Metro Arts Commission changes Thrive grant model, rescinds $10,000 cap and adopts 75% funding formula

The Metro Arts Commission voted on Jan. 16 to replace a $10,000 maximum award for Thrive grants with a funding formula that will fund awarded proposals at up to 75% of the applicant's requested amount and to rank awards by score until funds are exhausted.

The decision, made after an extended Grants and Funding Committee presentation and floor discussion, also instructs staff to perform a second review to break ties and says any remaining Thrive funds at the end of distribution will be divided evenly and added to awardees' totals. Commissioners voted to rescind a separate provision that would have prioritized projects located in underrepresented council districts for this grant cycle; the committee said it lacked the data to implement that policy fairly before the current deadline.

Why it matters: The commission moved to the new model to reduce the risk of a funding surplus and to preserve project integrity for applicants who designed budgets larger than the prior flat $10,000 award. Committee members said the…