Grant Request Birthplace of Country Music, Inc.
Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form
Organization Name: Birthplace of Country Music, Inc.
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As: Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Mailing Address: 101 Country Music Way
City: Bristol
State: VA
Postal Code: 24201
Main Phone: 423-573-1927
Main Fax:
Organization Website: https://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org
Employer ID Number: 62-1580405
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)(3) Non-profit organization
Proposal Information
Today’s Date: 3/16/2022
Requested Amount: 5000
Project Title: LOI – Birthplace of Country Music Museum General Operating Support
Project Description:
Birthplace of Country Music, Inc. (BCM) consists of 3 branches: The Birthplace of Country Music Museum (BCMM), Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Music Festival and Radio Bristol. Our mission is to perpetuate, promote, and celebrate Bristol’s rich musical heritage; to educate and engage audiences worldwide regarding the history, impact and legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions from which we derive our name; and to create recognition, opportunities, and economic benefit for our local and regional communities.
We kindly request $5,000 towards the museum’s operating expenses which makes a tangible difference to our work as we strive to enable our staff to better direct expertise, time, and resources towards fulfilling the museum’s mission and delivering high-impact educational opportunities, meaningful programming, and engaging experiences to our community and visitors. The museum explores the history, technology, and legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, historic recordings that were integral to early commercial country music. BCMM’s mission is firmly focused on education as we strive to:
– Support our local/regional schools in their learning goals through a variety of curricula-based educational opportunities and resources
– Offer free or low-cost arts- and humanities-based public programming for adults, families, and children
– Deliver outreach programs through community partnerships, the schools, civic organizations, and other events
– Bring engaging temporary exhibits to the museum
– Preserve the region’s musical history and heritage
We do this through school visits, after-school program partnerships, school outreach activities, educational resources, and in-service opportunities for teachers; the museum also hosts public programs including film screenings, lectures/workshops, music performances, family activities, and youth music camps. Through our Smithsonian Affiliation we share our regional history more widely and can tap into the Smithsonian for professional development opportunities, exhibits, educational resources, and programming.
Total Project Budget: Museum Budget : $1,649,122
Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): For FY23 BCM has yet to secure funds for general operating support funding for the museum branch. Please note that Birthplace of Country Music, Inc. is three separate branches with individual budgets (museum, festival, radio). At this time no general operating support funding has been confirmed to support the Birthplace of Country Music Museum branch for FY23. Pending grant proposal submissions include: The Mockingbird Foundation – Pick Along Summer Music Camps $5,000 First Horizon Foundation, Education Programming Support $10,000
Project Duration: FY23 (July 1st, 2022 – June 30th, 2023)
Geographical Area Served: BCMM provides arts, culture, and the humanities access to a wide range of visitors (K-12, college students, tourists, scholars, local visitors) from diverse backgrounds; we have welcomed visitors from all 50 states and over 45 countries. We offer free or low-cost programming and discounted or free entry days. The shared main street of the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee is located on the VA-TN state line, and the Birthplace of Country Music organization serves a diverse community in both cities (total population around 43,000). However, our reach goes much further into Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. For instance, in Virginia, we also work with the counties of Washington, Smyth, Russell, Wise, Dickenson, Scott, Lee, and Buchanan to bring groups to the museum, offer educational outreach experiences, and provide public programs. Bristol and the surrounding region have been hard hit by the decline in coal production and other industry lay-offs and closings. Therefore, our region is diversifying its economy and enhancing quality of life by reaching out to arts organizations and the tourism industry. Much of our audience lives in rural settings, and these areas are key outreach targets for our organization. The region includes numerous Title I schools, including students who are often underserved and disadvantaged; these are an important focus for BCM. The Appalachian Regional Commission classifies the counties in our region as ranging from “At Risk” to “Transitional.” We serve a wide variety of ages: seniors, adults and college students, K-12, and families.
Age Group To Be Served: It is our goal to make all things that we do accessible to the residents of Bristol. Through our programming and mission we serve a community of all ages, from adults to seniors to K-12 and college students. Our educational programming alone is primarily aimed to reach our local and regional schools in Bristol VA, Bristol TN, Washington County, VA, and Sullivan County TN, reaching approximately 1,600 teachers and 23,600 students. However, because we will work to also make the resources accessible virtually, we can potentially serve a much larger teacher/student population.
Contact Information
Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.):
Contact First Name: Toni
Contact Last Name: Doman – Vandyke
Contact Title: Grants Coordinator
Contact Phone: 423-573-1927
Contact Email: tdoman@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org