Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is excited to offer a new opportunity for donors and artists to collaborate through our new Fund-a-Fellow program. SAFTA, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is an artists’ retreat on a 45-acre farm in Knoxville, Tennessee that offers residencies to writers, visual artists, filmmakers, composers, academics, and more. With two residency rooms and a dry cabin on site, we offer a rotating space for nationally recognized and emerging artists in multiple disciplines.
Through this new fellowship program, donors will have the opportunity to allocate their donations toward a specific artist, genre, or vision. For example, a donor may choose to fund a residency for an artist who is part of a specific marginalized group or an artist who is producing a specific genre of work.
Your tax-deductible donation may be offered to any particular group of artists or writers you wish. Previously funded awards have offered fellowships for people of color, LGBTQIA writers, mothers, Appalachian writers, Tennessee artists, graduate students, women over 40, and more. Upon donation, we will advertise that a new fellowship has been made available and begin accepting applications from artists whose work aligns with your vision. Our staff of editors and qualified outside readers will judge applications.
Donations may come in the following amounts:
A $125 donation covers:
-50% of a week-long residency, including lodging, at Firefly Farms in Knoxville, TN.
A $250 donation covers:
-100% of a week-long residency, including lodging, at Firefly Farms in Knoxville, TN.
A $500 donation covers:
-100% of a week-long residency, including lodging, at Firefly Farms in Knoxville, TN.
-$250 stipend for travel
A $1,000 donation covers:
-100% of of a two-week-long residency, including lodging, at Firefly Farms in Knoxville, TN.
-$500 stipend
As a nonprofit, we rely on the money we draw in from our residency, events, and books to fund our daily operations, but due to the current state of arts funding, the only way for organizations like ours to truly grow and thrive is through the generosity of the public. Donations, community support, and philanthropic patronage help us connect with and support artists and writers. Our efforts have already attracted attention from individuals and organizations in the Knoxville community and beyond, and we hope that you would join them with your financial support.
To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Erin Elizabeth Smith at erin@sundresspublications.com.