A review of the Metro Nashville budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 reveals that more money was appropriated as grants for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON), two nonprofits that provide support to illegal aliens, than the city spends on more recognizable expenses including unemployment, the Historical Commission, and an audit for Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Appropriations totaling $735,000 for TIRRC and $718,000 for TNJFON were included in the FY 2027 budget proposed by Mayor Freddie O’Connell in May and were included in the $3.85 billion budget passed by the Metro Council last month. Together, the nonprofits are slated to receive about $1.453 million.
High-profile expenses for Metro that will cost less than the grants for TIRRC and TNJFON include the amount allocated for unemployment compensation, set at just $471,200, or just under $1 million less than the nonprofits are set to receive.
The combined sum appropriated to the nonprofits also exceeds the $1.4282 million budgeted for the historical commission and the $1 million Metro appropriated, each, for the Community Safety Fund and for transfer to the Coliseum Capital Maintenance Fund.
Metro’s budget additionally directs more money for the two nonprofits than the $800,000 appropriated for an MNPS Performance Audit; $781,200 for criminal justice planning; $750,000 for the Nashville State Community College Foundation GRAD Program; $673,600 for agricultural extension; $821,500 for the farmers’ market subsidy; $894,100 for the municipal auditorium subsidy; and $911,700 for the Fairgrounds Nashville subsidy.
The grants for TIRRC also fall just $2,900 short of the $1.4559 appropriated for the human relations commission budget, $47,000 below Metro’s Tree Canopy allocation, and $86,000 below the satellite city payments line item.
Last month, The Tennessee Star filed a Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA) request seeking Metro’s justification for nearly $1.5 million in grants amid conflicting claims from different Metro departments about how the money would be used.
While a spokesperson for Mayor Freddie O’Connell told The Star that the money would not be used to provide legal services, advocacy, or advice to illegal aliens, Metro Clerk Austin Kyle later said the funding would continue services outlined under Metro’s 2022 contracts with TIRRC and TNJFON, which explicitly included legal services for those facing deportation from the United States.
On Wednesday, the Metro Council told The Star it was still uncertain whether it had the requested information, and estimated it would be able to provide a full response by July 31. Metro previously told The Star that it expected a response on July 10.
In addition to the grants for TIRRC and TNJFON, the FY 2027 budget appropriates $60,000 to the Tennessee Justice Center, which recently sued the Tennessee Department of Health over guidance issued regarding benefits provided to illegal aliens.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Freddie O’Connell” by Freddie O’Connell. Background Photo “Nashville City Hall” by Luckiewiki. CC BY-SA 4.0.
