SCCF Grants Program
About Our Grants Program
In alignment with our vision that the Plateau be a place of hope and prosperity for all its residents and communities, the Fund's grants process empowers the community to define and create initiatives that utilize the area’s local knowledge, foster community collaboration, and build on the strength of the area’s people, communities, and natural setting.
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In spring 2012 the Community Fund awarded its first grants to area nonprofits totaling $100,000, and has continued to do so annually.
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In 2017 the Community Fund established the Philanthropy Internship Program at the University of the South through the gift of an anonymous donor. This innovative program allows University students to learn about the philanthropy process, ultimately awarding $30,000 in grants in the fall of each year. The program is now supported by two generous endowment funds at the University of the South
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In 2022, the board directed a special grant round that required multiple organizations to apply together to address an overarching issue on the Plateau. Two grants were made—one to launch a free medical clinic in Tracy City and one to start a Housing Hub. That program was extended in 2023.
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Also in 2023, the Community Foundation has created a small grants program to address organizational support needs where the timing falls outside the normal grant rounds. Click here to apply for a small grant, or contact grants@southcumberlandcommunityfund.org.
Please Note Before Applying:
Every SCCF grant applicant is required to attend a grant information session in the year in which they apply for a grant. Starting in 2023, the Community Fund also requires that organizations complete a partner registration form at this link.
Every grant recipient is required to submit an interim grant report six months after receiving a grant. This is to be followed by a final grant report once the project is completed. Grants must be completed with final reports filed before organizations are eligible to apply for another SCCF grant.
The South Cumberland Community Fund's Grants Program has three main areas of focus: Education, Health, and Community/Economic Development.
Education
Proposals might include but are not limited to efforts in early education, parent and family involvement activities, school-aged and college support activities, adult education, and all initiatives that are intended to increase access to libraries and reading, the arts, and lifelong love of learning. A 2022 strategic planning process identified early childhood literacy as an area of special emphasis for education funding.
Community and Economic Development
Proposals might include but are not limited to efforts that increase business opportunities, job and career training, community building activities, efforts to increase/improve housing and transportation, initiatives in the arts, cultural and historical awareness and preservation, land preservation, and initiatives that encourage community planning, collaboration, and creative approaches. The 2022 strategic planning process identified building better transportation systems as an area of special emphasis for economic development grantmaking.
Health
Proposals might include but are not limited to efforts to assure health access, substance abuse prevention programs, improved access to healthy food, increased access to fitness activities, and community planning and awareness efforts focused on health improvement. The 2022 strategic planning process identified housing access as a special emphasis for health-related grantmaking.
