The Metro Budget and Nonprofits
Mayor Karl Dean just unveiled his budget proposal, and part of it is a ten percent reduction in grants for nonprofits. However, as stated by the director of the Oasis Center, Hal Cato, the application process may be easier to navigate with the proposed changes. Here is the story reported on WPLN this morning:
Metro Grant Process Aims to Give Agencies Fair Shake
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008
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.
Mayor Dean is moving in exactly the right direction by setting priorities for Metro nonprofit grants and then letting merit determine the recipients. Although we are concerned about the reduced level of funding, we understand the problem this year. The important aspect of his policy is to allign government funding with his priorities. We should applaud him for doing so.