Search Through Grants for Community Service Projects in Tennessee in the U.S.

Our Vision

We seek a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat.

The Maddox Fund tends to its internal culture believing that how we work inside the foundation influences of all of our partnerships. We see ourselves as an organic organization that will evolve over time in response to our environment and changing needs of our community.

Maddox Interest Areas

Youth

The Maddox Fund believes that all human beings are interconnected, not just with one another, but with all of nature – a belief that makes our desire to foster connection and a sense of belonging even more urgent

For young people to flourish, they must be surrounded by a beloved community of teachers, friends, caring adults and relentless advocates. Most of our new youth focus areas seek to connect young people to liberating spaces and people. The Maddox Fund will support direct serves to young people ages 5-25. We will also support systems change work that is creating the conditions for youth to thrive through advocacy and grassroots organizing.

The Maddox Fund will prioritize partners working with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and immigrant & undocumented youth knowing that our current systems continue to oppress these populations.

• Youth Interest Areas:
  • Out-of-School Learning: Out-of-school learning opportunities are important for student thriving. Funding will prioritize afterschool and summer learning, literacy programs, tutoring and academic supports.
  • Post-Secondary Access: In the past, Maddox has supported post-secondary programs tied to traditional 4-year institutions. Going forward, we will look at funding programs that increase access to community college programs, professional certifications, and vocational/technical training for young people as well as access to traditional university and college programs with a focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
  • Diversifying Education Leadership: Maddox supports programs that prepare leaders for the sacred work of raising our youth in safe and welcoming learning environments. This includes teacher certification programs, teacher retention programs, and ongoing learning for youth workers. We will continue to prioritize organizations that support education leaders that identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
  • Youth and Education Advocacy: The education landscape is constantly changing. We know that to make meaningful change we must do so at the systems level. To that end, Maddox will fund organizations advocating for more equitable opportunities for young people and students in Middle Tennessee. We also recognize that the voices of young people have often been historically disregarded, despite being experts regarding their lived reality. We are interested in funding programs that lift the voices of young people and advance our youth and education priorities. These include but are not limited to funding for youth organizing training and for youth-led movements focused on climate change, environmental justice, advocacy for undocumented and immigrant youth and digital literacy.

Natural Environment

The Maddox Fund envisions a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat. Central to this vision is the intertwined relationship between humanity and the world around us. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny,” as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observed. What threatens nature, threatens humanity. As such, our shared liberation is essential.

During our equity journey, The Maddox Fund reflected on what we learn from nature and how we can weave those lessons into our culture and practices.

• Trees teach us we are stronger together.
• Grasslands show us that diversity feeds us.
• Earth teaches us that seeds grow in fertile ground.
• Water teaches us to bend, adapt and keep moving forward.
• Animal communities teach us how to lead and follow.

Most of our new environmental interest areas seek to connect people and planet and advocate for regenerative policies and practices. We believe this focus honors the legacy of Dan and Margaret who were avid outdoors people and were committed to conservation, including hunting and fishing. Across our focus areas, we are seeking partners with lived commitment to environmental sustainability in policy and practice and a lived commitment to racial justice.

• Environmental Interest Areas:
  • Community-Based Nature Programs: People feeling connected to nature is a first step in understanding how the well-being of people and planet are intertwined. The Maddox Fund is interested in funding programs that get young people outdoors and that examine our symbiotic relationship with the earth. Community-based programs emerge from and are led by people with lived experience and, for Maddox, those systemically restricted from accessing nature. Examples of Community-based Nature Programs might include sustainable practices, land as liberation, camping, nature play, water protection, habitat preservation, environmental education and environmental justice.
  • Diversifying Environmental Leadership: A common refrain of our environment and conservation partners is that the field has limited diversity and that these limitations are reflected in the composition of their staff and board of directors. The Maddox Fund is interested in funding programs that address this ongoing disparity and the resulting underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color as well as those identifying as queer in the field. Examples of Environmental Leadership Pipeline Programs might include paid internships, paid fellowships and other leadership development programs that support racial diversity in environmental circles.
  • Hunting & Fishing: Dan and Margaret became conservationists because they observed nature’s beauty while sitting on deer blinds and hiking remote trails. The Maddox Fund will continue supporting hunting and fishing programs that embrace our responsibility to nature. Special attention will be given to programs that advance racial diversity in the next generation of hunters and anglers.
  • Environmental Advocacy: Studies show that two-thirds of young people experience some level of eco-anxiety. Maddox believes that youth want a larger voice in the future they will inherit. We are interested in funding: 1) youth-led power building around climate change, environmental justice and sustainable futures; and 2) advocacy efforts that advance our conservation commitment.

Responsive Grants

Responsive Grants are generally $10-15,000 and can be requested throughout the year. The first step for these grants is contacting a Maddox Staff member. These grants will be reviewed on a monthly basis or quicker when rapid response is needed. 

Grantmaking

• Advocacy: These grants will support youth-led movement/power building and policy change advocacy that advances our focus areas. Strategies may include direct actions, organizing training, youth-led movements, and narrative change work.
• Direct Services: These grants will support program delivery in our two focus areas.
• Capacity & Care: These grants will support capacity building for organizations as well as staff development and leadership care for organizations working in our focus areas. These grants might include strategic planning, leadership transitions, staff respite/healing, and celebration of organizational milestones.

Our MissionAdvancing Southern vitality through the arts.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, South Arts is a nonprofit regional arts organization empowering artists, organizations, and communities, and increasing access to arts and culture.

In partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the State Arts Agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee — with additional funding from other public and private donors such as the Doris Duke Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and Mellon Foundation — South Arts supports artists and organizations through a rich and responsive portfolio of grants, fellowships, and programs.

Why? Because South Arts believes that the arts elevate the region, increasing connectedness and inspiring meaningful change in the process. 

Professional Development Grants for Arts Organizations

Program Description

South Arts strongly believes that skill and knowledge building for arts organizations are integral to success and sustainability. These grants are designed to support the professional development needs of Southern arts organizations for increasing organizational capacity to achieve long-term sustainability, growth, and/or operational stability. This grant program is open to film, visual arts, performing arts, traditional arts, literary arts, and multidisciplinary arts organizations.

Funding can support staff or board participation at conferences, workshops, and other professional development opportunities and events. In addition, these grants can support expenses for in-person and virtual professional development for organization-wide staff learning and training. Funds support travel expenses (for example, lodging and air/ground transportation), admission/registration fees, or other related expenses (for example, consultant/service fees for staff learning/training sessions). 

Investing in nonprofits that are advancing a new, transformative system of justice with the core values of racial equity, economic well-being, and fundamental fairness for all.

Grants Overview

Public Welfare Foundation awards grants to nonprofits that honor the Foundation’s core values of racial equity, economic well-being, and fundamental fairness for all. The Foundation looks for strategic points where its funds can make a significant difference and improve lives through policy and system reform that results in transformative change.

Our Work

Public Welfare Foundation aims to catalyze a transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative, and racially just.

• Adult Criminal Justice
• Youth Justice
• Legacy Initiatives
• Jurisdictions

Working in Communities, With Communities

Public Welfare Foundation believes that the best ideas bubble up from communities so we work to engage deeply in and with the communities we fund.

We work with communities to drive transformation from multiple angles including policy advocacy, organizing, leadership development, and demonstration projects. Public Welfare Foundation is committed to funding innovative solutions and investing in the leadership of those most proximate to the issues facing this nation.

Focusing our efforts on criminal justice and youth justice reforms allows us to achieve greater impact in the overhaul of the systems that were created to marginalize and contain our nation’s most vulnerable populations.

Grants Process

The Public Welfare Foundation has a two-step application process that includes both a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and a full proposal. We invite full proposals after reviewing letters of inquiry. We only consider full proposals we have invited that fit within the program guidelines and available resources.

Current focus areas include:

• Organizations and projects with a focus on structural and systemic changes in the U.S. criminal justice system.
  • The Foundation does not typically fund direct service work (ex. individual support services, case management).
  • However, the Foundation will consider initiatives that aim to further a demonstration project to make the case for non-carceral alternatives and transformative approaches to justice reform.
• Organizations, projects, or special initiatives with a focus on reducing harm and violence using community-centered interventions.
• Reframing the narrative and fostering greater transparency and urgency around the U.S. criminal justice system through storytelling, journalism and other targeted efforts.

Grant Types: How We Fund the Work

General Support Grants

• General support grants are for day-to-day operating costs or to further the work of your organization. These grants are not earmarked for a particular program or project.

Program or Project Support Grants

• Program or project support grants support a specific program or activity of the organization. These are restricted grants and must be used for that program or project.

Special Opportunities Grants

• The Special Opportunities Program supports projects reflecting the Foundation’s mission and underlying values. These are one-time only grants that are especially timely and compelling. At times, this kind of grant serves as a laboratory for new ideas.

In Our Community

Republic Bank recognizes the importance of making a lasting IMPACT, and that starts by strengthening the communities in which we live and work. We believe Republic Bank not only serves the community but is also a part of the community.

Together, we can make an impact that goes beyond banking. Bank with us, and let’s strengthen our community – together.

Generally, organizations and activities meeting the established criteria will fall into one of the following categories:

• Education and Youth Programs
• Family and Community Welfare
• Civic Projects
• Healthcare and Human Services
• Performing Arts and Cultural Activities
• Recreation and Preservation Programs

In-Kind Donations

Republic Bank occasionally donates used computer equipment, office equipment, and furniture to community organizations. 

Grants

For over 40 years, we have been dedicated to sustaining and improving the quality of life in Nashville and the broader Middle Tennessee area by investing in nonprofit organizations. We focus on agencies that address significant community challenges in comprehensive and collaborative ways.

Our Approach

The Frist Foundation partners with agencies serving Davidson County residents in the following focus areas: Arts & Culture, Food Insecurity, Health Disparities, Immigrants & Refugees, Nonprofit Infrastructure, and Unhoused Neighbors.

Types of Grants

General Grants

The Frist Foundation is interested in funding projects that will increase service capacity or ensure an organization’s long-term sustainability. These might include capital needs, the creation of earned revenue streams, or supporting consulting expenses for strategic planning or financial management. This does not include operational expenses, including salaries or programmatic expenses.

Technology Grants

The technology grant program is designed to help agencies work differently and more effectively using technology. In a rapidly changing environment, we see technology as integral to agency collaboration, data collection, workflow and improving the level of service to clients. This does not include hardware upgrades.

Additionally, we provide annual support for Hands On Nashville’s GeekCause, which matches Nashville tech experts with community partners in need of their services. From tech consultation to solution implementation, GeekCause provides a low-cost platform for agencies to solve tech-based challenges through the support of skilled volunteers. We often recommend agencies reach out to GeekCause before applying for a technology grant.

Operational Grants

The Frist Foundation makes dozens of operational grants each year, the most significant being to The Frist Art Museum. The Foundation also supports organizations that we describe as “Nonprofit Infrastructure,” including The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, The United Way of Greater Nashville, Hands On Nashville, Community Resource Center, and Young Leaders Council, among others.

Please note: The Foundation is not currently making new grants for operating or programmatic expenses.

The Assisi Foundation of Memphis Grant

Creating Positive Change

At The Assisi Foundation, we work with nonprofit organizations to address pressing challenges and search for root causes with the goal of healthy, positive transformation. Our focus areas are listed below. However, it should be noted that whether or not an organization falls neatly within one of these categories, we always invite the exploration of good ideas that align with our mission of philanthropy, done well.

Areas of Focus

• Health and Human Services: The Foundation supports initiatives that enhance the spiritual, mental and physical health and well-being of the Mid-South community. Grantees include organizations that address a variety of social determinants through the provision of direct care, research or preventive measures.
• Education and Lifelong Learning: The Foundation strives to strengthen our community’s educational well-being through programs that develop tools for life and focus on the awareness and importance of accepting social responsibilities. The Foundation funds nonprofits that build the organizational capacity of provider agencies, provide professional development, promote collaboration, and leverage local, state and federal resources.
• Social Justice and Ethics: The Foundation values organizations that help individuals strive to reach their greatest human potential. The Foundation funds projects and programs that strengthen ethical values among Mid-South citizens and promote social justice—initiatives that lead to a better understanding of, and a more effective response to, the economic and social challenges of the community.
• Cultural Enrichment and the Arts: Seeking to foster an even greater appreciation of Memphis arts and culture, The Foundation supports some of our area’s cultural icons and groups that work to promote the cultural and artistic heritage of the Greater Memphis area.
• Community Enhancement  & Capacity Building:  For grant applications that don’t fit neatly into other named categories, The Foundation welcomes the opportunity to explore activities that offer clear community benefit valued by named beneficiaries; address gaps and promote effectiveness within the socioecological system; and strengthen community resilience.

East Tennessee Foundation

Our Vision

Thriving communities powered by thoughtful giving.

Our Mission

We provide philanthropic leadership inspiring donors to make lives better and communities stronger in enduring ways across generations.

Opportunity Endowment Fund

Through investing in the effectiveness and future sustainability of East Tennessee’s nonprofit community, this fund supports the capacity building of charitable organizations in ETF’s 25-county service area and their ability to collectively address our community’s needs.

Areas of Focus

Grants awarded from these funds are to help organizations identify collaborative solutions and utilize partnerships to improve operational, financial, data/information, and programmatic systems so that together, they have a cohesive impact on the community.

Requests should indicate collaboration between organizations and show there are matching funds to support the proposed project. The East Tennessee Foundation values the spirit and potential for collective, community-level impact of organizations who work together and can leverage funds to secure other support, and ETF believes in organizations’ abilities to work together to address shared problems faced by our communities. The Foundation also appreciates projects with outcomes that can be shared across organizations’ networks and/or easily duplicated among similar charitable organizations. Additionally, ETF values prevention-focused programs which address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), drivers of health, and early childhood education.

Examples of this work include but are not limited to projects that:

• Bring organizations together to improve efficiencies and/or sustainability
• Enhance and/or streamline evaluation/outcome, human resources, operational, or logistics systems
• Create long-term financial systems and plans
• Develop improved donor engagement and education strategies
• Build effective leadership and boards of directors
• Assess community needs and promote data sharing
• Grow professional development and continuing education opportunities for the field
• Convene peers and subject matter experts
• Increase access to quality information technology and infrastructure
• Help organizations diversify revenue streams

Funding

Organizations can apply for an amount up to $25,000. Grant terms will be established with recipient organizations as part of the award process, not to exceed one year in length.

Background

The Appalachian Regional Commission is a federal-state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. The commission is a unique alliance composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a presidential appointee representing the federal government. Through ARC, Tennessee is able to award grants each year for economic and community development projects in the 52 counties in middle and east Tennessee served by the ARC.

ARC Strategic Investment Goals

• Building Appalachian Businesses:
  • Strengthen and diversify the region’s economy through inclusive economic development strategies and investments in entrepreneurship and business development
• Building Appalachia’s Workforce Ecosystem:
  • Expand and strengthen community systems (education, healthcare, housing, childcare, and others) that help Appalachians obtain a job, stay on the job, and advance along a financially sustaining career pathway.
• Building Appalachia’s Infrastructure:
  • Ensure that the residents and businesses of Appalachia have access to reliable, affordable, resilient, and energy efficient utilities and infrastructure in order to successfully live and work in the region.
• Building Regional Culture and Tourism:
  • Strengthen Appalachia’s community and economic development potential by preserving and investing in the region’s local, cultural heritage, and natural assets.
• Building Community Leaders and Capacity:
  • Invest in the capacity of local leaders, organizations, and communities to address local challenges by providing technical assistance and support to access resources, engage partners, identify strategies and tactics, and conduct effective planning and project execution.

Priorities

Within Tennessee, the first priority for the use of ARC funds is the economic development projects where water, wastewater, rail, etc. are provided to a locating or expanding industry. The second priority is for the provision of basic water and wastewater service in rural areas where such services are missing or inadequate. A third priority, "opportunity projects", is the ability of the governor to respond to unique problems or opportunities that are presented by a community.

Funding

Up to a $1,000,000 for construction projects, $500,000 for non-construction projects.

Creative Placemaking

The Creative Placemaking (CP) grant is designed to help communities enhance the distinctive local character of Tennessee places for positive economic and community outcomes. Successful CP applications will demonstrate how proposed projects will materially improve the physical and social character of their neighborhoods, districts, municipalities, or regions through arts and cultural activities or assets. Funding will depend upon an application’s rating from the review process and the total amount of funds available to the Tennessee Arts Commission for grant allocation. In addition to merit ratings, the Commission seeks a diversity of project designs, locations and community settings across Tennessee for CP projects. This category is competitive.

What is Creative Placemaking?

The Commission believes that creativity is a catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship and invention. Many organizations, businesses and local governments collaborate to reinvest in and revitalize their communities, and the arts often represent a way to cultivate and capitalize upon creativity with lasting economic benefits.

In creative placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city or region around arts and cultural activities or assets. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business visibility and public safety, and brings diverse people together to build shared understanding of culture and community.

Examples of projects or activities may include but are not limited to:

• Arts used as a catalyst to revitalize downtowns or neighborhoods
• Development of an arts or cultural business incubator or apprenticeship program
• Transformation of a perceived community liability into a community asset through the arts
• Development of an activity or project that encourages greater engagement with the arts in state parks, farmer’s markets, or other natural, unique ecological or recreational assets

To increase the likelihood of success and sustainability, the Commission encourages communities to involve public, private (including nonprofit organizations) and institutional partners in the development of a CP grant proposal.

Joe C. Davis Foundation Grant

The Foundation makes contributions to charitable organizations exemplifying the core values of Joe C. Davis: the importance of personal initiative, perseverance, hard work, education, and entrepreneurship.

The Foundation’s primary areas of focus are education, healthcare, and community and social services. Geographically, the Foundation’s focus is the Nashville, Tennessee area.

Funding Areas

The Foundation seeks to invest in organizations with strong leadership; organizations with long-term, sustainable financial models; and organizations that are the leading experts in the relevant area of service.

Education

The Foundation supports a wide range of education-related organizations.

In recent years, the Foundation’s support of public K-12 educational programs has focused primarily on recruitment and development of top talent in the education sector, and on increasing the supply of high-performing charter schools. The Foundation’s support of private, tuition-based K-12 educational institutions is now limited to Montgomery Bell Academy and Harpeth Hall School, where the Foundation primarily funds need-based scholarships for academically promising students.

The Foundation supports a variety of early childhood programs, after-school programs, adult education programs, and workforce development programs. The Foundation has also supported a limited number of post-secondary institutions, most notably Vanderbilt University, but also a few others from time to time, particularly in specialized areas of training.

Healthcare

The Foundation supports a broad array of healthcare organizations and endeavors. These have included medical training, health and wellness initiatives, medical clinics serving the underinsured, addiction services, mental health services, and crisis services. Within these areas, the Foundation has, from time to time, funded facilities, research, technology, and routine services. At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Foundation has primarily supported research and medical training. 

Community and Social Services 

The Foundation supports a wide variety of social service organizations, with a particular focus on helping children reach their highest potential and helping adults become self-sufficient. Programming areas include such things as youth mentoring, parent education, workforce development, affordable housing, and community resource centers.

Types of Grants

The Foundation generally prefers to make one-time grants designed to enhance existing programs, and sometimes to create new ones if they have a long-term financial sustainability model. The Foundation will also consider capital requests, including facility funding. The Foundation will consider relatively small grant requests in support of regular ongoing operating costs; however, multiple requests from the same organization over consecutive years are reviewed to be sure the Foundation is not creating excessive ongoing dependency upon its grants. 

The Foundation’s larger grants are typically made only after fairly extensive interaction between the Foundation and the grant seeker over an extended period.

Grant Cycles

In late March of each year, the Foundation considers grants that may be directed toward an agency’s ordinary operating costs, as well as grants for relatively small, one-time projects. The application deadline for the March grant cycle is February 15. The maximum request for a March award is $25,000. Any request over $25,000 will not be considered.

Grant requests for $25,000 or less may be submitted for either the September or March grant cycle, but grant requests for more than $25,000 may only be submitted for the September award period. The application deadline for the September grant cycle is August 1.

Our Vision

We seek a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat.

The Maddox Fund tends to its internal culture believing that how we work inside the foundation influences of all of our partnerships. We see ourselves as an organic organization that will evolve over time in response to our environment and changing needs of our community.

Maddox Interest Areas

Youth

The Maddox Fund believes that all human beings are interconnected, not just with one another, but with all of nature – a belief that makes our desire to foster connection and a sense of belonging even more urgent

For young people to flourish, they must be surrounded by a beloved community of teachers, friends, caring adults and relentless advocates. Most of our new youth focus areas seek to connect young people to liberating spaces and people. The Maddox Fund will support direct serves to young people ages 5-25. We will also support systems change work that is creating the conditions for youth to thrive through advocacy and grassroots organizing.

The Maddox Fund will prioritize partners working with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and immigrant & undocumented youth knowing that our current systems continue to oppress these populations.

• Youth Interest Areas:
  • Out-of-School Learning: Out-of-school learning opportunities are important for student thriving. Funding will prioritize afterschool and summer learning, literacy programs, tutoring and academic supports.
  • Post-Secondary Access: In the past, Maddox has supported post-secondary programs tied to traditional 4-year institutions. Going forward, we will look at funding programs that increase access to community college programs, professional certifications, and vocational/technical training for young people as well as access to traditional university and college programs with a focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
  • Diversifying Education Leadership: Maddox supports programs that prepare leaders for the sacred work of raising our youth in safe and welcoming learning environments. This includes teacher certification programs, teacher retention programs, and ongoing learning for youth workers. We will continue to prioritize organizations that support education leaders that identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
  • Youth and Education Advocacy: The education landscape is constantly changing. We know that to make meaningful change we must do so at the systems level. To that end, Maddox will fund organizations advocating for more equitable opportunities for young people and students in Middle Tennessee. We also recognize that the voices of young people have often been historically disregarded, despite being experts regarding their lived reality. We are interested in funding programs that lift the voices of young people and advance our youth and education priorities. These include but are not limited to funding for youth organizing training and for youth-led movements focused on climate change, environmental justice, advocacy for undocumented and immigrant youth and digital literacy.

Natural Environment

The Maddox Fund envisions a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat. Central to this vision is the intertwined relationship between humanity and the world around us. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny,” as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observed. What threatens nature, threatens humanity. As such, our shared liberation is essential.

During our equity journey, The Maddox Fund reflected on what we learn from nature and how we can weave those lessons into our culture and practices.

• Trees teach us we are stronger together.
• Grasslands show us that diversity feeds us.
• Earth teaches us that seeds grow in fertile ground.
• Water teaches us to bend, adapt and keep moving forward.
• Animal communities teach us how to lead and follow.

Most of our new environmental interest areas seek to connect people and planet and advocate for regenerative policies and practices. We believe this focus honors the legacy of Dan and Margaret who were avid outdoors people and were committed to conservation, including hunting and fishing. Across our focus areas, we are seeking partners with lived commitment to environmental sustainability in policy and practice and a lived commitment to racial justice.

• Environmental Interest Areas:
  • Community-Based Nature Programs: People feeling connected to nature is a first step in understanding how the well-being of people and planet are intertwined. The Maddox Fund is interested in funding programs that get young people outdoors and that examine our symbiotic relationship with the earth. Community-based programs emerge from and are led by people with lived experience and, for Maddox, those systemically restricted from accessing nature. Examples of Community-based Nature Programs might include sustainable practices, land as liberation, camping, nature play, water protection, habitat preservation, environmental education and environmental justice.
  • Diversifying Environmental Leadership: A common refrain of our environment and conservation partners is that the field has limited diversity and that these limitations are reflected in the composition of their staff and board of directors. The Maddox Fund is interested in funding programs that address this ongoing disparity and the resulting underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color as well as those identifying as queer in the field. Examples of Environmental Leadership Pipeline Programs might include paid internships, paid fellowships and other leadership development programs that support racial diversity in environmental circles.
  • Hunting & Fishing: Dan and Margaret became conservationists because they observed nature’s beauty while sitting on deer blinds and hiking remote trails. The Maddox Fund will continue supporting hunting and fishing programs that embrace our responsibility to nature. Special attention will be given to programs that advance racial diversity in the next generation of hunters and anglers.
  • Environmental Advocacy: Studies show that two-thirds of young people experience some level of eco-anxiety. Maddox believes that youth want a larger voice in the future they will inherit. We are interested in funding: 1) youth-led power building around climate change, environmental justice and sustainable futures; and 2) advocacy efforts that advance our conservation commitment.

Participatory Grants

The Maddox Fund is committed to sharing power with the community. We will have to participatory grant processes — a second cohort of HBCU students and a LGBTQ+ student-led cohort. Each of these groups will be distributing up to $100,000 to local nonprofits.

Grantmaking

• Advocacy: These grants will support youth-led movement/power building and policy change advocacy that advances our focus areas. Strategies may include direct actions, youth organizing training, and issue awareness.
• Direct Services: These grants will support program delivery in our two focus areas.
• Capacity & Care: These grants will support capacity building for organizations as well as staff development and leadership care for organizations working in our focus areas. These grants might include strategic planning, leadership transitions, staff respite/healing, and celebration of organizational milestones.

Supporting Historic Sacred Places

A program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Fund for Sacred Places provides financial and technical support for community-serving historic houses of worship across America.

What We Offer

The National Fund for Sacred Places provides matching grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to congregations undertaking significant capital projects at historic houses of worship, along with wraparound services including training, technical assistance, and planning support.

What We’re Looking For

The National Fund for Sacred Places assesses applicant eligibility according to the core criteria shown below, while also striving to build a diverse participant pool that reflects a broad range of geographic, cultural, and religious identities.

Historic, Cultural, or Architectural Significance

We are looking for buildings that have historic, cultural, or architectural significance—and sites that have important and relevant stories to tell. Many of our participants are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the state register, or the local register. Your building does not have to be on one of these lists, but eligibility for one or more of these lists is a good benchmark for National Fund eligibility.

As part of the National Trust’s commitment to telling the full American story, we particularly encourage congregations to apply that illuminate a unique or overlooked aspect of American history and that expand our understanding of our shared national heritage. We encourage submissions related to historic sacred places of importance to historically and contemporaneously underrepresented communities including, but not limited to, women, immigrants, Asian Americans, Black Americans, Latinx Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and LGBTQIA communities.

Successful applicants are able to demonstrate their place in history by answering questions such as:

• Does the building tell a story relevant to our history—either cultural or religious?
• Does the history highlight previously underrecognized communities, stories, or locations?
• How has the building served the community over time? Does the building have a great physical presence in its community due to its location or programming?
• Is the building the work of a notable architect? If so, is it a high-quality example of their body of work?
• Is the building an exceptional example of its architectural style or building technology?
• Does the building embody the congregation’s resilience over time?

Community-Serving Congregations

We are looking for congregations that are engaged in their communities and that are serving others. Engaged congregations operate and host programming that serves vulnerable, at-risk, and diverse populations; share space with non-affiliated groups and organizations (often at subsidized rates); work with other congregations, faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and/or municipalities; and have a widespread reputation for being a welcoming center of community life.

Project Scope and Need

We fund historic preservation projects addressing urgent repair needs and/or life safety. We also fund projects that increase congregations’ ability to open their buildings to new populations or to serve greater numbers of people. All projects must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which is a universally accepted framework for doing work to older and historic properties.

We prioritize congregations/projects where there is a demonstrated need (meaning that the congregation cannot raise the funds alone) or where it is clear that our grant will have a catalytic effect (meaning that our grant is likely to lead to additional monies being contributed to the project).

Readiness

Once-in-a-generation capital projects require a great deal of planning. We are looking for applicants that understand their buildings’ needs and that are ready to undertake a capital campaign. National Fund congregations typically have a history of successful capital campaigns, which demonstrate an ability to raise significant funds and complete a project.

Successful congregations come to us with a realistic fundraising goal, which has been generated with the help of qualified preservation professionals and is not too far beyond the congregation’s fundraising capacity.

Healthy Congregations

The National Fund prioritizes healthy, stable congregations so that our investment is truly impactful and lasting. We look for the following, although this is not an exhaustive list of characteristics that indicate healthy congregations: tenured, well-respected clergy; capable lay leadership; stable or growing membership; financial strength and stability; support of the judicatory or governing body, if applicable; and a history of weathering any congregational conflict or trauma with resilience.

Our Mission

The Thompson Charitable Foundation was established in 1987 by B. Ray Thompson, Sr., a leader in the U.S. coal industry and developer of the Thompson non-recovery coke oven process.

Reflecting the concerns and interests of our founder, the Foundation supports projects that seek to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Specifically, the Foundation supports non-profit organizations in the areas of health services and sciences, education, human services, and quality of life.

Areas of Interest

The Foundation supports non-profit organizations in the areas of:

• Health & Human Services
• Education and Workforce Development
• Community and Economic Development
• Quality of Life

The American Water Charitable Foundation is an independent, 501(c)(3) private foundation, supported by the shareholders of American Water. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees, composed of officers and leaders of American Water or its subsidiaries, review Foundation programs, guidelines, and distribution of funds.

Applications will be accepted in the following states served by American Water, in addition to its Military Service locations: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The Water and Environment Grant Program will be awarded to help fund innovative, community-based projects that:

• improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies
• promote water conservation
• improve equitable access to water-based recreation in underserved communities 

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Purpose

The Exhibit Award provides funding to exhibit at local, regional, national meetings, summits and conferences for health professionals, information professionals and health consumers. Exhibiting provides an opportunity to promote NLM products, Region 2 programs and/or Region 2 membership.

Award funding covers registration and booth fees, travel and per diems, communication costs, equipment rental and associated costs for the exhibit. 

Potential Project Ideas

Collaborate with Region 2 Regional Medical Library, another Region 2 individual member, and/or a national NNLM office or center to co-exhibit at a:

• State library or public health association meeting
• State or regional public health association meeting
• State or local LGBTQIA+ health event
• Local health fair/expo
• State or local health professional meeting
• Tribal community event
• Remote Area Medical (RAM) event

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Purpose

The Innovation Impact Award supports new projects that involve creative program improvement and seek to enhance health information outreach. These innovative projects may not fit squarely into the other award categories for Region 2. However, projects awarded in this category will still align with our larger funding objectives of enhancing the community’s access to health information resources, improving defined health literacy skills, and building community members’ confidence to make informed decisions regarding their health. The approach to these projects may be unique but will have the potential to make a large impact from their distinctive project design.

Potential Project Ideas

• Purchase software or hardware to improve operations in community organizations, health service organizations, libraries, or academic institutions in order to serve their constituents better.
• Pilot a reading group using the materials from the NNLM Reading Club about a prevalent health topic.
• Develop a more accessible and/or culturally inclusive collection of materials (ex: Spanish language, books by diverse authors, graphic novels about health issues, large print books).
• Form a mentoring group and schedule a professional development week for young people related to health issue. This program could integrate an educational component. Recruit adult mentors to support the program. 

West End Home Foundation Grant

The West End Home Foundation is dedicated to helping support and sustain a comprehensive system of care for senior adults in Middle Tennessee.

The Foundation conducts an annual grants process during which time we accept applications from organizations providing programs that seek to enhance the quality of life for senior adults. The broad spectrum of programs that benefit each year address one of our key impact areas:

• Advocacy – legal assistance and education for issues related to aging and advocacy for new or expanded initiatives to ensure a comprehensive system of care for seniors
• Enrichment and Socialization – opportunities for meaningful social interaction and lifelong learning
• Food and Nutrition – services such as groceries, home-delivered and congregate meals to meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable seniors
• Healthcare – primary health care including diagnosis and treatment of chronic and critical conditions, oral health care and behavioral health services
• Housing – home repair and safety modifications, rent and utility assistance and access to appropriate housing solutions to facilitate safe and affordable housing
• Transportation – safe and affordable transportation to ensure that seniors have access to needed services and have opportunities to remain engaged in community life
• Wellness and Supportive Care – prevention, wellness and in-home supportive services to promote and sustain healthy aging
• Other – other initiatives that complement and enhance the mission of The West End Home Foundation

Grant Guidelines and Eligibility Criteria:

The West End Home Foundation administers a competitive grants process that carefully evaluates each request in light of identified community needs, resources available, impact on target population, agency capacity and success in delivering the highest quality of service with demonstrated outcomes.

• Program – funding to support implementation of a specific program or project. Projects may be new or ongoing.
• Capital – funding to support a capital investment in agency infrastructure such as equipment, technology, facility maintenance or facility acquisition/expansion
• Annual – all grants are awarded for a period of one year

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Purpose

The Emergency Preparedness and Response Award supports projects that address natural disasters and local emergencies in the community, using the phases of preparedness, mitigation, recovery, and response. Natural disasters include weather-related emergencies, drought, flood, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Examples of local emergencies include hate crimes, intimate partner violence, and gun violence/shooting. Applicants are encouraged to design their projects using a community-centered model to promote awareness, preparedness, education, training, and safety coordination to improve responses to natural disasters and local emergencies.

Potential Project Ideas

Proposals directed at planning, mitigating, responding, and recovering from disaster and emergency events or reducing and preventing harm from hate, discrimination, and violence, such as:

• Integrating and promoting NLM’s disaster-related resources, services, and tools into educational program or continuity plans.
• Evaluating and improving preparedness plans, programs, or policies.
• Developing audits or evaluation process to determine readiness to respond to a disaster.
• Preparing organizations to effectively prepare for and/or respond to disasters.
• Hosting a summit to unite emergency planners and librarians to improve disaster preparedness and response capabilities.
• Training individuals, professionals, and communities to find disaster health, emergency preparedness and response information resources.
• Developing response tools that contribute to the continuity of health information-based services and operations.
• Providing education and professional development on disaster preparedness and response topics.
• Collaborating with external partner(s) such as the libraries, community, faith-based, and volunteer organizations, hospitals, and first responders to develop programs or engage in joint exercises that enhance coordination of resources in response, to develop community response in creative ways.
• Initiating a “blessing box” and/or community fridge program to support community members.

About Cigna

Our Mission

To improve the health and vitality of those we serve.

Our Vision

A better future built on the vitality of every individual and every community.

Youth Mental Health Grant

The Cigna Group Foundation is committing $9 million over three years to improve the mental health of youth (ages five to 18) as it relates to post-pandemic stress and distress. This commitment includes support for their parents, caregivers, and youth service professionals like educators and therapists.

We seek to collaborate with and support nonprofits that leverage evidence-informed programs and services to serve local youth experiencing the most need.

During the first year of our three-year commitment, we will focus on investing in solutions that address mental health concerns early, and strategically offer programming, intervention, and access to care in schools and related settings in underserved communities. We look forward to partnering with nonprofit organizations that align to at least one of these grant program goals:

• Increase reach of programming that fosters social-emotional skills and well-being.
• Increase the number of parents, caregivers, and youth service professionals who feel equipped to support.
• Increase pathways to mental health intervention and access to care.

Grant Range and Term

• $100,000 – $150,000
• One-year term

Background

AutoZone’s charitable giving program has been established to support 501(c)3 tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations and improve the communities in which AutoZoners live and work, primarily the Greater Memphis area, through:

Policies

• AutoZone supports eligible charitable organizations through financial grants.
• Contributions are one-time only unless otherwise stated.
• Funded programs must be available to the entire community regardless of age, creed, disability, gender, marital status, race, religion, sexual orientation or country of origin.

AutoZone’s Strategic Pillars

Health & Wellness- Improving health & well-being through affordable healthcare options and preventive healthcare methods

Education & Youth Development- Fostering youth through Cradle to Career Education

Community Development- Advancing the Memphis community through placed based development and social services

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion- Highlighting community initiatives that provide diverse and inclusive objectives and spaces

Arts & Culture- Ensuring access to the Arts and a wide-variety of cultural experiences (Capital campaign gifts only; Refer to ArtsZone Grants for annual arts related grants funding)

AutoZone Grant Types

• Project/Program Grants: These grants are intended to support designated projects and programs that align with our strategic giving pillars. We prefer not to support events or provide general operating support.
• Capital Campaign Grants: These grants are intended to provide limited support for endowment funds and capital campaigns to acquire and construct facilities, renovate existing property or purchase equipment.

Impact 100 Nashville

Our mission is to inspire women to collectively invest in social transformation in Greater Nashville. Our vision is to grow a large, vibrant community of philanthropic women.

Focus Area

Impact100 Nashville recognizes non-profit organizations that seek to end the cycle of any debilitating condition, including but not limited to homelessness, poverty, addiction, hunger, illiteracy, human trafficking, recidivism, etc. We are seeking to award these grants to non-profit organizations that offer creative and innovative services to their populations and can show how the results of their services end the cycle for the communities they serve. For 2025, we will have two grant types available for consideration: the $100,000 Transformation and Innovation Grant, as well as two $35,000 Spark grants. For both grant types, we are seeking to award grants to nonprofits who have a sustainable plan to drive social transformation in Middle Tennessee by innovating on the current state, whether that’s new services, populations, or geographies.

Spark Grant Category

Spark Grants are designed to fund a specific, self-sustaining project that will address a problem within Middle Tennessee in a new or elevated way. Our Spark grant is designed to “spark” new innovations in organizations of any size. 

Impact 100 Nashville

Our mission is to inspire women to collectively invest in social transformation in Greater Nashville. Our vision is to grow a large, vibrant community of philanthropic women.

Focus Area

Impact100 Nashville recognizes non-profit organizations that seek to end the cycle of any debilitating condition, including but not limited to homelessness, poverty, addiction, hunger, illiteracy, human trafficking, recidivism, etc. We are seeking to award these grants to non-profit organizations that offer creative and innovative services to their populations and can show how the results of their services end the cycle for the communities they serve. For 2025, we will have two grant types available for consideration: the $100,000 Transformation and Innovation Grant, as well as two $35,000 Spark grants. For both grant types, we are seeking to award grants to nonprofits who have a sustainable plan to drive social transformation in Middle Tennessee by innovating on the current state, whether that’s new services, populations, or geographies.

Transformation and Innovation Category

Grant applications should seek to transform the Middle Tennessee community in an innovative way, generally focusing on a new program, approach, or project. Our Transformation and Innovation Grant is designed for organizations that have a more established presence in Middle Tennessee and need a larger dollar amount to generate transformative change

Purpose:

Locally administered grants for arts projects focusing on community priorities.

The Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant program is designed to provide support for arts projects that broaden access to arts experiences, address community quality of life issues through the arts, or enhance the sustainability of asset-based cultural enterprises. ABC funds may be used to:

• Provide innovative arts experiences that are new or unfamiliar to community residents
• Offer arts programs that are designed to help affect positive change in community social issues
• Develop arts programming that strengthens social networks through community engagement
• Undertake cultural arts initiatives that enhance a community’s identity and/or economic development
• Offer training that helps experienced or emerging artists/arts administrators develop entrepreneurial skills or innovative strategies for building sustainability

The Commission offers the ABC program through a decentralized decision-making and distribution process in partnership with regional designated agencies. Through ABC, the Commission seeks to build communities by nurturing artists, arts organizations (including local arts agencies), and arts supporters in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties.

Open to organizations for arts activities if they meet all applicable requirements described in the guidelines. 

Cross-Sector Impact Grants

South Arts’ mission is advancing Southern vitality through the arts, and this program addresses a strategic goal to cultivate and strengthen deep, cross-sector partnerships that are artist and community centered. As our communities continue to change, the arts play an incomparable role in addressing many of our communal and individual challenges and strengths. The value of partnership and working together across sectors brings new opportunities, increased effectiveness, and greater depth to our collective work. Through this program, South Arts seeks to provide significant support to projects developed by partners that harness the power of “Arts & …” (these are projects at the intersection of arts and other sectors). This year, we are shifting to a new program model.

Over the next three years, South Arts is committed to one community impact area – Health and Wellness. Eligible projects must focus on the “Arts & Health and Wellness” theme - for example, arts & mental wellness or arts & physical health. Matching grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to support approximately 18 projects. We anticipate funding these 18 projects for three grant cycles and expect applicants to commit to the collaborative work for a three-year duration. Funding will be awarded in three separate fiscal years with streamlined, grant renewal forms submitted for cycles two and three. Matching grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded to continue or advance the project with the same two partners in cycles two and three.  

South Arts’ mission is advancing Southern vitality through the arts. This program addresses two of South Arts’ strategic goals:

• Connect artists and arts professionals in the South to resources that will increase opportunities for success within and outside the region
• Advance impactful arts-based programs that recognize and address trends and evolving needs of a wide range of communities in the South

Project Requirements

SSouth Arts welcomes applications from partnering entities working together on a project that addresses Arts & Health and Wellness through cross-sector partnerships. Projects must utilize the arts as a tool in creative approaches to address and advance a health and wellness issue that is of importance in their community. Projects should also establish or advance relationships across at least two different sectors, one being in the arts. 

Arts disciplines may include, but are not limited to:

• Performing arts, including dance, music, theater, musical theater, opera;
• Literary arts, including fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry;
• Visual arts, including craft, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media;
• Film or media;
• Traditional and folk arts, including music, craft, storytelling, dance; or
• Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary artforms.

Community impact areas may include, but are not limited to:

• Physical (overall well-being and the ability of the body to function properly);
• Mental/Emotional (overall well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life and their emotions);
• Social (overall well-being that stems from connection and community); or
• Occupational (overall physical, mental, and social well-being of workers). 

Matching Requirements

The minimum grant request is $5,000 and the maximum request is $15,000 (subject to funding availability). A match of at least 1:2 is required; meaning for each grant dollar, the grantee must provide $.50 towards the project expenses. For returning grantees, in cycles two and three, the maximum request is $10,000 (subject to funding availability).

Up to half of the match may be comprised of in-kind contributions such as donated materials, donated services, or other contributed non-cash assets or staff time diverted to this project. At least half of the match must be cash. For staff time diverted to this project, up to 10% of the total project expenses, but no more than $5,000 can be included as a cash expense or cash match for staff time. The remaining staff time must be an in-kind contribution. Contracted individuals and services specifically for this project are eligible cash expenses. 

About Cigna

Our Mission

To improve the health and vitality of those we serve.

Our Vision

A better future built on the vitality of every individual and every community.

Improving Veteran Mental Health

Across the United States, veterans face an elevated risk of homelessness relative to the general population. On any given night, an estimated 40,000 veterans go without shelter, and another 1.5 million veterans are considered at-risk of homelessness.1 Research shows that veterans experiencing housing instability are at an increased risk of mental distress disorders.

We seek to collaborate with and support nonprofit organizations that leverage evidence-informed programs and services to help local veterans feel stable where they live and ultimately create positive impact on their mental health. Nonprofit partners must align to at least one of these grant program goals:

• Increase permanent housing available for veterans.
• Improve affordability for housing for veterans through rental or mortgage assistance.
• Enhance the offering of wraparound services for veterans transitioning from shelters.

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis

A community foundation is a philanthropic organization that manages charitable funds with a broad base of donors to benefit a specific geographic area—in our case, West Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, and northern Mississippi.

Founded in 1969, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis brings a half-century of experience and expertise, working with donors, professional advisors, and nonprofits to help strengthen our community through philanthropy. Together, we have built a trusted resource that helps transform the way you give.

Mission

The mission of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis is to strengthen our community through philanthropy. To accomplish this mission, the Community Foundation will:

• Develop and effectively manage charitable funds and endowments, offering the highest levels of service and expertise to individuals, families, and institutional donors and their successors; 
• Actively address the needs of the community by examining community issues, securing and distributing resources, advocating for positive change, and convening meetings and conversations which encourage donors and the community to respond;
• Encourage philanthropy and the growth of charitable resources among individuals, families, businesses, and community institutions.

Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis seeks to address the organizational strength and overall health of nonprofits in the Mid-South by supporting their capacity building efforts through financial grants. Reviewed by a committee of community volunteers, these grants are awarded to established nonprofits for one-time projects that address a part of the organization’s strategic plan to improve the management, governance, and administration of the organization, not direct programmatic improvements. By strengthening the internal capacity of an organization, the Community Foundation believes the programs and services will also be strengthened. Nonprofit Capacity Building grants require the recipient to raise matching funds ($1 for every $1), thereby encouraging the grantee to use our grant to leverage resources from other donors and funders.

Types of Projects Supported

The average Nonprofit Capacity Building grant is around $15,000, and there is approximately $210,000 available this year. Project examples include but are not limited to:

• Evaluation of core programs
• Staff or board training
• Assessment of technology systems or implementation of technology upgrades
• Human resources planning, succession planning, or fundraising planning
• Merger or formal collaboration between organizations

For more specific examples, please see previous Nonprofit Capacity Building grants awarded here.

The Arts Fund for East Tennessee was established in 1986 to serve as a source of funds to support excellence in the arts, expand access to the arts, and connect artists with each other and with East Tennessee communities. 

In 2024, the Arts Fund for East Tennessee will focus its grantmaking on celebrating our region’s richness in artistic expressions and cultural diversity. Grants will be awarded to sustain cultural traditions and to encourage all forms of artistic expression. 

Grants will be awarded for two-year terms in July 2024. The grant term is July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2026.

Amounts will range from $5,000 – $15,000.