Click here to download the Special Interest Grants FAQs PDF
Special Interest Grants FAQs
Special Interest Fund Grants provide programmatic support to organizations within
specific focus areas. Grants from these funds have unique eligibility requirements. Before
applying, please review the Special Interest Grant Guidelines for details.
• Animal Welfare
• Bellevue Community Foundation
• Community Foundation for Dickson County
• Community Foundation of Rutherford County
• Ernest and Selma Rosenblum Fund for Performing Arts
• The Lillian Ashley Fund for Coffee County
• The Sports Fund
• William N. Rollins Fund for the Arts
• The Women’s Fund
The Community Foundation welcomes grant proposals from nonprofit organizations classified as 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charities by the Internal Revenue Service and entities of government located in and serving Middle Tennessee. Organizations must have an updated GivingMatters.com profile. Government entities are exempt from the GivingMatters.com requirement.
Each Special Interest Grant has a different maximum funding amount. Please refer to the Special Interest Grant Guidelines for the specific funding limits by grant type.
Yes. Organizations may apply for multiple Special Interest Grants if they meet the eligibility criteria for each fund.
It depends. The following funds have county restrictions for organizations:
• Bellevue Community Foundation – open to organizations in 37221 zip code only
• Community Foundation for Dickson County – open to organizations in Dickson
County
• Community Foundation for Rutherford County – open to organizations in
Rutherford and Cannon Counties
• Lillian Ashley Fund for Coffee County – open to organizations in Coffee County
Please refer to the Fund descriptions for more details.
Applications are reviewed based on alignment with funding priorities, organizational capacity, and community impact.
Award notifications will be sent in June, and grants will be processed in July.
Yes. Organizations that previously received Special Interest Grants may reapply.
No. These are one-time awards. Organizations must reapply each year to be considered for future support.
Yes, a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, public charity status is required.
No. Government entities (e.g., public schools, municipal departments) are eligible without a 501(c)(3) designation.
While CFMT previously piloted JumpStart for new organizations, this program is currently on hiatus while under review. We typically fund organizations that have been operating for two years or more.
With one exception, no. Of the 700+ donor advised funds at Community Foundation, only one—the Bonnaroo Works Fund—has an application process.
Yes, but only when the program serves the wider community beyond its own members. We do not fund programs requiring religious participation or adherence as a condition for services.
If you need to modify the use of funds, you must get written approval from CFMT before making changes.
Organizations whose mission aligns with the following Community Impact Grant focus areas may apply for funding through that program:
• Arts & Creative Culture
• Child/Youth Development & Education
• Positive Mental Health & Quality of Life
Before applying, review the Community Impact Grant guidelines for more details.
Yes. All 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, public charities must maintain an up-to-date
GivingMatters.com profile to be considered for CFMT funding. Government entities are exempt. For assistance with creating or updating a profile, email [email protected].
Grantseeker FAQs
Currently, CFMT does not provide multi-year grants.
While there is no limit to the number of grants an organization may receive, we strongly recommend that it not seek continuous funding for the same program year after year. CFMT should not be viewed as a source of permanent funding.
Yes. CFMT often receives far more requests than the available funding allows. In some instances, a thoughtful review of a grant proposal may lead to the funding of a specific portion of a grant application or to conclude that the need can be met through partial funding.
Other funding sources are critical. CFMT is rarely the sole funder of any proposal. Referencing other funding sources in your grant application indicates your organization’s strategic planning for sustainability beyond the grant cycle.
If time permits, we would be happy to review your proposal. We cannot promise that we will be available to help you if it is too close to the deadline. Please note that any suggestions or recommendations made by staff DO NOT guarantee or constitute funding. To discuss your proposal, contact the Grants Team by email at [email protected] or call at 615-321-4939.
Board and community volunteers, in addition to CFMT staff, review grant applications. Additionally, CFMT staff may conduct preliminary research and site visits, where necessary. Reviewers contribute time, thought, and knowledge of our community to the process of reviewing applications. Recommendations are presented to CFMT’s Board of Directors for final approval.
No, it does not.
Instead of submitting a separate final report, your organization’s next grant application will include a required section for reporting on grant impact, outcomes, and financial expenditures. This ensures that funding history is directly integrated into the review process for future funding. Also integrated into the application will be the Terms of Agreement. Within that grant period, an organization may receive a site visit from a member of CFMT’s Community Impact team.
If there are changes, large or small, to your proposal either during the consideration of your proposal or after a grant is awarded, you will need to contact a member of the Community Impact Team who will discuss the changes with you and advise you on how to proceed. DO NOT ASSUME that you are able to change the purpose of your grant without first consulting with a member of the Community Impact Team by email at [email protected] or by phone at 615-321-4939.
As an organization that has contributed funding to your program, Community Foundation may require a report outlining the impact the funding has had on your organization and the community it serves. The reports are part of your responsibility to CFMT as defined by the grant agreement that was given at the time of the grant award. We encourage you to share your insights into what worked and what did not. Through your candor and open feedback, we can learn more about the ingredients for program success. This, in turn, helps both your organization and ours meet our common goal of service to the community.
The decision to decline a grant proposal is not necessarily a reflection on the value of the program. It indicates that CFMT’s funds are limited. We receive many more requests to support programs than our relatively limited resources will permit. Feel free to reapply the following year, and as always, Community Impact Team members are available to answer questions by email at [email protected] or by phone at 615-321-4939.
For any questions about your GivingMatters.com profile or guidance on getting started, please email [email protected]
