Tennessee Community Development Grants

The Spirit of Humanity Award, offered by the Legacy Foundation, recognizes individuals, civic groups, organizations, or groups of individuals who inspire the Foundation's vision through their leadership and action. This annual award aligns directly with the Legacy Regional Community Foundation's mission: "creates a stronger future for our area by building endowments, providing informed leadership & connecting donors to critical needs of the region." The award seeks to honor those whose contributions reflect this core mission, thereby reinforcing the Foundation's strategic priority of fostering community betterment through leadership and impactful initiatives. The target beneficiaries of this award are individuals or groups residing in or around the Cowley/Sumner County area who have demonstrated uncommon leadership or action within the past 12 months. The impact goal is to celebrate and highlight those who embody the Foundation's values, inspiring others to contribute to the region's strength. By recognizing these efforts, the Foundation aims to cultivate a stronger sense of community and encourage ongoing engagement in addressing critical local needs. The program prioritizes actions that genuinely reflect the Foundation's mission, emphasizing leadership and contributions that may or may not be financial. This broad definition ensures that a wide range of impactful activities are considered. The focus is on inspiring positive change and demonstrating a commitment to the well-being of the community, aligning with the Foundation's theory of change that recognizing exemplary community service fosters a more engaged and resilient region. Expected outcomes include increased public awareness of the Legacy Regional Community Foundation's mission and values, a stronger sense of community pride, and the encouragement of further civic engagement. Measurable results would include the number of nominations received, the visibility of the awardees' stories in the Foundation gallery, and the anecdotal evidence of inspired community action following the award. The award serves as a tangible expression of the Foundation's commitment to informed leadership and connecting donors to critical needs, ultimately contributing to a more robust future for the area.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local nonprofit organizations in Murfreesboro to deliver essential services and affordable housing solutions for low- and moderate-income residents.

The West End Home Foundation's grant program is designed to enhance the quality of life for older adults in Middle Tennessee by supporting and sustaining a comprehensive system of care. The Foundation's mission is directly aligned with this goal, focusing on various key impact areas to ensure older adults receive the necessary support. These areas include advocacy, enrichment and socialization, food and nutrition, healthcare, housing, transportation, wellness and supportive care, and special projects that complement the Foundation's mission. The primary beneficiaries of this grant program are older adults, specifically those aged 60 and older in the Middle Tennessee counties of Cheatham, Davidson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson. The impact goals are to provide meaningful social interaction, lifelong learning opportunities, nutritional support, comprehensive healthcare, safe and affordable housing, accessible transportation, and services that promote healthy aging. The Foundation aims to address the unique needs of this demographic through a broad spectrum of programs. The Foundation prioritizes projects specifically designed to meet the unique needs of adults age 60 and older. It focuses on programs within its identified key impact areas and evaluates requests based on community needs, available resources, impact on the target population, agency capacity, and success in delivering high-quality services with demonstrated outcomes. The types of grants awarded include Program funding for specific projects (new or ongoing) and Capital funding for infrastructure investments such as equipment, technology, and facility maintenance or expansion. Expected outcomes include improved quality of life for older adults, enhanced access to essential services, increased social engagement, better health outcomes, and greater housing security. The Foundation seeks measurable outcomes, requiring applicants to demonstrate their capacity to deliver services that achieve these meaningful results. All grants are awarded for a period of one year, indicating a focus on annual impact and evaluation. The West End Home Foundation's strategic priority is to administer a competitive grants process that ensures funding is directed to organizations capable of delivering the highest quality of service with demonstrated outcomes. Their theory of change is rooted in the belief that by supporting a comprehensive system of care across various critical areas, they can significantly improve the well-being and independence of older adults in Middle Tennessee, fostering healthy aging and community engagement.

The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), with generous support from the Wells Fargo Foundation, is offering capacity building grants of $30,000 and customized technical assistance to 10 organizations. This program prioritizes organizations located in Wells Fargo’s priority geographic markets. The primary purpose of this award is to support a nationwide network of Latino- and immigrant-serving organizations to advance culturally relevant approaches to family financial health in low- and moderate-income Latino and immigrant communities. This aligns with the foundation's mission by strengthening the delivery of financial capability services within these communities. The target beneficiaries of this program are Latino- and immigrant-serving organizations, and ultimately, low- and moderate-income Latino and immigrant communities. The program aims to achieve several impact goals, including integrating culturally relevant financial curricula into asset-building programs like homeownership and small business development services, intentionally utilizing financial coaching to prepare participants to access capital for asset-building activities, and improving organizational capacity to track and report financial health outcomes. The program focuses on several key priorities to achieve its goals. These include integrating culturally relevant financial curricula, utilizing financial coaching, improving organizational capacity to track and report financial health outcomes, and prioritizing access to innovative financial products. The financial health outcomes specifically target improving credit, increasing savings, increasing income, and reducing debt. Innovative financial products are also prioritized to boost family financial wellness, with a focus on increasing savings, decreasing debt, or building or establishing credit. Expected outcomes and measurable results include meaningful and measurable impact and change for Latino and immigrant financial health. This will be demonstrated through a comprehensive and specific strategy. The program also expects to strengthen the delivery of financial capability services through grantmaking, technical assistance, and training. The grant period is from October 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) nonprofits that integrate, or plan to integrate, culturally relevant financial capability services into existing asset-building programs.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations and government entities in the Chattanooga region that are working to improve opportunities for children, enhance economic mobility for families, and foster community connections, particularly for households facing financial challenges.

This funding opportunity is designed to assist farmers in 14 designated counties of Upper East Tennessee who have suffered damages or losses due to Tropical Storm Helene, enabling them to recover and rebuild their operations.

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.

Statewide downtown revitalization program for communities that seek designation as Main Street communities. The Main Street movement has been transforming the way communities think about the revitalization and management of their downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts for decades. Specifically, Main Street is three things: a proven strategy for revitalization, a powerful network of linked communities, and a national support program that leads the field. The National Main Street Center is a subsidiary or the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

As part of the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act of 2017, the State of Tennessee established the Broadband Ready Communities Program to foster county engagement in securing broadband infrastructure and access to their communities. Through TNECD, the program, which is funded by the American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, utilizes a portion of the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund – American Rescue Plan to provide $10 million in assistance. A non-competitive grant opportunity is available for county and local governments to secure up to $100,000 dollars for broadband adoption activities. Application window is from October 2 - November 15, 2023.

This funding is available to local governments to improve public infrastructure that supports new and expanding businesses, helping to create jobs and attract investment.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that develop innovative resources and services to help adults in the middle or late stages of their careers with reskilling, upskilling, and career navigation, particularly those who are unemployed or underemployed.

This program provides financial support and resources to small businesses in select U.S. cities that are dedicated to community upliftment and have been impacted by COVID-19.

This funding opportunity supports projects that preserve historic resources, such as surveys and restorations, benefiting the public and requiring matching funds from the grantee.

This program provides financial assistance to companies in Tennessee to help cover the costs of training new employees, supporting job creation and economic growth in the state.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations that provide stable housing and empower low- and moderate-income communities, focusing on vulnerable populations such as working families, youth, seniors, and veterans.

This program provides financial support to LGBTQ+-owned and allied restaurants, cafes, and bars to help them thrive and recover.

Downtown revitalization projects following at least one of the 4 points of the Main Street program. Awarded to approximately 6 recipients at $15,000 each. Tennessee Downtowns is an affiliated program of Tennessee Main Street designed to help communities embark on a comprehensive revitalization effort for their downtown. Using the proven National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach® to downtown revitalization, this 24-month program coaches selected downtowns and their steering committees through the steps of launching an effective revitalization effort. Space in this program is limited and highly competitive. Program activities include training, site visits, regional workshops, webinars, technical assistance and an innovation project grant.

Designed to offset the capital expenses in the deployment of broadband in unserved areas. The goal of this program is to facilitate broadband access to all Tennesseans while promoting practices that increase deployment and encourage adoption. The goal of this program is to facilitate broadband access to all Tennesseans while promoting practices that increase deployment and encourage adoption. Funds will be targeted to areas that are unlikely to receive broadband service without grant funding.

Funding from the HUD to promote economic and community development in small cities (e.g. sewer, water, drainage, building community centers). A central tenet of the CDBG program, as with all HUD-funded programs, is to affirmatively further fair housing in the communities we serve. Along with requiring subrecipients to conduct local fair housing activities as a condition of each CDBG activity, an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice is conducted every five years to assess and review impediments or barriers that affect the right of fair housing choice. Public and private policies, practices, and procedures affecting housing choice are covered in this analysis. Impediments to fair housing choice are defined as any actions, omissions, or decisions that restrict, or have the effect of restricting, the availability of housing choices, based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, or creed.