Statements

Mission

To foster community and civility in Tennessee through public programs that examine and reflect upon ideas, stories, history, arts, and culture.

Background

Humanities Tennessee was incorporated in 1973 as the Tennessee Committee for the Humanities, a state-based program of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The mission to "bring the humanities to the public" was supported solely by federal funds at that time. The organization went through several name changes over the decades. In 1985, it became the Tennessee Humanities Council?a name many still remember. In 2000 it took on its current name, Humanities Tennessee. In 2012, long-time president Robert Cheatham retired after more than 35 years of service. Tim Henderson, former director of operations and digital programs, took over the leadership role as executive director. In its early years, Humanities Tennessee was primarily a re-grant organization, offering funding for humanities projects statewide. No longer solely a grant-making organization, HT now conducts and supports public humanities programming across the state and raises significant non-federal funds. We focus on local history, literary arts, and civic life. Our work sparks conversations and builds strong communities across Tennessee. Our Core Programs include the annual Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word, Chapter16.org (the State's virtual Center for the Book), the Appalachian & Tennessee Young Writers' Workshops, Student Reader Days, the Neighborhood Story Project, and Traveling Exhibits, including Smithsonian Museum on Main Street tours. Our Partner Programs include Salon@615 (in partnership with the Nashville Public Library, Parnassus Books, BookPage, and the Nashville Public Library Foundation), Nashville Reads (with the Office of the Mayor and the above partners), March to the 19th (in partnership with Chick History, Inc.), Tennessee History Day (with the Tennessee Historical Society), and many more. Our Grants program support a variety of public humanities programs and opportunities across the state. Learn more and get involved at www.HumTN.org.

Impact

Humanities Tennessee's programs and grants respond to a need for dialogue, civility, an understanding of history, and a love of lifelong learning among Tennesseans. Our programs and grants reach an estimated 500,000 Tennesseans per year and help to strengthen Tennessee communities by nurturing mutual respect and understanding. Humanities Tennessee (HT) accomplished the following in the past year:Presented the 31st annual Southern Festival of Books to an audience of more than 25,000 people from across the region in Nashville, Tennessee. The event continues to be free of charge and to present programming for all ages and levels of education and interest. In 2019, HT received competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts for the Southern Festival of Books, and competitive grants from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and Tennessee Arts Commission. Artists share their applause for HT, with 95 percent of survey respondents ranking their experience as 'excellent' or 'good.' Many repeat their participation multiple years, showing their satisfaction and commitment. HT developed the following strategic priorities that remain its focus in 2020 and beyond: 1. Strengthen the internal organization. 2. Diversify funding sources. 3. Expand HT's statewide network of stakeholders. 4. Examine programs in relation to the stated mission and vision. 5. Develop and promoting the HT 'brand.' HT Board and staff are committed to overseeing the steps and to funding efforts that fulfill these strategic goals. The staff and board have also recently begun strategic conversations in preparation for the organization's 50th anniversary year in 2023. There are a few identified program opportunities that will require significant planning in the coming three years to effectively launch those programs for long-term sustainability. We intend for our 50th anniversary to be part retrospective, but primarily an opportunity to set the stage for civic engagement, community, and conversation going forward.

Needs

Humanities Tennessee's strategic goal and need is to diversify funding and to create sustainable revenue. To that end, the organization added a full-time development and communications director in 2019, the first in 20 years. Donations to support our programming and operations are critical.
Needs include:
1.) General operating support - Gifts of every size are appreciated.
2.) Funding to present the Southern Festival of Books (budget is about $575,000). Sponsorship is $1,000-$25,000 with benefits relative to the amount.
3.) Funding, ongoing, for the Young Writers' Workshops and Student Reader Day programs. Scholarships are needed for Workshops; tuition is $650 per youth (need about $15,000). Workshops cost $65,000/portion covered by tuition; the Student Reader Day program costs about $40,000 with part to purchase books for youth.
4.) Funding for Chapter16.org covers editorial expenses, site maintenance, enhancement, and expansion (about $89,300).
5.) HT welcomes volunteer support, particularly for the Festival in October.

CEO Statement

Humanities Tennessee is the only statewide organization in Tennessee that focuses on promoting, supporting, and celebrating the humanities. We do so through history, language, and literature programming that runs deep throughout our state into cities, rural communities, and neighborhoods. HT thrives on partnerships and collaboration and enjoys longstanding relationships with the Nashville Public Library, other libraries in Tennessee, Tennessee Public Schools, Parnassus Books, the Nashville Scene and other publications throughout the state that reprint articles from Chapter16.org and promote the Festival each year, Vanderbilt University's Robert Penn Warren Center, and many others. These partners connect us to new audiences and support our programming financially and with other resources. W e continue to evaluate our programming for effectiveness, responsiveness, relevance, and need through surveys and other feedback and make adjustments as required. During fiscal year 2021, we will develop and implement a comprehensive demographic and economic impact study for the Southern Festival of Books to better understand our current audience, to develop effective outreach strategies for new audiences, and to demonstrate the concrete economic value this event provides for our community. Overall, our programs are well received and gaining popularity, support and momentum among audiences throughout the state. We are grateful for our community partnerships and to the citizens of Tennessee for participating.

Board Chair Statement

HT has spent the last several years, under the leadership of Tim Henderson, developing and strengthening its infrastructure. This has included focusing on recruiting new board members, targeting diverse candidates and making deeper connections within communities throughout the State to raise more money and to increase our program reach. To date, these goals are being met and HT is reaching newer and broader audiences as well as raising more money from additional sources. The greatest challenge faced by HT is our dependence on funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. To date, HT has begun identifying new funding sources, cultivating these relationships and working to secure new and increased revenue. The work is ongoing but paying off.Generally, HT's programs are well received by local, regional and national audiences. The majority of HT's programs are free to the public and are located in ADA and public transportation-accessible facilities in communities around the state. Chapter16.org is innovative and proving to be ahead of the curve in the literary field. Other Humanities councils around the country as well as other publications have begun exploring and developing online literary resources for their state and readership. The Southern Festival of Books is one of HT's most popular programs and continues to draw authors from across the country who participate to promote their literary works to the southern regional audience that attends. Many of our authors attend, requesting only a travel reimbursement, knowing the great value and prestige for being a part of the Festival each year. The Board is strong and is supporting HT and its staff at 100% with financial gifts and volunteer participation. We believe in the work of HT and support the staff who are equally dedicated with gifts of support and time and energy exerted to develop and implement programming. I am honored to be a part of the HT Board and to serve as Chair.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Arts,Culture & Humanities NEC
Secondary Category:	Education  - Elementary & Secondary Schools
Tertiary Category:	Youth Development  - Youth Development Programs

Areas Served

Although Humanities Tennessee's office is based in Middle Tennessee, we are a statewide organization and focus our efforts on reaching individuals in communities large and small, rural and urban, of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our statewide board and regional committees help us reach communities in every corner of the state.

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