Why Brentwood Needs the Arts & Athletics Association: A Smarter Way to Connect Private Money to Public Purpose

By Kip Dodson | Rotary Club of Brentwood, Arts & Athletics Association Committee Chairman

Brentwood, Tennessee, is blessed with exceptional schools, civic-minded residents, and one of the most vibrant communities in the state. Yet despite our success, there’s one strategic tool we’ve never created—a formal pathway for private individuals and businesses to support public Arts and Athletics programs.

It’s time we change that.

The NCAA as a Model for Community Growth

Whether you love or question college sports, one thing is clear: the NCAA is a powerful conduit for private money into public institutions. Through naming-rights, sponsorships, corporate deals, assets, in-kind and monetary booster donations, billions flow from the private sector into publicly funded athletic programs, facilities, and scholarships.

What makes it all work? A nonprofit structure that allows private investment to serve the public good.

Brentwood currently has no such mechanism—no nonprofit vehicle dedicated solely to empowering our local arts and athletics programs.

The Problem: No Unified Way to Give or Build

Every year, school leaders, parents, business leaders, and local philanthropists ask:

“Is there a way to privately fund specifically needed facilities, donate to new athletics programs, or arts just for Brentwood?”
“How can more be built while preserving the traditional success of Brentwood?”
“How could we set-up in-kind donations and solicit more private money to KICKSTART and propel our public resources farther along?”
“Why on earth don’t our schools have basics facilities that elite schools have today – we live in Brentwood and we travel outside it to conduct common needs?”

Unfortunately, the answer today is fragmented. WE HAVE BARRIERS THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED. Adding to that, there’s no single bridge between those who want to give and the public institutions that need support. In fact, the current system pushes private money away because of partisan politics and NO PLAN. Schools and city departments have limits. Private boosters lack structure. Public-private collaboration remains untapped. No one solicits the needs that have been there for decades. The mechanism isn’t in place.

The Solution: The Brentwood Arts & Athletics Association

That’s why the Brentwood Noon Rotary Club has formed the Arts & Athletics Committee, taking the first step toward DISCUSSING the subject of SHOULD WE DO THIS? If we should then how should it be done? How best should we install a nonprofit designed to:

Define the needs and wants.
Advocate for them across the various parties.
Solicit, collect and responsibly distribute tax-deductible donations for public impact – delivering the prioritized needs.
Create “kick-start” funding that confidently gets the entire project installed for youth scholarships, new facilities, upgrades, add the best equipment, and create new initiatives.
Engage local leaders and residents in meaningful, community-first projects…..filling the gaps – pressing it forward all the way to completion.
Build bridges across generations, neighborhoods, and interests.

This Arts & Athletics Association would create a shared space where our youngest artists and oldest civic leaders could contribute to a common cause—a stronger, more connected Brentwood.

How You Can Get Involved

If this vision speaks to you, the path forward is simple:

Click HERE to stay in the conversation – receiving updates.
Click Here to endorse this idea and offer your name and endorsement.
Click here to Become a founding sponsor and seek information about how to support this by clicking HERE.
Attend an AAA Committee meeting, before and after our weekly standard meetings. The AAA committee meets at 11:15AM or after our regular meeting at 1PM. You are always welcome to be a guest at a Brentwood Noon Rotary Club (Friday’s at 11:45AM), especially when you say “I want to learn more about Rotary and the Arts & Athletics Association (AAA) Committee. Be a part of it.
At the same time you will learn more about ROTARY and our club at BrentwoodRotary.org.

You will find us at 11:45am on Friday’s (usually – so check the schedule), at the Martin Center Fifty Forward Building at 960 Heritage Way, Brentwood, TN across from Tower Park.

Rotary’s purpose is to serve others. This association will do just that, through the universal languages of arts and sports—two things that unite and inspire across every generation.

In closing, DO NOTE: Our annual Brentwood Rotary Golf Tournament helps fund MANY projects. It will be held on Monday, September 8, 2025, at the Nashville Golf & Athletic Club. Learn more or sign up at BrentwoodRotaryGolf.com.

Let’s Build Something That Lasts

The Brentwood & Ravenwood Arts & Athletics Association “committee discussion” will add even more capability to what been done already. It won’t just create better conversations – it will create facilities, fields, concerts, or competitions—it will build our youth, community, legacy, and belonging. It’s exactly what Rotary is meant to do.

We hope you’ll be a part of it.

Join us at BrentwoodRotary.org.

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