Search Through Grants for Emergency Services in Tennessee in the U.S.

Arts & Culture Alliance

The Alliance was created in 2001 through a highly participatory community-driven process. Its predecessor was the Arts Council of Greater Knoxville, formed in 1974.

ADVOCACY: The Alliance operates as a unifying voice representing the arts and culture community to government, businesses, the media, and the general public, all of which benefit from a healthy, thriving arts and culture industry. The Alliance’s advocacy projects also create a channel for artists and cultural organizations to express their unique voices individually. Each year, the Alliance membership makes a positive impression on the Tennessee state legislature when more than 50 member artists and cultural representatives convene for the annual Legislative Arts Day.

SERVICE: The Alliance provides many services and tools to help artists and organizations become more successful, including administrative assistance, planning tools, grant preparation, and access to information services. The Arts & Culture Alliance, in cooperation with the local arts community, proudly presents Penny4Arts, a program developed in 2010 to meet the local arts community’s long-term goal of serving and educating East Tennessee’s children. Penny4Arts provides children an opportunity to attend local arts and culture events/activities at the maximum cost of ONE PENNY when accompanied by an adult.

SUPPORT: The Arts & Culture Alliance is the area’s premier united arts fund, distributing $2,000,000 annually to local artists and arts and culture organizations. There are five components to ACA’s Arts & Heritage Fund: Knox County Tourism Consortium Grants, Bailey Opportunity Grants, General Operating Support Grants, American Rescue Plan Grants, and Arts Build Communities (ABC) Grants.

GRACE Fund

Greater Knoxville’s GRACE Fund was created by the Arts & Culture Alliance as a confidential resource for local arts and culture workers who are facing financial emergencies and are in critical need of assistance to stay in their homes.

About Us

Our Mission

The mission of The Auto Club Group Foundation is to work on behalf of our members and the communities we serve to create lasting solutions, inspire learning and provide funding in the areas of traffic safety, driver education and financial literacy.

Our History

In 1902, nine motor clubs across the country joined together to form the American Automobile Association (AAA) to protect the rights and interests of automobile users and promote better highway and traffic safety. Today, The Auto Club Group Foundation continues to support those interests by investing in traffic safety, driver education and financial literacy initiatives. The Auto Club Group Foundation which is a private Foundation, represents 14 states and 2 U.S territories, and is an integral part of AAA's evolution and success.

How We Work

Our approach to grant funding comes from a very basic principle which is to have an understanding of the goals and objectives of local communities. Our relationships, which have developed from years of community service, allow us to offer support in a more impactful and meaningful way.

The Auto Club Group Foundation, which is a private foundation, is funded by our sponsoring organization, AAA – The Auto Club Group. We award grants to organizations and initiatives that enhance our mission in the areas of Traffic Safety, Driver Education and Financial Literacy throughout our 14 U.S. states and two U.S. territories.

Priority Areas

Traffic Safety

The Auto Club Group Foundation is dedicated to supporting traffic safety programs and initiatives that make our roadways safer for all users. The ACG Foundation strives to be responsive to emerging traffic safety issues by considering grant applications that are forward thinking and address new technology.

Financial Literacy

The Auto Club Group Foundation supports financial literacy programming in grades K – 12, empowering students with the tools they need to make sound financial decisions.

Driver Education 

The Auto Club Group Foundation wants to ensure everyone has access to quality driver education by supporting scholarships and programming needs in underserved communities.

The SkillPointe Foundation: Scholarships for In-Demand Skills

The skills gap prevents American families, industry, and our nation from realizing potential. We started the SkillPointe Foundation to bridge the gap.

We’ve already funded 1,000+ vocational scholarships across 50 states and raised more than $5 million to create big opportunities for workers pursuing high-demand skills and the companies needing to hire them.

Whether you’re a new or current student or looking to upskill, reskill, find a career, or make a career change, you can find a SkillPointe Scholarship to help achieve your goals.

We fund scholarships for career paths in construction, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, public service, and transportation.

​Ford Philanthropy Advanced Manufacturing & Trades SkillPointe Scholarship 

$5,000 Scholarships for High-Demand Skilled Trade & Technical Careers

This program helps students:

• Learn hands-on, technical skills
• Earn industry-recognized credentials
• Start or Grow a career in advanced manufacturing or the skilled trades.

If you are passionate about working with your hands, solving problems and building what's next - this opportunity could be for you!

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.

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission: Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Animal Welfare Grant Program

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee supports organizations that provide care, humane treatment, and resources toward all animals across Middle Tennessee. The Community Foundation encourages grant requests for program/project support.

Funding Goals

• Increase free or low-cost spay/neuter services and educational programming on the effects of pet overpopulation
• Sponsor retention programs that would help keep pets in low-income homes.
• Provide a safe and healthy home for a pet available for adoption
• Promote education and the humane treatment of animals through animal adoptions, injured animal rescue, and the use of animals for therapeutic services for people.

Nonprofits may request grants up to a maximum of $15,000.

About Us

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Turner Family Scholarship Fund

Personal development has long been a core value among Dollar General employees and their children. This is a reflection of the values of the Turner Family, who began the company in 1939 — a company that has grown to more than 17,000 stores spanning 46 states. In 1999, to mark the 60th anniversary of Dollar General’s founding and to honor his four children, Cal Turner Sr. established the Turner Family Scholarship Fund to benefit his extended family, Dollar General’s employees and their children.

About Us

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Ann Buchanan Scholarship Fund

The Patricia Hart Society, the Women’s Initiative of United Way of Williamson County, chose to establish the Ann Buchanan Scholarship Fund because of her history in Williamson County and the community-at-large. Ann has been instrumental in addressing problems and solutions that improve the lives of Williamson Countians. Under her leadership at United Way, health and human services were made available in rural parts of the county, pre-K classrooms were expanded throughout the state and initiatives were put into place to more adequately address the needs of the working poor.

About Us

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Bishop Joseph and Stephaine Walker Scholarship

Bishop Joseph and Stephaine Walker Scholarship Fund benefits African-American students from Middle Tennessee (having lived here no less than one year), with a GPA of no less 2.5, and with a history of community service. Each year, no more than two to five scholarships can go to graduate students pursuing advanced degrees.

About Us

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

B’nai B’rith Maimonides Lodge #46 Scholarship

As the oldest Jewish service organization in Nashville, B’nai B’rith Maimonides Lodge #46 has a long tradition of community service. This includes 38 years of hosting an annual summer camp for visually-impaired children of Middle Tennessee. In commemoration of the camp, B’nai B’rith Maimonides Lodge has established this Fund to provide assistance to students who are legally blind and plan to attend a post-secondary educational program.

About Us

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Brown Center for Autism: Benjamin M. Liske Scholarship Fund

At the tender age of 23 months-old, Benjamin (Ben) MacArthur Liske was diagnosed with “severe autism, probable cognitive deficits, & significant sensory processing disorder” on April 23, 2002. On April 23, 2016, 15 year-old Ben was preparing to graduate (two full years early) from University School of Nashville as a National Merit Scholar Finalist with a multitude of full scholarship offers to pursue his two passions–Mathematics and Music.

The Brown Center for Autism, a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization began here in Nashville on August 4, 2008. The mission of the Brown Center? “To help realize the potential of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders through individualized and collaborative treatment, and parent and community education.” It was no accident that the Brown Center’s mission and model almost identically mirrored the early intervention program developed for Ben by his mother in rural Eastern Kentucky in 2002 out of sheer desperation and a profound lack of financial and therapeutic resources.

From 2008-2017, families from all over of Middle Tennessee, 14 U.S. states, and three foreign countries received comprehensive, wrap-around services through the Brown Center; hundreds of organizations and professionals received extensive training; and thousands of aspiring college students received top-notch internship and fieldwork opportunities—going forward as clinicians to serve thousands more. Today, the model design and research generated through the Brown Center lives on to help inform a statewide standard of care that can one day make comprehensive early intervention for Autism both affordable and maximally effective; helping every young person impacted by Autism realize an opportunity to one day pursue their passions.

In August 2017, the Brown Center Board of Directors unanimously voted to establish a scholarship fund in keeping with the legacy of the Brown Center for Autism, the vision of its Founder (Juli C. Liske), and its ultimate inspiration…Ben Liske.

About Us

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Dr. K. B.(Krish) Deshpande and Vidya K. Deshpande Family Scholarship Fund

The family of Dr. K.B. (Krish) and Vidya (Vimal) K. Deshpande established this Scholarship Fund to honor their commitment to education. This includes the promise of academic excellence, scientific inquiry, and evidence-based educational programs to lift up marginalized communities. Krish Deshpande was named a Fulbright Scholar in 1957, which brought him from India to the United States for a post-doctoral fellowship. Soon after, his wife and children joined him. Following his first few years in US academia, he was recruited by physicist and future Fisk University President James Lawson to become a Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Deshpande spent a career of scholarship and leadership mainly at Fisk from 1965 until his retirement in 2002. Vimal was a compassionate matriarch of the Deshpande family in America and in Nashville’s growing Indian community. She was a dedicated educator, teaching college students in India and the USA and served as a librarian at Fisk. She was an active volunteer in the community, supporting programs to help those living in poverty to transform their lives through education.

Community Solutions Grant

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis believes that the solutions to our most pressing challenges will emerge from communities working together to identify root causes and leverage collective strengths. Knowing that change moves at the speed of trust, we foster brave and authentic spaces for personal, organizational, and societal transformation.

To help support these effort, the Community Initiatives committee announces a new grantmaking program: Community Solutions Grants. Community Solutions Grants will invest in organizations working alongside communities to address complex challenges and create lasting change. By focusing on ground-level, community-driven strategies, this initiative supports innovative approaches to tackling systemic issues and empowering communities to lead the way in shaping their futures.

Community Solutions Grants aim to fund organizations that:

• Are Proximate to the Community: These organizations have established trust and maintain a strong presence within the communities they serve. They possess a deep understanding of the lived experiences of residents and the systemic barriers that contribute to the issues they face.
• Understand Root Causes: Organizations will also demonstrate a commitment to addressing the underlying issues that perpetuate community concerns. They demonstrate a commitment to tackling the underlying issues that drive community concerns, rather than focusing solely on surface-level symptoms.
• Prioritize Trust and Accountability: Building authentic relationships based on mutual respect and shared responsibility is at the heart of this grant. We seek organizations that prioritize creating spaces where all voices are valued, and communities are empowered to lead. 

Community Solutions Grants are intended to be multi-year general operating support. They are intentionally flexible and will address a variety of pressing community issues in future cycles.

Focus - Safe and Resilient Places

Community Solutions Grants will focus on supporting Safe and Resilient Places. Funding will support organizations working to create innovative, tangible, ground-level solutions to address critical challenges related to community safety and well-being. This grant will support organizations that are deeply connected to the communities they serve and actively collaborate with them to design and implement transformative solutions.

Safe and Resilient Places Grants will invest in organizations that:

• Deeply understand systemic barriers that contribute to public safety challenges
• Address the root causes of public safety challenges
• Amplify underrepresented voices in shaping public safety approaches
• Actively partner with impacted residents and communities to co-design innovative models of addressing crime and safety
• Promote long-term strategies that uplift community perspectives on public safety and support sustainable community well-being

Funding

There is approximately $300,000 available for this year.

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. There are two types of RBDG projects, Opportunity grants and Enterprise grants.

• Opportunity type grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.
• Enterprise type grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application.

How may Enterprise type funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports, or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Rural distance learning for job training and advancement for adult students.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

How may Opportunity type funds be used?

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

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.

Tellico Community Foundation

Enriches the Loudon and Monroe County communities by funding programs and projects delivered by area organizations who provide measurable and sustainable results.

Areas of Focus

Applicant organizations will propose innovative projects or programs that focus on enriching Loudon and/or Monroe counties and must address the focus area of childhood development and education.

Funding

Organizations can apply for an amount up to $10,000. Grants will be awarded for one-year terms.

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.

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

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.

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.

Campbell Enhancement Fund

The Campbell Enhancement Fund was established in 1999 through the generous gifts of time, vision, and resources by a group of Campbell County residents committed to strengthening communities and improving the quality of life in Campbell County. Applicant organizations will propose innovative projects or programs which benefit the residents of Campbell County.

Funding

Organizations can apply for an amount up to $3,000. Grants will be awarded for one-year terms.

Economic Development Fund of East Tennessee

The Economic Development Fund of East Tennessee was established at East Tennessee Foundation in 1991 to support charitable and economic programs aimed at fostering regional economic development.  

Grant amounts and term

Grants will be awarded for one-year terms in August 2024. The grant term is August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025.

Amounts will range from $5,000 – $6,500.

CNS Y-12 Community Investment Fund

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS), the contractor at Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN, and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, TX, established funds at East Tennessee Foundation and Amarillo Area Foundation as part of their commitment to the host communities of Amarillo and Oak Ridge, as well as their local counties and regions.

With the leadership of an employee-based CNS Y-12 Investment Advisory Committee, CNS employees have the opportunity to recommend grant support where the need is the greatest and the resources are best allocated. Since 2015, this fund has awarded 205 grants benefiting more than 120 nonprofits in their 20-county service area in East Tennessee.

Grant Amounts and Terms

Organizations can apply for an amount between $2,000 and $15,000. Grants will be awarded for one-year terms in September 2025. The grant term is September 15, 2025 – September 14, 2026.

In 2025, applicant organizations must address one of the following funding priorities:

• Acute Mental Health Support: Grant proposals should demonstrate how programs provide immediate, short-term response to people experiencing a mental health crisis.

• Pre and Postnatal Family Services: Grant proposals should demonstrate how programs provide access to healthcare, educational services, or other resources pre and/or post delivery for individuals and families.
• Early Learning and Academic Support: Grant proposals should explain how programs support the development of cognitive, reading, writing, and numeric skills to children and youth.

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. 

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

Mission: Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Community Impact Grants

Community Impact Grants focus on three strategic priority areas that are essential for Middle Tennesseans to thrive and have a greater sense of belonging.

ARTS & CREATIVE CULTURE

We envision a Middle Tennessee where all artists and art lovers thrive, belong, and inspire. Therefore, our Arts and Creative Culture Grants will invest in and partner with nonprofit organizations committed to ensuring greater cultural participation and equitable access to artistic experiences.

CHILD/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION

We envision a Middle Tennessee where children and youth can thrive, belong, and reach their full potential. Therefore, our Child/Youth Development and Education Grants will support nonprofit organizations or networks that implement holistic approaches to address the diverse needs of young people’s overall growth, success, and lifelong resilience – inside and outside of school.

POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH

We envision a Middle Tennessee where all residents thrive, belong, and experience positive mental health and well-being. Our Positive Mental Health Grants will support nonprofit organizations that provide mental and behavioral health services for vulnerable populations, especially children and youth, seniors, disabled/differently-abled communities, and caregivers.

Grant Request

Community Impact Grants are classified as unrestricted operating support. Funds can be used at the discretion of the organization to cover any costs necessary to carry out its core missional work within one of CFMT’s focus areas. Applicants may only apply to ONE focus area. Please choose the focus area that best describes your organization’s mission-aligned work. Grant awards are for a one-year term and requests must stay within our guidelines based upon the total size of the organization’s operating budget

The John D. Grubb and Louise G. Sumner Fund for Monroe County

An Affiliate Fund of East Tennessee Foundation

The John D. Grubb and Louise G. Sumner Fund for Monroe County (Fund for Monroe County) was established through a generous gift by Monroe County natives, John and his sister, Louise. Louise and John’s desire to help secure advanced educational opportunities for students and leave a philanthropic legacy dedicated to improving the lives of residents of Monroe County became a reality in 1998 with the establishment of a permanent charitable endowment for Monroe County. The Fund was created to benefit the economic, social, cultural and educational well-being of Monroe County residents and their communities. Grants from the Fund are intended to encourage creative use of area resources and contribute to the quality of life of Monroe County residents.

Grant Amounts and Term

Grants will be awarded for two-year terms starting in September 2024. The grant term is September 15, 2024 – September 15, 2026. Amounts will range from $5,000 – $7,500.

Our Mission

The Women’s Fund is a catalyst to transform the lives of low-income women and girls in East Tennessee.

Self-Sustainability Granting

At the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee, our grantmaking is driven by a commitment to long-term impact. Through our Self-Sustainability Grant, we provide one-time grants to vetted agencies whose programs directly support women and their families in building independent, resilient futures. These grants are designed to address urgent needs or emerging opportunities that align with our mission and values—helping organizations enhance their services and expand their reach.

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.

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.

Youth Endowment Fund

Supports creative solutions to problems that youth face in ETF’s 25-county service area.

Areas of Focus

Projects must specifically support youth in our 25-county service area and address one or more of the following focus areas:

• Early childhood education
• Drivers of health
• Prevention and/or mitigation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Funding

Organizations can apply for an amount up to $20,000. Grants will be awarded for two-year terms.

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.

Washington County Community Foundation

Provides support for innovative programs that benefit Washington County and its people.

Areas of Focus

The Washington County Community Foundation (previously the Harris Fund for Washington County) was endowed by Ms. Eva Stanley Harris, a Washington County native, in memory of the Harris Family of Johnson City to honor their spirit of philanthropy and legacy of community service. The Washington County Community Foundation encourages creative use of area resources and promotes the improvement of the quality of life of Washington County residents.

Washington County Community Foundation seeks to support projects that promote life literacy. Life literacy skills are those that support the economic, cultural, social, and educational well-being of Washington County’s children, youth, and adults. What follows are examples, but not a comprehensive listing, of life-literacy focused projects:

• Access to knowledge of nutritious foods and access to those foods
• Pathways to healthy habits and access to healthcare (preventative)
• Programming which provides stimulating and explorative environments from birth to age 5
• Opportunities to develop reading and literacy skills for education and enjoyment
• Information to successfully manage and operate one’s household
• Tools for sound financial decision-making: budgeting, financial planning, and choices for success
• Skills to develop independence and self-sufficiency
• Activities which encourage citizenship, volunteerism, and leadership to create a sense of belonging

Funding

Grants were last awarded for two-year terms and ranged up to $50,000.