The Formula behind the license plates presently enriching communities through arts and culture.
Do you ever glance around while sitting at a traffic light and notice a specialty or a personalized license plate? Maybe that seems peculiar to you, but by the end of this article you’ll start noticing them. Specialty plates are a big deal to the arts in Tennessee. You will learn everything you need to know about the Specialty License Plate Program from the formula and allocation of funds that provide arts and culture grants across the state to the details you need to know in order to get your plate and start supporting the arts!
The Formula
The cost for registering or renewing your vehicle differs by county. A Specialty License Plate is an extra $35/yr and to Personalize your plate is another extra $35/yr (but we will get to that in a second). So where does that extra $35 for a Specialty Plate go and why should you care?
The current formula goes as such... 50.40.10. That means after the cost of the production of the plate the sponsoring organization gets 50% of the sale, the Tennessee Arts Commission gets 40% and 10% goes to the highway fund.
So.... What does the Tennessee Arts Commission do with that funding? They change lives and enrich every county in our state by way of public grant funding for the arts.
Arts Grants
The funds from the Specialty License Plate Program are the mainstay for many of the grants that are awarded by the Tennessee Arts Commission. It is an important component of the public funding and dedicated revenue that is used to support the arts today.
In July, The Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) announced $12 million in annual grants. Annual grants represent the largest category of grants awarded by the TAC, but when combined with Rolling Grants, and special initiatives, the TAC will distribute over $13 million dollars to support organizations and individuals in all 95 counties during FY 2025.
Sales from specialty plates and personalized plates represent more than 80% of the $13 million that will be awarded for FY 2025. That’s a big deal. The arts play a vital role in a community's economic growth as well as providing cultural, theraputic and educational benefits. These are real jobs that contribute to the local economy and real people in communities big and small being touched by the arts.
Personalization of a License Plate
The personalization of a license plate is an extra $35. This can be added to a standard plate or a specialty plate. That $35 (minus the cost to manufacture and produce) is pure revenue for the Tennessee Arts Commission. Which means those funds are a pure revenue stream for arts grants that the TAC invests back into all 95 of our Tennessee counties. This is an area we have the potential to see greater growth.
Let's break it down from GREAT to BEST support for the arts through the purchase of a specialty plate.
5. Any Specialty License Plate - Over 100 Plates to Choose from!
4. Any of the dedicated Arts Plates - 4 Plates to choose from (ART, Rainbow, Fish & Cat)
3. Personalization of a Standard Plate
2. Personalization of a Specialty License Plate
Personalization of an Arts Plate!!!
Things to know when purchasing your plate...
You cannot order a specialty license plate online initially, you will need to do that at your County Clerk's office. Your clerk's office might not have the tag you want in stock so you might need to order it. If you live in a smaller community you should call ahead to check and for those that live in a larger suburban areas will need to go into the County Clerk's office to see their in-stock plates. YOU CAN, however, order a personalized specialty license plate (or any personalized standard plate) online which will save you a trip to the Clerk's office. Once the plate has arrived they will notify you to pick it up. This process usually takes 4-6 weeks. You will need to take a screw driver with you and remove your current tag once you have parked, bringing it inside along with your registration. From there they will hand you your new tag! Renewing a Specialty License Plate is as simple as renewing any other plate either online to be mailed directly to you or by way of the Clerk's Office.
Why We Need To Advocate
There are 5,844,993 licensed cars in the state of Tennessee and 946,830 of those cars have a specialty plate. That is only 16.2% of all cars registered in Tennessee. The good thing about that is there is room for growth. Arts Advocates and promoters of the importance of the specialty license plate program can come into play and spread the word.
If you have a Specialty or Personalized Plate, thank you. If not, please think about getting one. It’s a great way to demonstrate your support for the arts. We hope you will consider encouraging friends and others in your organization to Support the Arts by Bolting them to your car!
To order a Personalized Specialty License Plate from the Tennessee Department of Revenue please visit https://personalizedplates.revenue.tn.gov/#/
To learn more about how the Tennessee Arts Commission grants impact Tennessee please visit https://www.tn4arts.org/how-the-arts-impact-tn
If you have any questions please email info@tn4arts.org
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