2024-2025 Special Interest Grant Final Report — DUE June 30, 2026

Animal Welfare

Protecting Lives, Inspiring Compassion
Organizations across Middle Tennessee play a vital role in ensuring animals and wildlife receive the care and resources they need. This fund is your opportunity to make a lasting impact on animal welfare and education in our communities.

Funding Goals:

• Expand Access to Care: Increase free or low-cost spay/neuter services and provide educational programs on the effects of pet overpopulation.
• Keep Pets in Homes: Sponsor retention programs that help families in low-income households keep their beloved pets.
• Create Safe Havens: Provide healthy, secure homes for pets awaiting adoption.
• Promote Humane Education: Support initiatives that encourage responsible pet ownership, rescue injured animals, and use animals for therapeutic services that heal and inspire people.

Eligible nonprofits may request up to $15,000 to advance animal welfare and create meaningful change.

Lillian Ashley Fund

Lillian Ashley, a native of Manchester, Tennessee, lived a life enriched by travel and adventure. Yet, her greatest wish was to give back to the community she loved. To honor that commitment, she established this endowment to support children, care for animals, and promote environmental conservation throughout Coffee County.

Funding Priorities

• Enhance the health and wellbeing of children and youth
• Provide for the care and welfare of animals
• Support environmental and conservation initiatives

Nonprofit organizations and public schools based in Coffee County are invited to apply for funding consideration. Eligible organizations may request grants of up to $20,000.

Community Foundation for Dickson County

Founded in 1999, the Community Foundation for Dickson County is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for residents and creating opportunities for lasting contributions that benefit future generations. From its inception, the Foundation identified three key priorities: advancing education, strengthening leadership, and enriching overall quality of life. Serving as a permanent endowment, the Foundation ensures ongoing support for the community.

Funding Goals

• Promote environmental and conservation efforts
• Address the needs of youth and older adults
• Preserve historic sites within Dickson County

Dickson County nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for funding opportunities. Eligible applicants may request grants of up to $5,000.

Community Foundation for Dickson County

Education Grant Program

Dickson County Public Schools could have the opportunity to secure up to $5,000 in grant funding through the Community Foundation for Dickson County’s Education Grant Program. These grants are designed to help educators address unmet needs, create innovative learning experiences, and enrich the educational journey for every student.

Imagine the impact—new resources, enhanced programs, and long-term solutions that make a real difference in your school community. This is your chance to turn ideas into action and give students the tools they need to thrive.

Dickson County Public Schools may request grants for up to a maximum of $5,000.

TIMELINE

Application Opens — April 1, 2026

Application Deadline — May 31, 2026

Awards Announced — August 2026

Grant Cycle — September 1, 2026 — August 31, 2027

Ernest and Selma Rosenblum Fund for the Performing Arts

Music and the performing arts were the heartbeat of Ernest and Selma Rosenblum’s lives. Born in Chausy, Russia, they immigrated to Nashville in the early 1900s, bringing with them a deep love for the arts. Ernest was an accomplished violinist, Selma played the piano, and their home overflowed with music, song, and dance, a tradition that enriched their eight children and everyone who entered their doors.

In 2008, Dr. Marvin J. Rosenblum honored his parents’ legacy by creating this fund to ensure that music and the performing arts remain a vibrant part of life and education in Middle Tennessee. From grand orchestras to intimate community theaters, the spirit of Ernest and Selma continues to inspire and uplift.

This fund is your chance to expand access to the performing arts and create experiences that educate, inspire, and connect communities.

Funding Goals

• Support for Music and Music Education
• Musical Theater, Opera, and Symphony Orchestra
• Performing Arts and Related Arts Programming

Eligible nonprofits may request up to $15,000 to bring the transformative power of the arts to life.

William N. Rollins Fund for the Arts

Bill Rollins’ life was defined by creativity and passion. A Nashville native, Bill mastered the art of intricate origami collages and shared his talent through galleries and exhibitions. Even after facing a terminal illness, Bill worked with his family and advisors to ensure his love for the arts would live on, creating a fund dedicated to supporting artistic expression for generations to come.

This fund is your opportunity to bring transformative art experiences to life. Whether you’re enriching visual arts programs, advancing arts education, or providing healing through art therapy, your work can make a lasting impact on our community.

Funding Goals

• Champion Visual/Craft/Folk Arts – Fuel creativity and bring bold artistic visions to life.
• Ignite Arts Education – Empower learners with hands-on experiences that inspire and transform.
• Advance Art Therapy – Harness the healing power of art to restore hope and well-being.

Eligible nonprofits may request up to $15,000 to turn creative visions into reality.

The Sports Fund

Building Teams, Building Futures

The Sports Fund exists to give children and youth the chance to belong, grow, and thrive through team-based activities. Whether it’s sports, performance troupes, or other collaborative programs, these opportunities keep kids engaged during critical afterschool hours, helping them stay active, connected, and out of trouble.

Your program can make a lasting difference by fostering teamwork, confidence, and hope for young people in our community.

Funding Goals

• Support organizations that use a team approach to provide children and youth with a sense of belonging and purpose.

Eligible nonprofits may request up to $5,000 to strengthen programs that change lives.

The Women’s Fund

Transforming Lives, Creating Futures

The Women’s Fund, an endowment within the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is committed to driving long-term solutions that empower women and girls across our region. This is more than funding—it’s about creating lasting change and opening doors to opportunity.

Funding Priorities:

• Women’s Health – Promote wellness and access to care.
• Women’s Safety – Protect and advocate for those at risk.
• Women’s Economic Stability – Build pathways to financial independence.
• Girls’ Growth and Opportunity – Inspire the next generation to thrive.

The Women’s Fund grants:

• Are classified as unrestricted operating support. Funds may be used at the discretion of the organization to cover any costs necessary to carry out its core mission and programs within one of The Women’s Fund focus areas.
• Have a maximum grant award of $20,000 for organizations 3 years or older. Organizations under 3 years old may request up to a maximum of $5,000.
• Are prioritizing support for organizations with a total operating budget of less than $3,000,000.
• Are prioritizing support for organizations with the significant majority (75% or more) of its work focused on women and/or girls.

Amplify your mission and make a measurable difference in the lives of women and girls in Middle Tennessee.