APPLICATION SUBMISSION
Please contact Folklife Program staff before applying to discuss your eligibility, art form, work plan, and work samples. If contacted at least one week before the due date (May 15, 2026), staff will assist you in the application process.
Complete and submit the following five sections. An application is not complete until all sections have been received.
You may also submit a paper application mailed to:
Folklife Program
Tennessee Arts Commission
Rachel Jackson Office Building
320 6th Ave N
Nashville, TN 37243
ONLINE APPLICATION
Note: The work plan must begin no earlier than July 1, 2026 and end no later than June 15, 2027. Applicants are asked to carefully design a plan that suits their tradition and specific goals.
Part 1. Master Artist Application: To be completed by the master artist.
Part 2. Apprentice Application: To be completed by the apprentice.
Part 3. Work Plan: To be completed by the master artist and apprentice together, detailing the outline of their work plan (where, when, how often, subjects to be taught, etc.). While most projects primarily involve one-on-one training, a work plan can also include learning in other situations consistent with the tradition. These might include ensemble, public, and performance settings, or settings that draw from archival resources.
Part 4. Budget: To be completed by the master artist and apprentice. A fixed honorarium of $3,000 is allotted for the master artist and $800 for the apprentice. Up to an additional $1200 may be requested as needed for supplies and/or mileage. Honoraria are paid at the end of the project term. Funds for supplies and mileage are paid near the beginning of the term. The master artist and apprentice must specify how the supplies and mileage funds would be divided between them.
Part 5. Work Samples: Both master artist and apprentice must submit work samples with the application. Please contact Folklife Program Staff if you need technical assistance. Music or Verbal Traditions: Minimum of two audio or video samples each from both the master and apprentice. Dance, Folk Theater, Calendar or Life-Cycle Customs: Minimum of two video samples each from both the master artist and apprentice. Material Culture, Crafts, and Foodways: Minimum of five photographs each from both the master and apprentice. Examples should include images that show close details of the work.
Note: The initial supplies and mileage payment will be processed as early in the term of the project as possible. This will depend on the submission of all necessary paperwork by participants and other administrative contingencies. If applicants have project purchases that will need to be made immediately at the start of the project, they should consider if and how they can make those prior to receiving the payment (reimbursement). Any questions and concerns should be discussed with Folklife Program staff prior to submitting the application.
