Housing Trust Fund Commission releases three Barnes Fund draft RFAs for public comment

The Metropolitan Housing Trust Fund Commission voted Dec. 9 to release three draft Barnes Fund grant policies and scoring matrices for public comment, setting a Dec. 15–Jan. 12 comment window and scheduling virtual public‑comment sessions in early January.

The draft materials — covering Rental & Co‑op, Homeownership and Owner‑occupied Rehab funding tracks — were presented by Director Hubbard of the housing division, who said the manual and grant policies are intended to make the application, evaluation and contracting processes clearer and more transparent. "These policies and procedures are intended to provide fair and equitable treatment of all the organizations applying for Barnes Funds," Hubbard said during the presentation.

Staff outlined several substantive changes in the draft materials. New threshold criteria include Tennessee charitable‑registration requirements and a certification by nonprofit board chairs that they have read the nonprofit grants‑management manual. The draft makes an audit a threshold requirement tied to Metro policy: organizations receiving more than $50,000 in Metro funds must provide an audit. Staff also retained a site‑control requirement — a deed, option contract, or 30‑year ground lease — for most projects (the rule does not apply to owner‑occupied rehab).

The draft application manual and grant policies also introduce a formal prohibition on communications during the open application round. "When we open a funding round, applicants cannot speak to a commissioner, to housing division staff, to anyone with a potential role in the award or review" outside of designated question periods, Hubbard said; staff clarified the prohibition does not apply to the current draft‑comment period. The draft warns applicants that submitted materials will be subject to public‑records requests after Council approval of contracts.

On funding and scoring, staff presented a consolidated approach that aligns Barnes Fund priorities with the Unified Housing Strategy (UHS). They proposed three funding pools, noted a confirmed available allocation of approximately $19,000,282 and said previous ARP and Metro operating allocations were consolidated into the Barnes Fund account. Staff recommended maximum awards and set‑asides be used to guide allocations, described vertical scoring across categories (housing security, project approach, underwriting), and said the only proposed bonus points are for permanent supportive housing (up to 8 points).

Staff also described more specific requirements: grantees would be asked to apply at least 30% of construction cost from the grant award, affordability terms for non‑owner‑occupied projects would be a minimum of 30 years, and the homeownership track would adopt MDHA's maximum purchase‑price limits to align with the consolidated plan. Thresholds and evaluation factors include nonprofit status, site control, affirmative marketing, housing‑access criteria and underwriting items such as developer qualifications and project readiness.

Legal counsel told commissioners the three draft policies may be released together in a single vote. After discussion and clarifications about definitions (notably how "special populations" would be applied and verified), Commissioner Jayla moved and Councilor Berkeley seconded a motion to release all three draft policies and scoring matrices for public comment. The commission voted unanimously in favor.

Staff said the drafts and scoring matrices will be posted on the Barnes Fund website on Dec. 15 and remain open through Jan. 12. Virtual public‑comment sessions are scheduled for Jan. 5 (owner‑occupied rehab), Jan. 6 (homeownership) and Jan. 7 (rental and co‑op). Written comments may be submitted to barnesfund@nashville.gov; staff will publish a redlined version and a written summary of comments and changes for the commission to review before final adoption.

The commission will return in January to consider revisions and a final vote on the policies after the public‑comment period.