Student Ticket Subsidy (STS) provides funds for artist fees, ticket costs, and transportation fees in order for students from Tennessee public schools to experience a broad variety of cultural opportunities, arts disciplines, and artists. STS often consists of arts appreciation events which are primarily exposure-based activities with student interaction peripheral to watching, listening, and/or reacting to professional artists performing, creating, and/or discussing their art forms.
Allowable activities also include arts curriculum and arts integration residencies of more than one day that provide students hands-on participation in an art form. The projects could include a supplemental activity like a field trip or school-wide assembly to ensure that many students have access to high quality professional arts and cultural experiences.
Payment will be made in the form of a check by the Tennessee Arts Commission directly to the school and will be sent to the mailing address provided in the STS Application and Evaluation. Schools will be asked to verify the correct mailing address in the award letter.
A school awarded a Student Ticket Subsidy (STS) grant is required to submit the Student Ticket Subsidy Evaluation before receiving the grant funds. The STS Evaluation must include:
- date(s) the project occurred
- amount(s) of ticket and/or travel funds actually charged by the artist/arts group and/or transportation provider
- supporting documentation showing actual charges which includes an invoice from the artist/arts group and/or a receipt from the transportation provider. Artists and arts groups should provide the school with this completed STUDENT TICKET SUBSIDY ARTIST INVOICE FORM
The STS Evaluation must be submitted in the new Online Grants System under the same account that was used to create the awarded STS application and must be received in completion within 30 days after the project has taken place or by June 1, whichever comes first. No grant funds will be disbursed until an acceptable STS Evaluation is received through the new Online Grants System. Failure to complete the Evaluation by June 1, 2020 may result in the school not receiving the STS grant funds.
The Tennessee Arts Commission will email each artist/arts group a list of schools that are awarded and denied funding to work with that artist/arts group during each round of funding.
Artists/arts groups are encouraged to offer programs that meet the needs of the schools including Arts Appreciation, Arts Curriculum, and Arts Integration. See definitions of program types eligible for STS funding in the Student Ticket Subsidy Application Guidelines. If you are offering multi-faceted programs, remind schools to select all applicable “Program Types” in the STS Application.
Eligibility
Artists/arts groups must be on the approved list of artists on the Teaching Artist Roster. For more information on how to be listed as a Roster artist, please read the Teaching Artist Roster Guidelines.
STS Grant Guidelines
All artists must read the Student Ticket Subsidy Application Guidelines before contracting with schools.
Funding
The maximum amount of compensation STS artists may receive in any fiscal year from all STS activities is $16,000 for individual artists or $30,000 for arts groups. It is suggested that artists and arts organizations not charge admission for teachers, principals, parent chaperones, and other school staff accompanying students. Maximum of one free chaperone per ten students.
Requirement
Artists/arts groups presenting STS-funded activities must provide student preparatory materials to teachers at least ten days prior to the event.
For questions, contact Julia Stark, Arts Learning Specialist, 615.532.5934 or julia.stark@tn.gov
