NASHVILLE - More than $43,000 in grants have been awarded to Rutherford County organizations through the Tennessee Arts Commission, according to an announcement by Rep. John Hood and Sen. Jim Tracy.

The total amount of grant dollars for organizations in Rutherford County totals $43,960.

“This state is indeed fortunate to have elected leaders who support the work of the Tennessee Arts Commission in building better communities through the arts,” said Ed Gerace, incoming chairman of the Tennessee Arts Commission. “We are pleased with the amount of funding available for our grantees, and we are so grateful to Gov. Phil Bredesen and the General Assembly for recognizing the importance of the arts to all Tennesseans.”

Gerace said the commission will award 850 grants during the upcoming fiscal year, totaling more than $6.5 million dollars.

“Preserving the arts is an important aspect of enhancing the quality of life in our community,” Tracy said.

The Arts Commission’s matching grants are made possible through an appropriation of state funds by the legislature, federal dollars from the National Endowment of the Arts, and by Tennesseans who purchase specialty and collegiate license plates. The allocation process involves a review of citizen advisory panels made up of Tennesseans with expertise in appropriate arts disciplines and a review by the full 15-member Arts Commission.

“I am thankful for the hard work of everyone that made these awards possible,” Hood said.

The Arts Commission is a state agency that supports quality arts experiences that add value to the quality of life in Tennessee communities.

Some of the grant recipients include:

Riverdale High School $3,220
Oakland High School $3,900
Siegel High School $4,440
Governor’s School for the Arts $3,200
Middle Tennessee State University $3,150
Main Street Inc. $5,050
Middle Tennessee Choral Society $3,000
City-County Cultural Arts Commission $8,000
Tennessee Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra Assoc. Inc. $10,000