It could soon be easier for nonprofits to get money from the city of Nashville.
Local law has made it difficult for small groups to access government assistance. But a new resolution coming up for a vote Tuesday night in the Metro Council would eliminate one steep barrier.
In Nashville, organizations with an annual budget over $50,000 that want more than $5,000 from the city have to go through an audit. The idea is to make sure nonprofits are using taxpayer dollars wisely.
But for small, grassroots groups, the auditing process is too expensive to make a grant worthwhile. So, the government has been giving them just $5,000 or less.
That decision sparked frustration from some organizations that received $5,000 from the city’s new Community Safety Partnership Fund, which is doling out grants to nonprofits working to curb violence. Some said the small grants would hardly make a dent in their expenses.
More: Read about the city’s $5,000 community safety grants.
The new legislation would ease the requirements for city grants. Only groups with bigger budgets that receive larger amounts of money would need to go through an audit. Inspections would still be necessary for organizations that are given more than $25,000, if their annual budget is greater than $250,000.
The resolution passed on first reading in December but needs to clear two more votes to become law.
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