Metro Nashville’s pot of money to fund non-profits has taken a hit along with the rest of the city budget but it’s not all bad news.
Mayor Karl Dean’s budget proposal announced this week reduces grants by 10-percent to roughly 2-million dollars.
But Hal Cato, director of the Oasis Center, says a new application process should help target the money and prioritize the grants.
“Non-profit funding has been largely based on who had a relationship with which Metro Council member and who lobbied the hardest. This actually takes some of that out of it and puts money behind those agencies that are addressing the city’s most serious social service needs.”
Oasis, for instance, focuses on runaways and victims of domestic violence. The organization plans to apply for funding once the process is announced.
In years past, the budget proposal from the mayor included line items for each agency. This year, organizations will apply for grants and receive them based on merit, with 750-thousand dedicated to domestic violence, another 750-thousand for education and afterschool care, and 500-thousand for community service agencies.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM