No-show by rapper Saucy Santana prompts questions over city’s grant award to nonprofit
by: Ashley Paul, Jessica Gertler
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis-based non-profit faces questions after using grant money from the city to hire a rapper to perform at an HIV testing event over the weekend.
One Memphis One Vision founder and CEO Devante Hill’s intentions were hopeful but he could be in hot water after his event to raise money for young homeless people with HIV didn’t quite go as planned.
“No one should be homeless, especially because they’re identifying as a part of an alternative lifestyle and they’re testing positive for HIV,” Hill said. “It wasn’t just, ‘Let’s have a party and celebrate pride!’ No, there was actually a mission and an objective behind actually booking this particular talent.”
Hill told WREG he booked rapper Saucy Santana for $30,000 for Sunday’s event with the hope he would help draw in a larger crowd to raise money for the cause.
But it was after Santana missed his flight to Memphis and missed the event that we learned how much money was spent to bring him here and where it came from.
“It’s my understanding there was some grant for AIDS education and AIDS testing, which is something our community very much needs,” said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
And that’s accurate, according to the Memphis chief communications officer.
In a statement to WREG, we were told $30,000 of grant money was awarded by the Department of Housing and Community Development for HIV testing and to rehab two blighted homes to combat homelessness for those who test positive. It was “not intended to hire entertainment for the event.”
The mayor’s office says the money should have gone to testing, equipment, the venue, and security.
We asked Hill if his plans for the $30,000 in grant funding were clear in his proposal.
“It was clear when we asked for the grant and applied for the grant that we wanted to create a very large testing event and that we needed to compel a specific demographic of people, and we had a solution as to how we were able to do that,” he said.
Hill declined to show us the proposal, but a spokesperson for the city said Hill has now been asked to provide documentation on how the funds were spent.
Meanwhile, Hill said his lawyers are working with Saucy Santana to either reschedule the event or get their money back.
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