Tennessee grants for Private institutions of higher education

This funding opportunity provides financial support to community organizations and local governments working to address environmental justice issues and improve public health in underserved communities across the U.S.

This initiative provides funding to support large-scale economic development projects across the Appalachian region, focusing on workforce development, business growth, infrastructure improvements, and community capacity building.

This funding initiative provides financial support to community-based organizations, local and tribal governments in eight southeastern states to address environmental justice issues and promote healthier environments.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and local governments in rural Southern communities for engaging professional artists in various artistic disciplines.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to state and local governments, tribal organizations, and nonprofits for projects aimed at managing and controlling invasive and noxious plant species on public lands across the U.S.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to universities in specific states and territories to enhance their research capabilities in science and engineering, aligning with the needs of the Department of Defense.

Federally funded program to enhance competitiveness of specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, grapes, horticultural, etc. The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Projects must show a benefit to the specialty crop industry. This program is not designed for start-ups or projects that only benefit one operation. Universities, institutions, cooperatives, producers, industry, or community-based organizations may submit a proposal for funding. A review committee will select projects to be included in Tennessee’s state plan. This is a competitive program. Projects must directly impact multiple Tennessee producers. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture seeks to identify and support projects that are forward thinking with a positive, long-lasting impact on Tennessee Agriculture.

This program provides financial support to exceptional professional artists in Tennessee across various disciplines, enabling them to further their creative work and enhance the state's cultural landscape.

The Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant program, administered by the Tennessee Arts Commission, aims to bolster arts projects that expand access to artistic experiences, leverage the arts to address community quality of life issues, and foster the sustained growth of asset-based cultural enterprises. This program aligns with a mission to enrich communities through the arts, promoting their role in social well-being and economic development. The grant supports diverse initiatives, from innovative new arts experiences to programs that strengthen social networks through community engagement. The program targets a wide array of beneficiaries, including community residents, experienced and emerging artists and arts administrators, and underserved constituencies. The latter group specifically includes at-risk youth, economically disadvantaged individuals, people in rural or isolated settings, people with disabilities, people of color, and senior citizens. The impact goals are centered on positive community change, such as strengthening social networks, enhancing community identity and economic development through cultural arts, and building entrepreneurial skills for artists and administrators. The ABC grant program prioritizes activities that directly involve and promote Tennessee artists, support touring projects that bring professional performers statewide, and improve program accessibility for various underserved groups. Other focuses include public performances, productions, exhibitions, festival coordination, and training that enhances creative workforce skills. The program's philosophy supports a broad range of activities and expenditures, from administrative support and research to art in public places and literary projects. Expected outcomes include increased access to arts experiences, measurable improvements in community quality of life through artistic interventions, and enhanced sustainability of cultural organizations and artists. The program's strategic approach involves funding projects that demonstrate a clear potential to affect positive change, strengthen community ties, and contribute to local identity and economic vitality. The theory of change posits that by supporting diverse arts initiatives and making them accessible, communities will experience enhanced social cohesion, cultural richness, and economic resilience, ultimately leading to a higher quality of life for residents across Tennessee.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is inviting proposals for its Cumberland Plateau Stewardship Fund, aiming to restore and enhance critical forest, grassland, and freshwater habitats within the Cumberland Plateau region. This initiative aligns with NFWF's broader mission to sustain, restore, and enhance the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. The program's core strategy involves increasing the voluntary adoption of conservation practices on working agricultural lands, which contributes to NFWF’s strategic priority of supporting wildlife and improving ecological health through sustainable land management. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are the diverse habitats and species within the Cumberland Plateau, as well as landowners and communities in the region who will adopt conservation practices. The impact goals are multifaceted, seeking to improve soil health, water quantity and quality, and carbon sequestration. Ultimately, the program aims to foster resilient ecosystems that support both wildlife and sustainable human activities. The foundation's theory of change is predicated on the idea that by providing financial and technical assistance, they can incentivize conservation practices that lead to measurable environmental improvements and long-term ecological benefits. The program's priorities and focuses are clearly outlined through its program strategies. These include restoring previously mined lands, increasing the adoption of conservation practices on grazing and croplands, establishing, enhancing, and maintaining forest habitats, and restoring instream habitats to support aquatic species. A significant focus is also placed on expanding and coordinating technical assistance and outreach to landowners, recognizing the importance of local engagement and support for successful implementation of conservation efforts. Expected outcomes and measurable results include an increase in acres of restored habitats, improved water quality metrics, enhanced soil health, and greater carbon sequestration. The program anticipates awarding approximately $2.8 million in grants in 2024, with individual grant awards ranging from $250,000 to $750,000. Projects are expected to have a completion time of 24-48 months. Eligibility extends to non-profit organizations, state and local governments, Tribal Governments, and educational institutions, with a preference for projects within identified focal areas of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The program’s success will be measured by the extent to which these conservation practices are adopted and the subsequent environmental benefits realized across the Cumberland Plateau.

The Appalachian Regional Energy Hub Initiative aims to strengthen regional economies by investing in energy resilience through research and planning grants, and implementation grants. The initiative focuses on establishing a regional energy hub for natural gas and natural gas liquids, including hydrogen production. Eligible applicants include local development districts, Indian Tribes, states, counties, cities, and higher education institutions, among others. The total funding available is $5 million, with a grant proposal due by July 24, 2024.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is seeking proposals for its Southeast Aquatics Fund to voluntarily conserve aquatic habitats in the southeastern United States and Texas. This grant program directly aligns with NFWF's mission to sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, and plants. The fund's priorities are informed by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, adopted in 2018 and updated in 2023, which aims to conserve the extraordinary biodiversity across the Southeast. The primary target beneficiaries of this program are aquatic ecosystems and the diverse array of species that inhabit them, particularly those identified as focal species in the Conasauga River (GA) and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. These include various endemic and native fishes like the Alabama shiner, banded sculpin, blue shiner, and trispot darter. The impact goal is to advance specific goals and objectives of the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan and other relevant conservation plans, ultimately leading to healthier aquatic habitats. The program prioritizes work in northern Alabama and Georgia due to measurement and monitoring constraints, with funding available for a wide range of activities in the Conasauga River (GA) and Locust Fork and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. Projects benefiting the focal species in these areas will receive priority. The strategic priorities of the NFWF, as evidenced by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, emphasize a suite of aquatic species as indicators of healthy aquatic habitats in prioritized watersheds, reflecting a theory of change that by protecting these indicator species, the broader ecosystem health will improve. Expected outcomes include the conservation of aquatic habitat, the advancement of specific goals outlined in the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, and positive impacts on focal species populations. While not explicitly detailed as "measurable results" in the provided text, the focus on indicator species suggests that the health and population trends of these species would serve as key metrics for success. Projects are anticipated to have a completion time of 24–36 months, with grant awards ranging from $150,000 to $500,000 from approximately $8.45 million available in 2024.

The Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners was created in 1921 to regulate architecture, engineering, landscape architecture and interior design in the State of Tennessee. The current requirements for the licensure or registration of architects and architectural firms, engineers, engineer interns and engineering firms, landscape architects and landscape architectural firms, and interior designers can be found in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 62, Chapter 2.

The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) Education Grants program is designed to fund education and outreach activities that benefit the sustainable agriculture community. This grant directly aligns with SSARE's mission to promote efforts in farmer innovations, community resilience, business success, agricultural diversification, and best management practices. The core objective is to support projects that develop sustainable agriculture systems or move existing systems towards sustainability. The primary beneficiaries of these grants are farmers and farming communities, including those involved in indigenous agriculture producing for community food systems. Academic institutions, non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), 1890 land-grant university faculty/extension cooperators, 1862 land-grant universities, other colleges and universities, and government agencies are eligible to apply, acting as facilitators for these educational initiatives. The impact goals are centered on fostering a more sustainable, resilient, and economically viable agricultural sector through knowledge dissemination and practical application. Education Grants prioritize projects that clearly articulate what is being taught, to whom, and how the goals will be accomplished. Focus areas include experiential learning (demonstrations, on-farm tours, field days, workshops), integrative approaches (conferences, seminars, course curriculum), and reinforcement methods (fact sheets, bulletins, videos, online technologies). SSARE also encourages proposals on quality of life topics, such as heirs property, farmers’ markets, food hubs, local/regional processing, and urban agriculture systems, emphasizing the social health of farming systems. Expected outcomes include the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices, enhanced farmer innovation, increased community resilience, improved business success for agricultural enterprises, and greater agricultural diversification. Projects should yield results that are realistic, acceptable to farmers, logical, and capable of leading to tangible actions and benefits described in the proposal. The grant projects are strictly focused on education and outreach, with no research component, and are paid by reimbursement of allowable expenses. The foundation's strategic priorities are evident in the grant requirements, which mandate that project outcomes focus on sustainable agriculture systems and clearly demonstrate how education and outreach efforts will be implemented and evaluated. The theory of change underpinning this program is that by providing targeted education and outreach, knowledge and best practices will be transferred to farmers and communities, leading to the development and widespread adoption of sustainable agricultural methods and improved quality of life within farming systems. Project maximums are $50,000, with a duration limited to two years. Applicants from the Southern region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are eligible. Farmers involved in these projects must have farming/ranching as their primary occupation or part-time farming with at least $1,000 of documented annual income from their operation, with exceptions for indigenous agriculture.

This funding opportunity supports conservation projects that provide employment and training for young adults and veterans, helping them gain experience in environmental stewardship and resource management on public lands.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that deliver high-quality early childhood education and family engagement services for low-income children and their families across multiple states.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) is offering the Community Tree Planting Program, funded by the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) through the 2008 State Legislature. This grant program is administered by the Division of Forestry’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. The core mission of this grant is to increase the tree resource base in cities and towns across Tennessee, focusing on the functional benefits of urban trees rather than solely on beautification. The primary beneficiaries of this program are communities and local units of government, non-profit organizations, and elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions within Tennessee. The impact goal is to enhance the state's urban tree resources to provide direct cost-saving benefits to communities. These benefits include energy savings through shading, storm water mitigation, rain interception, and improved air quality through filtration and absorption. The program's priorities and focuses are explicitly not beautification but rather the practical, environmental services that trees provide. It emphasizes that trees are "work horses for communities." Recommended goals and objectives for applicants include statements about urban trees providing cooler temperatures, cleaner air, reduced flooding and erosion, improved human health, and food and shelter for wildlife. Expected outcomes and measurable results revolve around the increase in the tree resource base and the subsequent realization of the aforementioned environmental and economic benefits. While specific metrics are not detailed in the provided text, the focus on quantifiable benefits like energy savings and storm water mitigation implies an expectation of measurable improvements in these areas. The grant contracts will run from December 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, suggesting that the initial outcomes will be assessed within this timeframe. Eligible applicants can apply for grants ranging from $500 to $20,000, which further indicates a focus on smaller, community-level projects with clear, achievable objectives.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) has launched its inaugural Fatherhood Grant Program, a significant initiative aimed at enhancing the well-being of fathers and, by extension, Tennessee society. This program aligns with the TDHS mission to support and empower families by investing in on-the-ground service delivery providers. The department is committing approximately $10 million to this program, demonstrating a substantial strategic priority towards strengthening fatherhood across the state. This investment reflects a theory of change that by supporting organizations directly serving fathers, the state can foster stronger families and communities. The primary target beneficiaries of this grant program are fathers across Tennessee, with an overarching impact goal of promoting fatherhood and providing essential support to empower them. The grant is designed to fund public, private, and non-profit organizations that are directly involved in serving fathers or offering fatherhood-related programming. These organizations will act as conduits for service delivery, directly reaching fathers in various communities throughout Tennessee. The program's priorities and focuses are clearly defined to maximize its impact. Funding will specifically support organizations with a targeted focus on delivering a range of fatherhood-related programs. These include mentorship initiatives, educational and co-parenting support, skill-building workshops, employment services, and financial literacy training. This comprehensive approach ensures that various aspects of a father's life are addressed, from personal development to practical support in raising their children and managing their finances. Expected outcomes and measurable results from this program include an increase in the number of fathers receiving crucial support services, improved co-parenting relationships, enhanced skill sets among fathers leading to better employment opportunities, and greater financial stability for families. The program's success will be measured by the ability of funded organizations to effectively deliver these services and demonstrate positive impacts on the lives of fathers and their families, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more stable Tennessee society.

Online Resources for Starting Businesses. Economic inclusion describes the efforts made to bring DBEs into the economic mainstream. For the purposes of BERO, DBE refers to businesses owned by women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities; as well as those in areas of chronic high unemployment and low income. BERO was legislatively established within the Department of Economic and Community Development in 1977 by Title 4, Chapter 26 as the office of business enterprise. Serves as a voice for and advocate of economic inclusion; Analyzes, disseminates, and promotes best practices and access to capital to service providers; and Reports on the status of DBEs statewide (disadvantaged businesses).

The Diversity in Teaching (DIT) program grant competitively funds two-year proposals from regionally accredited colleges and universities domiciled in Tennessee, for the development of programs with a commitment to diversity as an instructional tool, and that increase the number of K-12 teachers in Tennessee from underrepresented groups.***Please check back soon for FY24-26 funding information and updates.***