This story is a partnership between the Nashville Banner and the Nashville Scene. For more information, visit NashvilleBanner.com.
A special-called meeting of the Metro Council Public Facilities, Arts and Culture Committee answered many questions about $3.8 million in missing operating grants for arts nonprofits.
A convoluted grant process that unfolded over the past year ended with many independent artists having grant funding cut in half or taken altogether, while organizations with annual revenue ranging from less than $25,000 to upwards of $3 million are still waiting on funding that was supposed to go out in October. To make matters worse, contracts sent to organizations in November — after initial contracts were rejected by Metro Finance — promised only 50 percent of the funding, with no explanation of when, if ever, the other 50 percent would be distributed.
Thursday night's meeting featured a presentation from Metro Arts Director Daniel Singh and shed light on the process that has unfolded over the past year.
Daniel Singh
“The original contract [organizations] signed had 100 percent with one installment in the fall and one in the spring,” said Singh. “But [Metro] Finance said, ‘No, there has to be a specific language there and you have to split it into two contracts.’ And so we had to revoke those contracts and issue new contracts in November. And in that, they only got the 50 percent of the funding we have in hand. And once we get the midyear allocation, we'll issue a new contract with that specific language and they’ll get the remainder of the funding.”
Due to a new fund balance policy adopted by Metro Finance, $2 million will not be available until midway through the fiscal year, and could potentially not be fulfilled if revenues fall short. In the meantime, Singh said that the first 50 percent will be sent out within the next 30 days. If the budgeted $2 million comes up short, there will be a proportional change to the second allotment of grant funding.
Thursday was the first time a full public explanation has been given for a delay in grants that, according to Metro Arts public guidelines, should have been sent out between Oct. 1 and Nov. 1. Arts organizations of all sizes that depend on Metro Arts grants for their budget have been frustrated for months over the lack of communication. Singh said he was instructed by Metro Legal in October not to speak with the press and not to address specific issues surrounding the grants. He said he is still unable to talk to the media.
“I was told not to communicate during the investigation by [Metro] Legal, and to refer all communications to legal, and so that's why we were not responding,” said Singh.
Metro Legal got involved in the situation in July when the Metro Arts Commission passed a grant funding formula intended to have a greater impact on BIPOC organizations and artists, providing more funding to artists traditionally left out of the conversation. The change in strategic direction followed a chaotic past few years for Metro Arts, with high staff turnover following allegations of racism.
Singh became the Metro Arts director in 2022, and set off on a mission to make things more equitable. But he said that he received little guidance from Metro Legal on what was allowed, and it was not until after they passed the funding formula in July that Metro Legal came back and said that formula would open Metro up to lawsuits due to the Supreme Court's recent ruling on affirmative action.
In August, the Metro Arts Commission voted on a new funding formula that looked much closer to what had been passed in previous years.
“The contracts that are going out now — it basically maintains the status quo,” said Metro Human Relations Commission executive director Davie Tucker. MHRC is currently in the middle of an investigation over three complaints filed by artists alleging discriminatory practices by the Metro Arts Commission. Those artists were supposed to receive Thrive grant funding based on the funding formula passed in July.
Tucker said that they intend to have a report on their findings in January, but that the process has been slowed down because, based on Metro Legal’s instruction, MHRC had not been able to speak to Singh until two weeks ago. Emails obtained in a records request confirm that Singh did not speak to the commission until then.
“Once again, Metro Legal has stepped into something that has caused havoc,” said Michele Flynn, a community advocate who spoke during the public comment period.
Flynn expressed ongoing frustration with Metro Legal over certain decisions issued by the department that advocates see as taking a conservative bent. Earlier this year, Metro Legal chose not to enter litigation with the state over legislation requiring the disbandment of Metro’s Community Oversight Board, a decision Flynn cited in her public comment. Now, some members of Nashville’s arts community are frustrated by Metro Legal’s stance that the funding formula passed in July was unconstitutional, arguing that the affirmative action decision shouldn’t apply here. Flynn said Metro Legal’s decision is “hampering some critical movement in the direction that the city wants to go.”
“Who would the threat of a lawsuit come from?” Tucker said is a question he has for Metro Legal. “[The July funding formula was] including people who have not been funded. So secondly, the question becomes, who would the threat of a lawsuit come from? And the place where that threat comes from, would they even have standing?”
At least one group that filed an MHRC complaint attended Thursday night's committee meeting. Lydia Yousief, director of the Elmahaba Center, an organization that advocates for Nashville’s Arabic-speaking communities, spoke during the meeting.
“We're done with the DEI initiatives and the disparity studies on the consulting from the library, Metro Arts, Metro Legal,” said Yousief. “We're done with the old boys’ club dictating who gets appointed to the board and commission and who gets funding and who gets less funding. I am asking you all to intervene on behalf of your community members.”
Throughout the meeting, Singh made it clear that despite the circumstances and issues surrounding the past year of controversy, the biggest problem in preventing equitable funding for the arts in Nashville is a lack of adequate funding.
“The end goal, as always, is to hit 1 percent of the [Metro] budget,” said Singh. “I keep reminding everyone that if you can get to that goal, that will really uplift the artists and organizations in Nashville.”
The Metro Arts Commission has had multiple resignations as a result of the past year's proceedings and currently has seven openings. Mayor Freddie O’Connell has pledged to fill those commission seats at the next Metro Council meeting. But one commission member who was in attendance reiterated Singh’s point.
“My personal goal is to see the city increase its arts funding, so that we can fully fund diverse organizations and make sure that arts groups and arts individuals get the funding,” said Metro Arts Commission member Will Cheek. “I think we can do a whole lot towards equity if we fully fund the arts.”
