From the Nashville Scene’s blog:

The Pork Report’s Goofy Take on Arts and Education

From Corinne Ciocia, communications director for the Center for Nonprofit Management.

In its most recent “pork report,” the Tennessee Center for Policy Research describes much needed grant money allocated by the Tennessee Arts Commission to area arts organizations as “pork.” Superficial press releases by TCPR are of little value when compared to the immense cultural benefits of an active arts community, which the reasonable funding by TAC provides.

From Nashville Public Radio to cultural institutions such as the Nashville Film Festival to even the $500 that went to the Maury County Public Library in Columbia, TCPR takes issue. Really? While TCPR may not be a frequent visitor to the Columbia Public Library, modest support of such small organizations can have an exponential effect on the communities served. An organization like TCPR, with an avowed policy interest in education, should appreciate the support of such organizations as libraries.

Continue reading ‘Grants Should Not Be Labeled “Pork”’

You may have already heard that the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has released its annual pork report. According to TCPR, grants to the nonprofit community are part of the fat that needs to be cut. Here is a summary of the “pork” that TCPR sees in the nonprofit community:

• $6,000 to Nashville Public Radio and $3,240 to Nashville Public Television. TCPR states that these grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission are “creating a glaring conflict of interest for the two mid-state media outlets.”

• $500 grant to the Maury County Public Library.

• $3,600 to Tango Nashville for the nonprofit’s annual event at Centennial Park.

• $15,200 to the “Arts at the Airport”  program that subsidized the hanging of local art on the walls of terminals.

• $3,000 to the Houston County Arts Council for a production of Hello Dolly.

The report then leads into a section called “Tax Dollars for Dirty Movies” and highlights $29,040 the Tennessee Arts Commission “handed” to the Nashville Film festival.

As members of the nonprofit community, you should know that this is being written…