Grants from both the Tennessee State Museum's Capital Maintenance and Improvements Grant and Shelbyville Power and Water through the TVA Community Care Project Fund were recently awarded to the Bedford County Arts Council to help with the many building repairs and improvements needed at the historic Fly Arts Center located in Shelbyville, TN.
The organization's president, Jody Barnes-Turner, led efforts to apply for and receive these funds. Totaling $88,850, the grant from Capital Maintenance and Improvements through the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used for refinishing original floors in the main room, replacing lighting in the main room, installing an ADA compliant ramp leading to the museum, gallery, and restrooms, updating both restrooms to be ADA compliant, updating lighting in the museum and gallery and more.
The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2024-2025 Appropriations Act, “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements.”
It was a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 157 applications, totaling $10.5M in funding requests for the $5M appropriation. As of this release, the Museum has made full or partial awards to 83 museums across the state, representing 46 counties.
“In our second year facilitating this funding, we continue to be inspired by the incredible work being done throughout the state by our strong network of Tennessee museums and historic sites,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director.
“This grant is an extension of our mission to preserve of the history, art and culture of Tennessee by supporting the efforts of local, regional, and state institutions. We again thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee museums.”
According to President Jody Barnes-Turner, “These funds will go a long way towards some much needed improvements to this wonderful historical building. We want to preserve as many historical elements as possible, while ensuring that our patrons feel welcome and comfortable when they are here.”
The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2025.
The second grant award to The Fly Arts Center was in the amount of $6,666 from the TVA Community Project Fund through Shelbyville Power and Water.
These funds will also be used to help restore, repair and improve The Fly Arts Center building to address issues with building safety, accessibility and functionality.
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states.
Since the program began in April 2020, the Community Care Fund has helped over 2,000 local charitable organizations across the Tennessee Valley region. The Community Care Fund is part of a broader effort by TVA and local power companies to support communities with resources, programs and assistance and reinforce the strength of public power in the Tennessee Valley.
Bedford County Arts Council was established in 1977 and is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of the arts in Bedford County.
