The Arts & Business Council is proud to be able to offer fiscal sponsorship to qualified arts projects and organizations that fit within our mission and may benefit from tax-exempt status and administrative support. Like an incubator for the creative sector, this program has launched several exciting Nashville-area projects.
Fiscal sponsorship through the Arts & Business Council provides structure for arts groups and individual artist projects that do not want (or are not ready) to become tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. We make it possible for groups to receive tax-deductible grants and donations as they grow. Sponsored projects must be arts-related, fit with the mission of the Arts & Business Council, and be based in or producing work in Tennessee.
Want to learn more about fiscal sponsorship, or see if you qualify? Read through our fiscal sponsorship FAQs.
All donations made to these projects through the Arts & Business Council’s Fiscal Sponsorship program are completely tax-deductible. You can support any of these projects by sending a check to the Arts & Business Council offices at 1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212, noting the project in the memo line; or by donating online through the links below.
Our current projects:
4 Short Stories
A collection of four evening-length performances, created and directed by four TN-based artists. The creative directors design each element that goes into their story: choreography, lighting, set, costume & every element in between, empowering them to explore & express their creative voices.
AfricaNashville
AfricaNashville promotes cross cultural relationships between celebrated African and American artists and provide hands-on artistic and educational exchanges from their respective cultures through music and dance.
Bad Water
Bad Water is led by a burning desire to support and connect deeply with artists, engage intentionally with the community, and to defiantly encourage the exhibition of diverse, experimental and evolving art practices in the American South.
CONVERGE
An interdisciplinary collaborative that develops thought-provoking ideas and perspectives, and provides a platform of support to creatives who seek to positively impact the community.
Elevare
Inspired by its Latin name meaning “to elevate”, the mission of Elevare is to explore the diverse depths of sacred choral repertoire in performances that exhibit the highest musical quality for audiences throughout the Mid-South region.
Free Fyre
Rekindling the mind & spirit to move the body through creative workshops, keynote speaking & the performing arts, Free Fyre provides transformative experiences for individuals, teams, and organizations.
The Gourd
The Gourd is creating a music & urban farm event celebrating synergies between making music & growing food in community.
Melodia Studio Scholarship Program
Melodia Studio Scholarship Program provides music lessons for all, regardless of ability to pay, through scholarship funds that pay teaching artists and administrators fairly for their work.
Nashville Made
Supporting locally made goods, especially through urban manufacturing.
Nashville Museum for Children & the Arts
Igniting imagination, curiosity, empathy, and the creative process in all children and their families through art and play.
Nashville's FLAVA!
Aims to help the restaurant industry dig out of and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic by bringing awareness to and reviewing Nashville’s amazing eateries through a fun, engaging, and community-led television program.
Southern Dialogues
Southern Dialogues is creating an arts and journalism platform to re-imagine the landscapes, legacies and futures of the southeastern United States.
Tunes for Kidz
Providing children from every background with musical instruments by taking donated instruments not in use anymore and matching them to kids in need.
Underground Music Collective (UMC)
A robust, global multimedia platform that provides an outlet for musicians and industry professionals to share their talents, stories, and the lessons they’ve learned along the creative journey.
Woolworth Sit-Ins Mural
A mural project to educate the public about the civil rights history of Nashville and honor the living participants of the Woolworth counter sit-ins with replicas of the original stools with their names on them.
Woven Theatre Company
Charging itself to be unashamed, audacious, fearless, rebellious, gritty, authentic, current, and queer, Woven Theater Company seeks to be a haven in which artists can creatively and boldly explore their unique voices and tell the stories that drive them.
Your Song
A collaborative songwriting program that connects performing arts centers, musicians, and artists with vulnerable communities to promote healing and community connectedness.
Previous Fiscally Sponsored Projects
Art Camp
Comeback Evolution
Creatives’ Day
Fashioned to Flourish
Firefly Artisan Fair
FIX Rock Opera
Genesis Community Arts Center
Ghosted
HerStory Cinephilia Society
Immersion Retreat
Kennie Playhouse Theatre
Kindling Arts Festival
LocateArts
Media, Entertainment & Technology Alliance
The Missing Link
Nashville Arts Coalition
Nashville Design Week
Nashville Fashion Alliance
Nashville Industry Fund
Nashville Music Video Festival
Nashville Walls Project
Off the Wall
Opportunity in Overalls
Paid 2 Play Artist Development Program
Pikes Project
Reverie – The Voyage of Dreams
The River Arts Collaborative
SheLectricity
The Pentatonic (The Ripple Effect)
Voyage of Adventure Retracing Donelson’s Journey
World AfriCultural Community Project
Young Visionary Academy of Art