The Downtown Maryville Alliance in partnership with the City of Maryville, the Blount Partnership and the Clayton Center for the Arts announced that it has been awarded a multi-year grant of $36,000 in matching funds to present a free outdoor music series at the Charles West Amphitheater at Jack Greene Park in 2026, 2027, and 2028. The schedule, along with performing artists, will be released in early 2026.
“We are thrilled to bring the Levitt AMP Maryville Music Series to life at Jack Greene Park,” said Amanda Gillooly, Director of the Downtown Maryville Alliance. “This grant allows us to create a vibrant, welcoming space where our community can come together and celebrate the power of live music. It’s more than concerts—it’s about building connections, supporting local culture, and making downtown Maryville a destination for everyone.”
Levitt Music Series Grants are an exciting, multi-year matching grant program bringing the joy of free, live music to towns and cities across the country. Each Levitt Music Series location presents 7-10 free outdoor concerts per year, injecting new life into underused public spaces and creating joyous, welcoming community destinations. Levitt Music Series Grants encompass several grant opportunities, including the Levitt AMP program that the Downtown Maryville Alliance will be presenting as the Levitt AMP Maryville Music Series.
In a first of its kind collaboration, the Levitt Foundation—a national social impact funder supporting the largest free outdoor concert series in America—has partnered with the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, with support from the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, to award six communities based in Tennessee with multi-year Levitt AMP matching grants, which will bring up to 180 free concerts across the state over three years.
Levitt AMP grants support free, live music in towns and cities with a population of up to 250,000. Levitt AMP concert series reflect the three goals of the Levitt AMP program: Amplify community pride and a city’s unique character; enrich lives through the power of free, live Music; and illustrate the importance of inclusive and vibrant public Places. From rural Alaska to Appalachian Main Streets and Midwestern locales to now six locations in Tennessee, the Levitt AMP Music Series is a catalytic opportunity for towns and cities across America to realize a shared mission—building community through music to create a healthy and thriving future for all.
“Since the Levitt AMP Music Series began ten years ago in 2015, we’ve seen dynamic social and economic impact as nonprofits across the nation activate public spaces through the power and joy of free, live music,” said Sharon Yazowski, President & CEO of the Levitt Foundation. “Levitt concert series are community destinations, brought to life when friends, families, and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds come together for a shared experience. Through this exciting partnership with the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, the Levitt Foundation is thrilled to welcome [Your Organization Name] as a new grantee and watch as the Levitt AMP [Your City/Town] Music Series plays a meaningful role in strengthening the social fabric, creating economic vitality, and adding to the cultural vibrancy of your community.”
Including the Downtown Maryville Alliance, the six Tennessee Levitt AMP grantees represent towns and cities from across the state. In addition to presenting artists hailing from around the world and nation, these music series will also feature award-winning performers and musicians drawn from the vibrant music communities of Tennessee.
“Tennessee has always been a place where creativity and innovation flourish. Building on our proud history and tradition of progress, we are expanding the state’s entertainment sector and driving local economic growth and tourism thanks to this partnership with Levitt. This series will bring Tennesseans together to celebrate the extraordinary talent that defines our state,” said Deputy Governor and Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter.
Combining a total of 34 new and 32 returning grantees, the Levitt Foundation will award over $7 million dollars over the next three years to nonprofits serving towns and cities across the U.S. as part of the Levitt Music Series Grants. Levitt Music Series reach a broad range of communities across America, presenting seasoned, award-winning artists to acclaimed, emerging talent in a wide array of music genres, spanning pop, rock, folk, World music, country, jazz, Latin, children’s shows, blues, and more.
