At their Nov. 5 meeting, the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County (“Metro Council”) approved the allocation of $2 million in federal CARES Act funding to Davidson County arts and culture nonprofits, as recommended by the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee.
Pathway Lending Group will administer the funding, with the Metro Nashville Arts Commission (“Metro Arts”) providing criteria and oversight.
“We are deeply grateful to the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee and the Metro Council for recognizing the great need in our arts community - the very sector that makes Nashville a vibrant place to live, work and visit,” said Metro Arts Executive Director Caroline Vincent. “This funding will help our arts organizations sustain themselves through this ongoing pandemic and crisis.”
Pending funding criteria approval by the Metro Arts Board of Commissioners at their Nov. 19 meeting, arts and culture nonprofits will be able to apply for funding through the Pathway Lending website.
The approved resolution states that all eligible applicants must:
- produce, present or directly support artistic programs, projects or works;
- be chartered in the state of Tennessee and tax-exempt under the IRS Code Section 501(c)(3);
- have an IRS Letter of Determination with an effective date showing the applicant has been in business for a minimum of 12 months before the period ended February 29, 2020;
- have a business address that is located in Davidson County and agree to use funds exclusively for programs in Davidson County;
- have evidence of non-discrimination employment and personnel practices in place; and
- maintain a fully completed and accurate GivingMatters.com profile.
Metro Arts will issue alerts via email and social media when the application is live. Until then, prospective applicants may view the grant requirements and exclusions in the approved resolution’s language. Organizations with questions about the application process should contact [email protected].