Committee approves Metro Arts grant criteria, requires fiscal sponsors for individual Thrive awards

The Arts, Parks, Libraries & Entertainment Committee on Jan. 21 approved RS 2025‑961, a resolution that sets the criteria for operating support and Thrive grants administered by Metro Arts and requires the use of nonprofit fiscal sponsors for award recipients who are not incorporated organizations. The committee passed the amendment and the resolution as amended by a 6‑0 vote.

The resolution implements a grants and funding plan staff prepared for the committee and the Arts Commission, formalizing allocation formulas and reporting requirements. Ashley Batchelder, currently director of policy and research at the Metro Human Relations Commission (MHRC) and the incoming interim executive director of Metro Arts, told the committee the package goes “much more than what's required in the code” to clarify grant administration after a year of delays and public concern. She said the city allocated $3.2 million to Metro Arts in the prior year for both operating and Thrive awards and that applications submitted in January 2024 have been waiting about a year for resolution.

The resolution responds in part to a Title VI conciliation process triggered by a civil‑rights complaint. David Tucker, executive director of the Metro Human Relations Commission, said the resolution is the final element of that conciliation work…