Our Impact

Leading the state in public humanities.

Humanities Tennessee conducts and supports public humanities programming across the state. We provide opportunities for Tennesseans to engage with our state’s diverse stories – found in literature, history, arts and culture – to encourage critical thinking and civility. We also work with museums and community organizations to strengthen the infrastructure of Tennessee’s cultural institutions. Through our programs, grants, and media partnerships, we provide approximately 500,000 Tennesseans with humanities resources, content, and programming each year.

Between 2013 and 2017, we supplied 9,387 free books through our Student Reader Day program, reviewed over 1,250 books on Chapter 16, and hosted more than 1,300 authors and 750 book vendors at the Southern Festival of Books. We gave away $546,770 through grants, awards, scholarships, and partner programs. Grantees and partners matched our support through significant local investment totaling more than $1.5 million for public humanities programs throughout the state.