Best Grants for Mentoring Programs in Tennessee

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charities serving adults with workforce development, small business support, or mentoring-related programs in Tennessee and other eligible states can apply for Truist Foundation grants of more than US $15,000. Truist Foundation provides U.S.-based nonprofits with funding to build career pathways to economic mobility and strengthen racially diverse and women-owned small businesses.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) and 509(a) organizations offering tutoring, mentoring, and academic enrichment can receive US $2,000 - US $10,000 to support education, human services, and related programs. McGraw Foundation provides U.S. organizations, including those in Tennessee, with single-year grants for general operating support, specific projects, and occasionally capital needs.

Youth-focused 501(c)(3) nonprofits in middle Tennessee can seek program funding for children’s critical needs, health, education, and mentoring. Focused on child welfare, Speedway Children's Charities prioritizes organizations serving homeless, orphaned and foster youth, and victims of sex trafficking, including tutoring, literacy, after-school, and mentoring-style programs across eligible Tennessee counties.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, schools, and government programs in Tennessee that provide ongoing academic or life-skills mentoring for low-income youth can receive Ross gift cards to buy school or professional clothing. Grants from Ross Stores Foundation help tutoring, STEM, financial literacy, and career readiness programs serving youth ages 3–24 within 25 miles of a Ross or dd’s DISCOUNTS store; awards US $300 - US $500.

Undergraduate students and recent college graduates in Tennessee interested in public health and healthcare careers can access a full-time, 10‑week summer internship that provides real-world experience, mentoring, and networking. Focused on diverse, underrepresented, and first-generation students, John Muir Health’s Health Career Connection Internship may benefit mentoring-focused education and youth programs.

High school, undergraduate, and medical students in Tennessee interested in healthcare mentoring can participate in a year-long near-peer mentorship program focused on family medicine. John Muir Health provides virtual mentoring and leadership opportunities from high school through residency, which may benefit mentoring-focused initiatives and partner organizations supporting diverse, under-represented students exploring medical careers.

Emerging film composers scoring independently financed feature-length films can receive approximately US $20,000 to cover score-related costs such as composer fees, musicians, equipment, and studio expenses. Focused on supporting music for film, New Music USA’s Reel Change Film Fund also offers mentorship; Tennessee-based mentoring programs for developing composers may be eligible if they meet these criteria.

Tennessee students interested in mentoring-rich legal and higher education experiences can access funding and a paid fellowship through the Josh Dubin Fellowship. Current Shawn Carter Foundation scholars receive a seven-week professional development program with legal research, case analysis, mentoring, site visits, and additional scholarship support, which may benefit youth-focused tutoring and mentoring initiatives.

Individuals with bachelor’s or master’s degrees pursuing AI or computer science research careers can access a predoctoral mentoring and research program that may benefit Tennessee tutoring and mentoring initiatives. Grants from Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence help early-career researchers gain intensive mentorship, collaborate on cutting-edge AI projects, and strengthen their preparation for top PhD programs.

High school seniors pursuing business or engineering with strong academics and financial need can receive renewable scholarship support and one-on-one mentorship through the Jacob A. Bradley Memorial Scholarship. Bradley Family Foundation provides U.S. students, including those from Tennessee mentoring programs, with funding for four-year college degrees and structured mentor relationships connecting school to the workplace.

Undergraduate, master’s, and medical students interested in pediatric oncology research can receive up to US $5,000 for a mentored summer research internship, including opportunities in Tennessee. With a mission to change the lives of children with cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation provides hands-on training that may appeal to mentoring-focused programs and institutions.

High school seniors in the City of Milwaukee seeking undergraduate education and mentoring support can receive US $3,000 - US $5,000 scholarships that include ongoing guidance and college navigation help. With a mission to support higher education, Rotary Club Of Milwaukee Community Tr provides students with financial aid and structured mentoring that may benefit those involved in tutoring and mentoring initiatives.

Tennessee mentoring and tutoring innovators can access funding through the Bergel Institute’s FE3 Fellowship to spend a year designing a professional, credentialed mentoring industry in the U.S. Individuals of any age, including graduate students, receive structured support to research and develop training, certification, and licensing frameworks that improve outcomes for children in high-poverty communities.

Early-career live entertainment production managers in Tennessee can apply for the Carolyn A. Satter Production Management Mentorship Program, receiving US $2,000 plus conference mentorship and management experience. This United Institute for Theatre Technology opportunity supports U.S.-based professionals seeking intensive, mentored production management practice at the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

Faculty developing or expanding undergraduate mentoring, reading groups, or discussion-based programs in Tennessee can apply for the Institute for Humane Studies’ Free Society Grants to support liberal tradition–grounded programming. Eligible projects include mentorship programs, structured reading series, colloquia, student research workshops, and symposia that deepen engagement with political, economic, and civic questions; adjunct and visiting faculty may be considered.

First-generation master’s and doctoral students in exercise physiology, sports science, kinesiology, or sports nutrition at U.S. schools can receive US $4,000 - US $6,000 for research plus one-on-one mentorship. With a mission to advance health and human performance, American College of Sports Medicine Foundation provides Tennessee graduate students with funding, yearlong GSSI scientist mentoring, and ACSM Annual Meeting registration.

Students ages 17–26 pursuing higher education and interested in mentoring support can access scholarship-based assistance through the Pizza Hut Foundation’s mentorship program, open nationwide including Tennessee. The program combines financial support for accredited undergraduate, vocational, or trade studies with a required 14-week mentorship and ongoing monthly connections with Pizza Hut and vendor leaders.

$20K for changemakers with transformative ideas & firsthand insight in early childhood

About the Imagine Award

The Imagine Award by the Promise Fund offers $20,000 in flexible funding (see definition in FAQs) and a six-month cohort-based learning experience for community-rooted early childhood leaders with ideas for transformative impact. ​​Award recipients are at the idea stage and will launch a pilot within six months, testing their solutions with real users, gathering feedback, and refining their approach.

Imagine Award recipients will learn strategies for designing and executing lightweight tests for rapid learning while gaining clarity on their idea's direction using impact and business models. They will craft a compelling story about their work to build future partnerships and run a focused pilot with strong feedback loops for gathering data, all while growing alongside a supportive peer community.

What We Provide

Our grant dollars are flexible and meant to be used at award recipients’ discretion for the pursuit of tests or a pilot of a transformative idea. Read the FAQ for more information.

Direct, one-on-one support from our team to help you learn, get tailored help, and make relevant connections.

Multi-day gathering for peer connection, learning, and pilot design.

Access to a bench of mentors to guide you as you transition out of the program and navigate next steps with your pilot.

Light, tailored coaching to support pilot preparation, launch, and implementation.

Ongoing peer community and resources to continue learning and collaboration

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) offers research training programs aimed at advancing education research through two key initiatives: the Early Career Development and Mentoring Program and the Methods Training Program. These programs support emerging researchers in developing their skills and enhancing their research capabilities to address vital education issues. The funding is designed for early career investigators and current education researchers, fostering rigorous and relevant research that informs education policy and practice.

Chicken & Egg Pictures Inc

Chicken & Egg Films was founded in 2005 by documentary film industry veterans Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, and Judith Helfand. As filmmakers, teachers, funders, and impact producers, they were inspired to utilize their collective expertise to uplift the power of fellow women storytellers. Chicken & Egg was thus created to help address financial and creative challenges uniquely faced by women in the field–a model that married funding with mentorship to create not just an organization, but a growing community. 

Chicken & Egg Films shapes a more equitable and just world with the catalytic power of documentary films by providing funding, mentorship and industry access to a global community of women and gender-expansive filmmakers. 

Chicken & Egg Award

The Chicken & Egg Award recognizes women and gender-expansive filmmakers at advanced stages in their careers who are poised to reach new heights in their creative and impact trajectories across the world.

Despite progress by talented women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers across the globe, there are often still numerous roadblocks that stand in the way of a true industry breakthrough. These barriers are often tied to gender, race, class, disability, and geography. Only a few women and gender-expansive nonfiction directors in the United States and abroad are able to work full time as independent storytellers, and few are folks of color, from working-class backgrounds, or from under-represented countries. 

There are, however, a growing number who are getting close. Each has made several films, and each is an influential leader for the issues they explore on screen. With this Award, Chicken & Egg Films is making a bold investment in these creatives and a statement about gender equity. A greater diversity of voices participating in storytelling drives change. We believe this effort is inextricably connected to elevating critical social justice, environmental, and human rights issues. 

The Chicken & Egg Award consists of a $75,000 USD cash award and a year-long mentorship program. Of the total, $50,000 is unrestricted, allowing filmmakers to decide how to use the funding to support their creative and business practices. The additional $25,000 is a grant for the project(s) the filmmaker will work on during their program year. Our in-depth mentorship program is focused on strengthening Awardees’ professional infrastructure, increasing their visibility, and fulfilling their personal and creative goals.

The Established Clinician Investigator Award to Support Mentoring (KS1) is designed to provide established clinician investigators with dedicated time for mentoring early-career clinician research scientists. This initiative by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services: National Institutes of Health (NIH) aims to enhance the quality of mentorship, fostering the development of future leaders in clinical research. It supports a sustained commitment to training and guidance, ensuring a robust pipeline of skilled professionals.

The Mentored Career Transition Award (KT1/R00) offers a biphasic funding opportunity for up to 5 years, supporting the transition of postdoctoral researchers to independent faculty positions. The first phase provides 1-2 years of mentored career development, while the second phase grants up to 3 years of independent research support, contingent upon satisfactory progress and faculty appointment. This grant aims to enhance the capacity of early-career researchers in achieving research-intensive roles.

The Mentored Clinician Research Scientist Career Development Award (KC1) from the NIH supports clinician research scientists for up to five years, providing dedicated time for intensive research career development. This award aims to guide candidates with clinical doctoral degrees towards achieving research independence by pairing them with experienced mentors who can help navigate their career paths.

The Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (KR1) offers crucial support for researchers aiming for independence. Funded by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services through the NIH, this award allows candidates to engage in intensive research training under a mentor's guidance for up to five years. It is designed for those with research doctoral degrees, facilitating their transition into independent research roles and enhancing their contributions to the scientific community.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships

A fellowship for experienced journalists with a focus on international health.

In comparing the U.S. health care system to its global counterparts, journalists traveling to different countries as part of the AHCJ International Fellowship program can produce projects that provide valuable insights that can help inform policy decisions, improve health care outcomes and contribute to the ongoing evolution of health care systems worldwide.

Through the AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a story or project comparing a facet of the U.S. health care system to that of another country. 

For 2027, the focus will be on the U.K. and France in comparison with the U.S. health care system. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.

This fellowship allows highly experienced journalists to maintain their regular employment while working to evaluate a key component of the health care system, a health outcome, access, performance, providers, efficiency or other focal point over a six-month period.

That period allows for preparatory time, a site visit to the chosen European country, interviews and information gathering, as well as follow-up and writing time. Guidance is provided through seminars, conference calls and consultations with AHCJ fellowship leaders, a mentor and exposure to various topic experts.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

AHCJ U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship

This opportunity is for U.S.-based journalists.

Issues with the U.S. health care system are often obvious — from large swaths of uninsured residents and junk insurance plans, to high maternal mortality rates and preventable medical errors. But what is at the root of issues like these? What could an equitable health care system look like? 

Through the U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a significant reporting project related to the U.S. health care system at the local, regional and/or national level.

This fellowship allows mid-career journalists to maintain their regular employment while working on a major project over a 12-month calendar year. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.

We believe that issues of health equity impact every facet of the health care system, which is why we’re specifically interested in projects focused on health equity. This might include racial disparities within a community, gaps in public health inclusion, unstable housing, insurance access, food insecurity, violence as a health issue, how health care institutions or systems are applying a racial equity lens to their policies and practices or otherwise addressing inequities or disparities, or other examinations of systemic problems that have become so apparent over the last few years.

Guidance is provided by AHCJ mentors through customized seminars on health care systems, conference calls and email consultations. The fellowship covers the cost of attending the seminars and the annual AHCJ conference, as well as a $2,500 project allowance to defray the cost of field reporting, health data analysis and other project-related research. In addition, you will receive a $5,000 fellowship award upon the successful completion of the project.

The Retina Society, Inc.

The Retina Society was founded in 1968 exclusively for educational and scientific purposes concerning the diagnosis, care and treatment of diseases and injuries to the retina. The Retina Society began as an outgrowth of alumni meetings of Retina Associates, a retina practice founded in Boston in 1951 by Charles L. Schepens. Dr. Schepens is credited with establishing retina surgery as a sub-specialty.  

Our mission is to reduce worldwide visual disability and blindness by promoting the education and professional interaction of vitreoretinal specialists, providing optimal care for patients with vitreoretinal diseases, and encouraging, through clinical and basic research, the discovery and development of new means to further patient care.

Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program

The Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program was created to engage and interest ophthalmology residents from underrepresented populations* in research and in pursuing careers in the retina subspecialty through dedicated mentoring exposure. The program will pair ophthalmology residents from underrepresented backgrounds with Retina Society mentors, with the goal of providing the residents with research and career mentorship.

*The American Association of Medical Colleges definition of underrepresented in medicine is: "Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population." We define the following groups as underrepresented: Black (African American or African), Latino/Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. We will also be considering applicants from LGBTQIA+ and socioeconomically underprivileged backgrounds.

Mentors will work with their designated mentees on research projects that will be presented at the Retina Society Annual Meeting in 2027 and submitted for publication consideration. Mentors and mentees will be acknowledged at the Retina Society Annual Meeting.