Local Community-Based Organization Revamps

According to the Nashville Neighborhoods list, a 20-year-old Nashville community organization is making a lateral change from the Alinskyite Industrial Areas Foundation to the Alinskyite Gamaliel Foundation and celebrating the new direction this weekend at Sewanee:

New Day Coming For Old TNT

A partnership with the Gamaliel Foundation out of Chicago has brought a new chapter in the life of Tying Nashville Together (the gamaliel foundation). Members of TNT voted to work with Gamaliel to create a new and vibrant local organization in Nashville that works in tandem with a state wide organization.

What does this change mean?

1. Soon a new name will be chosen. Leaders, member groups, and congregations of the former TNT are encouraged to continue their membership in the new organization. Ana Garcia Ashley is the southern regional director for the Gamaliel Foundation and will be working with us in Nashville. We will continue our tradition of “faith based” congregational organizing. We will also continue to welcome other member organizations. Matt Christy will continue as the part time staff and office manager, and help in coordinating the next phase in the development of a Nashville organization. Right now you may continue to address your checks to Tying Nashville Together. Please continue your pledges. As of August 6, 2009 we have a budget of $18,000 and are managing our budget with great care. The office is in the West End United Methodist Church. We will be relocating this fall and are looking for free office space. If you have any suggestions let us know.
2. What’s ahead. Our first state wide meeting is August 29th 2009 at the University of the South in Sewanee. An expert on urban policy, David Rusk ,will give leaders from across the state an analysis of the some of the issues facing Tennessee and Nashville. Please invite members from your congregations or organizations who would be interested in attending. In September we will call all delegates from Nashville together to create a new leadership team. We will form a clergy group as well and will begin training and working to develop an action agenda as we research local issues.
3. Down the Road. We will be searching for a full time organizer. We will develop funding proposals and approach local and national foundations. We will also host fundraising events to support our new work.

Thanks,

Matt Christy
Tying Nashville Together,

An interesting aside: about one-third of the written history of TNT on the website seems to come directly from a 1996 paper that I presented to an on-line urban history seminar sponsored by the University of Illinois at Chicago.