevance
N9+ Fit: 0/100. This is an arts-education reimbursement program limited to artist fees, tickets, and transportation for school-day arts activities. The verified FY27 scope establishes no healthcare delivery, telehealth, remote physical examination, medical equipment, or QC Healthcare pathway. Dr. Miltie is therefore No Bid for direct pursuit.
Contacts
Julia Stark, Arts Learning Specialist, Tennessee Arts Commission, julia.stark@tn.gov, 615-532-5934. Chris Sweatt, Director of Arts Education, chris.sweatt@tn.gov, 615-253-8914. First-time registration questions may also be directed to Lee Baird at lee.baird@tn.gov or 615-532-0493.