2020 Spring Cycle Grants Recipients

South Cumberland Community Fund (SCCF) has approved grants to 16 nonprofit organizations across the South Cumberland Plateau totaling $90,000 in its 2020 spring cycle of grant-giving. SCCF has awarded more than $941,000 in grants since 2012, including these most recent grants. SCCF’s annual Celebration for the Plateau, at which current and past SCCF grants recipients are honored, will be held via Zoom on June 9th at 4:30 pm.

All community members are welcome to attend by using the following link: https://zoom.us/j/91015045625.

“In these challenging times I'm sure we all have had to make difficult decisions,” said Jeff Sholey, SCCF Grants chair. “I am humbled and proud to be part of the SCCF team and of our ability to respond to the needs of the community, by conducting our spring grants process safely and effectively by virtual means as we carry out our mission of bringing hope and prosperity to the South Cumberland Plateau.”

SCCF 2020 Spring Cycle Grant Awards

Arts Inside - $3,037 to support Arts Inside staff in their goal to develop organizational capacity by raising awareness and simultaneously building a sustainable fundraising program. This grant will also fund the purchase of presentation equipment to facilitate a “Shift” workshop, which will enable the organization to highlight the talent and potential of incarcerated individuals and, in turn, help the community relate to their humanity.

Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic - $5,000 to supplement wages and general operational expenses to ensure viability as the Clinic continues to provide medical care for the community during the challenging times of COVID-19.

Dependable Laundry - $9,674 to reopen the business and supplement payments for

payroll, utilities, insurance, and for purchasing needed supplies in order to operate.

DuBose Conference Center - $5,000 to support immediate relief and essential operating needs for two months, including payroll expenses and health insurance.

Folks at Home - $2,540 to be used for operational funding.

Grundy County Department of Education (District) - $7,983 to purchase an add-on enrollment component to the school’s current attendance software, “Enrollment

Express,” which will allow families to register for school online, an invaluable service at this time. Enrollment Express supports social media platforms that have proven to be effective tools in connecting with families, allowing administrators to save valuable time and resources with a streamlined system that collects and compiles accurate data.

Grundy EMS, Inc. - $5,160 to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for paramedics and EMTs. The goal is to provide adequate protective equipment during the pandemic to keep staff safe while enabling them to provide life-saving interventions for patients.

Grundy County Food Bank - $4,150 to support the organization's operations budget and to purchase food to sustain its mission of food distribution to families in need.

Grundy County Mayor's Office - $5,000 to hire a professional designer to create a brand logo for Grundy County and the region. This project will also include a subset of logo designs for Altamont, Beersheba Springs, Coalmont, Gruetli-Laager, Monteagle, Palmer, Pelham, Sewanee, and Tracy City. The designs will be part of a cohesive branding effort to interest visitors in engaging with and supporting the area’s small businesses.

MARC - Marion Animal Resource Connection - $2,500 to support a spay/neuter program on the South Cumberland Plateau for low income families, and to provide education in schools and community libraries focused on the humane treatment of animals.

Monteagle Elementary School - $9,956 to support Monteagle Elementary’s "Technology Project," the goal of which is to prepare students academically, socially, and emotionally for the 21st century and ensure that they are college- and career-ready. The grant will be used to purchase chrome books for every student to assist with academic computer programs that Marion County School District has recently implemented.

Morton Memorial United Methodist Church - $10,000 to provide financial assistance so that MMUMC may continue to provide and distribute food to clients in light of recent USDA cutbacks and increased need due to the COVID pandemic.

Mountain T.O.P. - $5,000 to provide the support needed to pay summer staff. Given that groups who were committed to attending camps this summer have cancelled due to COVID-19, Mountain T.O.P. is now facing the fact that they will have to rely on paid staff to complete anti-poverty projects to which they are committed.

St. Thomas Medical Partners Mobile Health Unit - $7,500 to allow this free mobile health unit to continue to make regular visits to Grundy County, where it provides medical care to those with acute symptoms such as colds, sore throats, temporary pain, cuts, and bruises due to injury and other similar medical conditions.

Tennessee Preservation Trust - $2,500 to support the completion of the restoration of the historic Highlander Folk School library in Monteagle, TN, at which point the library will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The facility will serve as a gathering space for community events as well as a destination for those interested in learning about the history of the social justice movement in Tennessee and the South.

Town of Altamont - $5,000 to support the removal of existing carpet and the installation of tile flooring in the Florence Scruggs Municipal Auditorium. This venue currently accommodates overflow for circuit and juvenile court proceedings, in addition to providing a space for numerous town and community events. After these improvements, cleaning of the area will be more efficient, especially important in light of COVID-19.