We are at an important juncture that has been looming on the horizon for some time now. It is time for us to form a membership. A formal group of people that are invested in the process and the outcomes of the NCA in the Nashville and surrounding communities.
As you all may be aware, the NCA, last December, was granted tax exemption status by the IRS. What that means for us, as an organization, is that we can now qualify for grants. Without getting into grant writing jargon too deeply, there are basically two uses for grants: specific events and operational costs. Further, grants given usually represent a certain percentage of operational costs or cash on hand. In other words, right now the NCA could qualify for many grants, but we wouldn't get much funding because we have very little operational funds on hand.
So, this begs the question: what are the NCA's operational expenses? Until now, all expenses have been kept to a minimum. The NCA compilation CD from last spring was funded directly by those that participated. The WPLN broadcasts with ALIAS have been made possible because the musicians of ALIAS have performed the music gratis. Belmont has generously donated our meeting space. All of the speakers we have had for our monthly meetings have done so gratis. Our web hosting by Unified Web Hosting is donated and the website itself was done by a composer in Atlanta gratis. I have paid for most of the administrative particulars myself, including the NCA banner that we displayed last year at the NaFF. We still owe a significant amount to our attorneys for setting up the corporation in the first place.
What would we do if we had operational funds? First and foremost, we would pay off our debt to our beloved attorneys, God love 'em. Second, we would begin paying the musicians for their time playing the music of Nashville. Third, we would explore new venues for live music...places that almost certainly would require money to rent. Fourth, we would bring in speakers from LA, New York, and even Nashville and pay them for their time. Fifth, we would use those funds to garner grants for events that we would otherwise not be able to produce. Money in the bank means longevity to a benevolent foundation, so it is important we gather some resources in order to secure even more resources.
Having operational resources will also ensure that we as an organization will keep moving forward and growing. We believe we have much to offer the community and with our tax exemption status, we have the green light to begin implementing our plans.
For the last two years our membership has been free. There has been little or no obligation on your part to be involved in the NCA. This has been mostly a function of our ongoing process of defining who we are and what we are capable of doing. For my part and for our board of directors, we are beginning to define the organization as a means for the culture of Nashville to be enriched, for the musicians of Nashville/Middle Tennessee to perform new American music, and for the composer community of Nashville to enjoy new and exciting opportunities for their music to be performed in film, TV, ballet, theater, and the concert hall.
In the works: a collaboration with the Epiphany Dance Company, a collaboration with FIlmNashville, a collaboration with Vanderbilt, more WPLN broadcasts, House concerts, Chamber music in parks, a music group dedicated to performing this music (the Nashville New Music Ensemble...the NNME), and many educational seminars and workshops including film scoring and orchestration seminars. These just scratch the surface of what could be done...but these things all take money to be produced. Money...and people, that is.
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