Nashville has a new fund to help artists purchase affordable housing and studios. The Housing Fund, a nonprofit that finances affordable housing around Middle Tennessee, has received a $200,000 grant and pledged $400,000 of its own for loans.

The target audience for these loans is lower-income artists who want to develop a space where they can live and work, says programs director Adriane Harris. 
But most of the details are yet to be determined: what the income cutoff is, what kinds of spaces qualify — even what defines an “artist.”

“We’re used to a lot of things black and white, knowing the rules and regulations,” Harris says. The biggest change with this project? “It is the gray area.”

But even though she’s working with more ambiguity than usual, Harris says she’s looking forward to helping this community.

“When it comes to artists, you can hear the passion in their phone calls and in the emails,” she says.

Harris is putting together an advisory committee of artists who will help clarify who is eligible. Once that’s complete, loan applications will be available by late spring or early summer.

The Housing Fund typically finances individuals making down payments on homes and developers building affordable housing.