Grant Opportunity Fund (GO Fund)

The Grant Opportunity Fund (GO Fund), administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), is a strategic funding initiative established to assist economically distressed and at-risk rural counties in Tennessee. Created through an appropriation by the Tennessee General Assembly in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, the GO Fund is designed to provide matching funds that enable local governments in eligible counties to access larger federal or state grant programs. These larger programs often require a significant local match, which many small and economically vulnerable communities are unable to meet due to limited financial resources. By providing this crucial financial bridge, the GO Fund aims to remove a persistent barrier and increase access to transformative funding opportunities. The primary purpose of the GO Fund is to act as a secondary source of capital that helps communities meet local match requirements necessary to unlock funding from major grant sources such as the United States Economic Development Agency (EDA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and various Tennessee state departments including Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Transportation (TDOT), and Health (TDH), among others. Eligible applicants must be located in counties classified as distressed or at-risk based on Tennessee's economic classification from the most recent fiscal year. These include counties such as Bledsoe, Clay, Cocke, and Perry (distressed), and Benton, Campbell, Fentress, and McNairy (at-risk). To qualify for funding, applicants must also be seeking more than $350,000 in total funding and must require at least $100,000 in matching funds from the state. The grant application process involves an initial submission to TNECD prior to applying for the primary grant. If deemed eligible, TNECD will issue a conditional letter of support, confirming that matching funds will be available should the primary grant be awarded. This letter can be used by the applicant to demonstrate the availability of matching funds when submitting their application to the federal or state granting agency. If the primary grant is awarded, TNECD proceeds with the official GO Fund award and begins the contracting phase. This process ensures that the match commitment is only made once the primary grant has been secured, maximizing the strategic deployment of limited match resources. The GO Fund application requires detailed project information, including an overview and objectives, a step-by-step task breakdown, deliverables, and anticipated economic impacts. Applicants must also submit a project timeline with specific milestones and a complete package of supporting documents, such as the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the primary grant, a Letter of Intent (LOI), and all draft application materials. These must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the deadline for the primary grant application. Submissions that lack required documentation will not be reviewed. In addition to financial support, TNECD also offers non-funding-related assistance in the form of general letters of support for grant applications. While these letters do not include funding commitments, they may provide in-kind or other supportive language that can bolster a community's application. Requests for such letters should be submitted to Rachel Powers, while general inquiries about the GO Fund should be directed to Brooxie Carlton at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Through the GO Fund, Tennessee aims to strengthen the capacity of its most vulnerable communities by enabling them to access and leverage larger-scale funding opportunities that support infrastructure, community development, and other critical local initiatives. This initiative serves not only as a fiscal support mechanism but also as a strategic lever for long-term economic resilience in rural Tennessee.