Committee reviews Metro Arts grant criteria as artists, council members press for changes and records fixes

The Arts, Parks, Libraries & Entertainment Committee met July 1 in Committee Room 4 in Nashville to review Metro Arts' proposed grant criteria for the upcoming grant cycle and to hear public comment and committee concerns about equity, fiscal-sponsorship rules and missing application records.

Metro Arts interim executive director Ashley Batchelder told the committee the presentation at the July 15 meeting will propose criteria that keep a fiscal-sponsorship requirement for applicants who are not 501(c)(3) organizations, set the Thrive (project) maximum award at $15,000 and establish a $750 flat administrative fee for fiscal sponsors that is paid on top of the awarded budget. "We need to approve our applications, collect applications, and then score them and award in September," Batchelder said, adding that the department plans to launch applications on July 16 and aims to have funds distributed by the end of the calendar year.

Why this matters: the Metro Arts grant programs distribute city funds across individual artists and arts organizations; changes to award sizes, administrative fees and sponsor rules affect who can apply, how much money individual artists receive and how quickly grants are paid. Batchelder said the…