By Rachel O’Brien
Deputy Policy Editor, OpenTheBooks.com
Metro Nashville gave away $4.8 million in grants to non-profits this year, including to a few organizations whose registrations aren’t currently in good standing with the state, possibly violating Metro’s own rules governing the grants.
The 58 organizations that got funding ranged from $4,500 for Turnip Green Creative Reuse, an educations arts program that reuses materials otherwise headed for landfills, to $500,000 for Nashville GRAD, which gives financial and academic support to students attending Nashville State Community College. During the past two years, the Nashville LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce received $50,000 total.
The average organization got $77,114 from Metro Nashville in 2022. They include national organizations like Catholic Charities ($23,445) and state organizations like Tennessee State University Foundation ($50,000) with most funding going to local groups, like The Nashville Children’s Alliance ($40,000) and Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce ($175,000).
The $4.8 million is a slight increase over last year, when Metro spent $4.7 million, more than the $4.3 million in 2020, and up sharply since 2009 ($1.5 million).
State law requires that non-profits soliciting donations must first register with the Tennessee Secretary of State.
The Metro grant requirements state, among other things, that organizations much have a non-profit status and that they “must be currently registered with the Tennessee Secretary of State to do business in Tennessee, and have filed the necessary report to the Secretary of State’s Office of Charitable Solicitation or are exempted from.”
When searching the status of the non-profits in the Secretary of State’s Charitable Solicitation database, five came up as having “expired” filing statuses.
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which according to city disclosures received grants of $25,000 in 2021 and $25,000 in 2022, hasn’t had an “active” status since 2009, according to the SOS website.
A spokesperson said, “We do not solicit donations, and we are current with our state and federal annual filings” and implied that the organization was exempt from filing, including linking to the SOS page that explains exemptions.
A day later, the spokesperson said, “We are now in compliance with our filings at the secretary of state. I was told it should be getting updated online later today or tomorrow.”
Then the spokesperson provided a screenshot of an email showing that the organization’s 2022 Metro Nashville grant for $25,000 was denied. So, why is Metro Nashville disclosing a $25,000 grant distribution in 2022?
Two other organizations with “expired” statuses — Bridgeway Connections, which provides food, clothing and more to needy people, got $10,000; tutoring and counseling service In Full Motion, which got $250,000 — haven’t responded to requests for comment.
Bridgeway Connections’ last renewal date should have been Dec. 31, 2019. They don’t have a website and Google says they’re permanently closed.
Brandon Cooper, spokesperson for Mayor John Cooper, said Metro checks to ensure organizations all have an “active” status when applying for and receiving a grant and doesn’t award funds if nonprofits aren’t in compliance with the filing requirements.
He said, “Bridgeway Connections ceased operations in 2020 and has not had a direct appropriation grant contract since FY20.” However, Metro listed two grants to the organization for $10,000 in years 2021 and 2022.
The mayor’s spokesperson also punted on the $250,000 grant to the organization In Full Motion. The grant in FY22 was “made through the Nashville Public Library, and they would better able to respond to your inquiry into their processes. “
In Full Motion should have renewed June 30, 2021 with the Tennessee Secretary of State. Nevertheless, they received $250,000 grants each year in 2021 and 2022 – $500,000 in taxpayer funding during this period.
***
Two other organizations — Nashville Humane Association, which got $12,500; and The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, which got $75,000 this year — say at the time they applied for and received the grants, their statuses were “active.”
A Nashville Humane Association spokesperson said since the Sept. 28, 2022, expiration, their renewal has been approved and their status is "active" again and was completed within the granted extension period.
Indeed, while Nashville Humane Association’s status was “expired” when checked on Oct. 26, it was “active” on Oct. 27.
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center says they have since filed the required paperwork to get back into good standing during an extension period, despite the “expired” status displayed by the SOS website. Their renewal date was Sept. 28, 2022.
Metro direct appropriation awards (in millions):
2009 -$1.5
2010- $2
2011-$3.2
2012-$2.8
2013-$3
2014 - $3M
2015-$4M
2016-$4M
2017-$4M
2018-$4.2M
2019-$4.4M
2020- $4.3M
2021-$4.7M
2022-$4.8M
Source: Metro Nashville disclosures
| |
FY21 Appropriation
|
FY22 Appropriation
|
|
|
Adventure Science Center
|
$ 50,000
|
$  50,000
|
|
|
Andrew Jackson
|
$   -
|
$   -
|
|
|
Begin Anew
|
$ 23,446
|
$ 23,446
|
|
|
Book 'Em
|
$   20,000
|
$ 20,000
|
|
Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
|
$ 20,000
|
$ 20,000
|
|
|
Bridgeway Connections - $10,000
|
$   10,000
|
$ 10,000
|
|
|
Catholic Charities
|
$ 23,445
|
$   23,445
|
|
|
East Nashville Hope Exchange
|
$ 20,000 ;
|
$ 20,000
|
|
|
FiftyForward
|
$ 125,000
|
$ 125,000
|
|
|
In Full Motion - $250,000
|
$ 250,000
|
$ 250,000
|
|
|
Interfaith Dental Clinic
|
$ 49,000
|
$ 49,000
|
|
|
Martha O’Bryan
|
$ 25,000
|
$ 25,000
|
|
|
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
|
$ 25,000
|
$ 25,000
|
|
|
Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce
|
$ 25,000
</td>
|
$ 25,000
|
|
|
Nashville Food Project
|
$ 50,000
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce
|
$  25,000
|
$ 25,000
|
|
|
Nashville Public Library Foundation
|
$ 23,445
|
$   23,445
|
|
|
NeedLink
|
$ 45,500
|
$ 45,500
|
|
|
Oasis Center
|
$   50,000
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
Operation Stand Down
|
$ 32,000
|
$  32,000
|
|
|
Preston Taylor Ministries
|
$ 23,446
|
$ 23,446
|
|
|
Project Transformation Tennessee
|
$ 22,772
|
$ 22,772
| |
|
Rebuilding Together
|
$ 42,000
|
$   42,000
|
|
|
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN
|
$ 200,000
|
$ 200,000 </p>
|
|
|
Siloam
|
$ 25,000
|
$   25,000
|
|
|
Sister Cities of Nashville
|
$   40,000
|
$ 40,000
|
|
|
St ThomasFoundation for Safety Net Consortium of Mid TN
|
$ 25,000
|
$ 25,000
|
|
|
Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC)
|
$ 50,000
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors
|
$ 50,000 </p>
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce
|
$ 25,000
|
$ ; 25,000
|
|
|
Tennessee State University (TSU) Foundation
|
$ 50,000
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
Trevecca
|
$ ; 50,000
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
Turnip Green Creative Reuse
|
$ 4,500
|
$   4,500
|
|
|
WestMinster Home Connection
|
$ 10,000
|
$ 10,000
|
|
|
Adventure Science Center (Charter required for $25,000)
|
$ 75,000
</td>
|
$ 125,000
|
|
|
Nashville Symphony Association (Charter required for $15,000)
|
$ 15,000
|
$ 15,000
|
|
|
Nashville Humane Association (Charter required for $12,500)
|
$ 12,500
|
$ 12,500
|
|
|
Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (TN code for Mediation Services)
|
$ 120,000
|
$ 59,000
|
|
|
Veteran's Affairs Supporting Housing (VASH) - MDHA $100,000
|
$ 100,000
|
$ 100,000
|
|
|
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Partnership 2020
|
$ 175,000
|
$ 175,000
|
|
|
Nashville Public Education Foundation
|
$ 137,500
|
$ ; -
|
|
|
Alignment Nashville
|
$ 150,000
|
$ ; -
|
|
|
Education Research and Support( Nashville Public Education Foundation, Alignment Nashville)
|
$ -
|
$ 325,000
|
|
|
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center
|
$ 75,000
|
$ 75,000
</td>
| |
|
Nashville Business Incubation Center
|
$ 90,000
|
$ 90,000
|
|
|
Nashville GRAD
|
$ ; 500,000
|
$ 500,000
|
|
|
Financial Empowerment Center
|
$ 250,000
|
$ 276,000
|
|
|
The Find Design
|
$ 76,600
|
$   76,600
|
|
|
STARS
|
$ 36,900
|
$ 36,900
|
|
|
Epic Girl
|
$   5,000
|
$ 5,000
|
|
|
Meharry Medical College
|
$ 76,550
|
$   76,550
|
|
|
Be About Change
|
$ 5,000 ;
|
$ 5,000
|
|
|
Nurture the Next
|
$ 20,000
|
$ 20,000
|
|
|
Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic Violence
|
$ 40,000
|
$ 40,000
|
|
|
The Nashville Children's Alliance
|
$ 40,000
|
$ 40,000
|
|
|
The Mary Parrish Center
|
$ 50,000
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
AGAPE
|
$ 50,000 
|
$ 50,000
|
|
|
YWCA Domestic Violence Programs
|
$ 275,000
|
$ 275,000
| |
|
Sexual Assault Center
|
$ 100,000
|
$ 100,000
|
|
|
Legal Aid Society of Middle TN & the Cumberlands
|
$ 169,000
|
$ 169,000
|
|
|
Nashville Civic Design Center
|
$ 75,000
|
$ 125,000
|
|
|
Guest House (Room in the Inn) - $450,000
|
$   450,000
|
$ 450,000
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Source: Metro Nashville disclosures