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Tennessee

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Current Funding Opportunities:

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga
The Frist Foundation
HCA Healthcare Foundation
The Assisi Foundation of Memphis
East Tennessee Foundation
International Paper Foundation
The Memorial Foundation
Joe C Davis Foundation
Hyde Family Foundation

Government Offices:

Governor Bill Lee – (615) 741-2001, Nashville

Senator Bill Hagerty – (202) 224-4944, Washington, DC

Senator Marsha Blackburn – (202) 224-3344, Washington, DC

Attorney General – (615) 741-3491, Nashville

A Guidebook for Tennessee Nonprofits

Tennessee Elected Officials

Tennessee Arts Commission

Other Resources:

Momentum Nonprofit Partners – Get help with the challenges and opportunities that are unique to you and your organization. We offer an extensive selection of trainings and networking, aimed at sharing knowledge, building leadership skills and providing tools and techniques that help you respond effectively to the needs of the community and the demand for accountability.

Southeastern Council of Foundations – The Southeastern Council of Foundations is a membership association of more than 360 grantmakers working together to strengthen, promote and increase philanthropy in 11 Southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia). SECF itself does not make grants.

TN Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance Corporation – THEC is responsible for outreach to institutions via both state and federal grant programs, including: TN Reconnect Community Grant CompetitionAdvise TNDrive to 55 Project Capacity Fund GrantInstitutional Outcome Improvement Fund Grant CompetitionTN Promise Forward; and Veteran Reconnect Grant.

Association of Fundraising Professionals Nashville Chapter 

Association of Fundraising Professionals Memphis Chapter  

Association of Fundraising Professionals Southeastern Tennessee Chapter – Chattanooga and surrounding areas

Association of Fundraising Professionals Great Smoky Mountain Chapter – Knoxville

Center for Nonprofit Management – Based in Nashville and serving the entire state, our mission is to amplify the impact of nonprofits and their partners in order to achieve a connected community equipped to realize our greatest opportunities. CNM builds nonprofit capacity through consulting serviceseducational workshops and trainingscollective impact programmingnetworking opportunitiesspecial eventsresources and other member benefits., and more. 

SCORE – (National website) is a uniquely American organization that synthesizes two historic national ideas: entrepreneurial spirit and volunteerism.  We are passionate about using our knowledge and expertise to assist and support local business owners, entrepreneurs and nonprofits during every phase of business. Listed below are the local SCORE organizations in Tennessee:

SCORE – Chattanooga Main Office

SCORE – Chattanooga Winchester Office 

SCORE – Greater Knoxville 

SCORE – Memphis  

SCORE – Nashville 

Venture Forward – Based in Chattanooga, VF strengthens nonprofits and our community by sharing information, providing training and professional development and encouraging collaboration. We serve nonprofit staff, volunteers and boards, seeking to engage with the sector. We understand the need for nonprofits to optimize time and resources.  We provide services that are the right fit for our nonprofit community.

Community Foundations:

Appalachian Community Fund – ACF was founded in 1987 to bring new resources for grant funding to groups working for progressive social change in Central Appalachia, including East Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and West Virginia, and to be a sustainable resource base for community organizing and social change work in this region. Since our inception, we have awarded over $6.5 Million to more than 300 organizations working to help low-income people organize themselves to address systemic problems of poverty, racism, and social inequity in their own communities and neighborhoods.

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis – Based in Memphis, we award discretionary grants only in our service area: West Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, and northern Mississippi. Nonprofit Capacity Building grants are awarded to established nonprofit organizations that are working to become more effective by improving operations and increasing efficiency. The application process opens in July, with awards announced in December. GiVE 365 grants are awarded to nonprofit groups whose projects fit an annual theme. Grants are decided by the GiVE 365 membership — dollar-a-day philanthropists — who choose the yearly theme and research all applicants. The application process opens in December, with awards announced in May. Collierville Community Fund grants are awarded to organizations serving Collierville, Tenn. Grants are decided by its Board of Advisors, a group of Collierville community leaders. The application process opens in April, with awards announced in August.

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee – Based in Nashville, CFMT has served as a leader in philanthropy for more than 25 years, bringing good people and good causes together in 43 counties in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky. The Foundation’s grant making includes more than $796 million to community programs and institutions over its 25-year history.

Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga – Through innovative and effective grant making, we support a vision of a community where all our neighbors have access to the resources they need to reach their fullest potential. We believe investment in such caring and inclusive communities will result in greater economic mobility and shared opportunities for all across Hamilton County.

East Tennessee Foundation – EFT is comprised of 461 philanthropic funds and 9 supporting organizations with over $448 million in assets as of year-end 2018. We have awarded 115 new educational scholarships in 2018 totaling $811,615, and over $59 million that same year to nearly 1,200 of nonprofit organizations in East Tennessee and across the country.

The Generosity Trust – Based in Chattanooga, TGT is all about Empowering Christian Generosity.  Our primary purpose is to provide donor-advised funds for believers – all across the country – to assist them in honoring the Lord with what He has entrusted to them.  As a smaller “boutique” firm, we’re nimble enough to provide customized care to our donors, and large enough to handle just about anything that comes our way, including charitable grantmaking, distributing scholarship funds, and providing services to simplify charitable giving for generous Christians.

United Ways:

United Way of Anderson County – UWAC is working to create positive change in our community. We fund 33 local agencies and programs in Youth Development, Self-Sufficiency, and Health & Human Services – three areas that encompass the unique and critical needs in Anderson County.

United Way of Blount County – We support organizations that help Blount County’s most vulnerable residents through programs that create a healthy, well-educated and self-sufficient community. We surround Blount County’s most critical problems, and we Fight the Good Fight. We have one life. To live better, we must Live United.

United Way of Bristol – UWB is committed to ensuring that our financial and human resources are invested to have the greatest impact on the lives of people in the Bristol area.  We invest in direct services through programs along with more targeted collaborative grants to help build bridges between people in need in our community and the programs and initiatives that can help them.

United Way of Greater Chattanooga – UWGC builds stronger communities in Greater Chattanooga by increasing access to better education, health and stability.

United Way of Greene County – UW of Greene County brings people together to build a community that values our collective responsibility to care for one another.

United Way of Hawkins County – UW of Hawkins County is an organization that helps provide assistance to agencies in our community which provide health, character-building, family resources and other essential programs in the Hawkins County area.

United Way of Humphreys County – UW of Humphreys County has been working for over 20 years to improve the quality of life for our residents here in Humphreys County. Along with workplace campaigns and our annual radio auction, we also support the TN Scholars program and work our local “Stuff the Bus” initiative each year. We are expanding our community impact through new programs and partnerships daily. 

United Way of Greater Kingsport – UW of Greater Kingsport fights to improve 1,400 lives every day by tackling early grade literacy, breaking the cycle of poverty, confronting access to effective health care, supporting the needs of our senior citizens, and battling the opioid addiction in our region. UWGK supports thirty-one member agencies and forty-three programs working in areas of Education, Income, Health, and Seniors, because these are the building blocks for a good quality of life.

United Way of Greater Knoxville – UW of Greater Knoxville fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in Knox County by supporting 115 programs through 54 partner agencies. Each year we help over 173,800 individuals, which is almost enough to fill Neyland Stadium twice!

United Way of McMinn & Meigs Counties – UWMMC’s Let’s Read 20 Bus travels throughout our community with free books for children.  It can be found at numerous events in the community and is dedicated to building a community of readers.

United Way of Metropolitan Nashville – UWMN fights for a community in which every person—no matter their background, their circumstances or their zip code—has an equal chance at a bright future. We do this by uniting the community and mobilizing resources so that every child, individual and family thrives. Together, we are fighting to break the cycle of poverty; to give kids an equal chance to learn and succeed; to meet our neighbors’ basic needs; and to build strong, healthy communities. 

United Way of the Ocoee Region – UWOR fights to break the cycles of poverty. By identifying needs and bringing stakeholders together to address the crisis and chronic issues our community faces, we find solutions to poverty related issues in education, health, and stability to positively impact our community and surrounding area.

United Way of Rhea County – UW Rhea County actively focuses on ensuring that every person within Rhea County is supported as they seek to better themselves and their lives. We currently support 16 agencies that provide life-enhancing projects in Rhea County in the areas of childhood and adult education, domestic violence, and helping individuals achieve financial stability. 

United Way of Roane County – UW Roane County helps identify issues in our community and leads the way in finding solutions. We collaborate with stakeholders in the community to enhance the quality of life through opportunities in education, health, and self- sufficiency. We also led the formation of a Dental Task Force that has resulted in a collaboration among private dental practices, local organizations, educational institutions, and the faith based community to provide affordable dental care to adults in Roane and Loudon Counties.

United Way of Sumner County – Since 1977, UWSC has been mobilizing the caring spirit of our community to create a positive impact on the lives of others. Working with individuals, businesses, and partner organizations, we work every day to improve the education, health, and financial stability of every person in Sumner County.

United Way of Washington County – UW Washington County fights for the Health, Education, and Financial Stability of every person in our community. We support 21 non-profit agencies and 32 agency programs that impact more than 50% of the residents in Washington County. We also provide direct programs such as Vello, a virtual volunteer reading program for 1st – 4th graders, and the NFL Character Playbook, a social and emotional character building program for middle school children. Our mission is to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities together to focus on the most important human needs – building partnerships, forging consensus and leveraging resources to make a measurable difference.  

United Way of Williamson County – UW Williamson County is committed to creating real change and measurable improvements in people’s lives. We work to make our community a place where every child is successful in school, families can be self-sufficient, and individuals have good health. 

United Way of Wilson County and the Upper Cumberland – UWWC & UC helps people over our entire 13-county service area with issues such as hunger, senior care and involvement, homelessness and early education.

Top Foundations:

FOUNDATION NAME TOTAL ANNUAL GIVING 
Community Foundation of Greater Memphis$164,347,444 
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Inc.$47,162,075 
The Poplar Foundation$27,071,511 
The Maclellan Foundation, Inc.$22,536,643 
The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Inc.$18,161,326 
The Generosity Trust$17,348,639 
Dollar General Literacy Foundation$14,894,310 
The Frist Foundation$14,659,319 
The Day Foundation$14,026,742 
Plough Foundation$13,408,100 
The HCA Foundation$12,181,573 
The Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Inc.$10,499,982 
East Tennessee Foundation$9,645,445 
J.R. Hyde, Sr. Family Foundation$8,807,066 
Benwood Foundation, Inc.$6,466,937 
Joe C. Davis Foundation$6,400,000 
First Horizon Foundation$6,226,900 
The Memorial Foundation$5,664,650 
International Paper Company Foundation$4,810,358 
Lyndhurst Foundation$4,807,438 
The Haslam Family Foundation, Inc.$4,712,030 
The Tucker Foundation$4,513,679 
Christy-Houston Foundation, Inc.$3,849,167 
Andrea Waitt Carlton Family Foundation$2,837,500 
Eastman Foundation$2,474,783 
The Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund$2,473,358 
Nashville Predators Foundation$1,583,433 
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Foundation$1,090,548 
Lucille S. Thompson Family Foundation$1,084,984 
Weldon F. Osborne Foundation, Inc.$992,714 
Thomas W. Briggs Foundation, Inc.$757,088 
Memphis Grizzlies Foundation$745,961 
Nissan Foundation$730,000 
Washington Foundation$700,000 
Tennessee Titans Foundation$695,041 
Ezell Foundation, Inc.$675,800 
PEDIGREE Foundation$626,978 
Louie M. and Betty M. Phillips Foundation$484,420 
The William B. Stokely Jr. Foundation$443,170 
The Goldsmith Family Foundation, Inc.$415,900

Community Foundations:

FOUNDATION NAME GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS 
Appalachian Community FundAppalachian counties in KY; TN; VA; WV 
Community Foundation of Greater MemphisEastern AR; Northern MS; Western TN 
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Inc.Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Cumberland, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, White, Williamson, and Wilson counties, Tennessee 
East Tennessee FoundationAnderson, Blount, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicol, Union, Washington counties, TN 
The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Inc.Chattanooga, TN; Hamilton County, TN 
The Generosity TrustChattanooga, TN area