Grant Details

The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga's mission is to encourage giving and inspire action to improve lives in the Chattanooga area. The Foundation believes it can best achieve its mission if it is governed and staffed by individuals from diverse backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives, and if it collaborates with organizations and individuals from diverse backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives. For the Community Foundation, diversity encompasses, but is not limited to age, gender, race, national origin, religious beliefs and background, physical abilities, sexual orientation and economic circumstances.

The Foundation believes that to most effectively serve the community of Greater Chattanooga, our grant making should reflect the diversity of our community.

The Community Foundation is able to consider only one application per Funding Area from the same organization per calendar year. The two areas are ProgramDevelopment and Capital Expenditures.

Program Development

The Community Foundation seeks to meet the needs of people in Hamilton County by supporting the work and ideas of area nonprofits.

Proposed programs are limited to a maximum request of $20,000, and should be based on a documented community need and have clearly articulated targeted outcomes, implementation plans, and evaluation plans.

• Pilot or demonstration programs intended to test and evaluate a model which, if successful, could be replicated by other community agencies (must include strong evaluation plan)
• Expansion programs (must include a description of the new target population for whom the program will be enhanced)
• Existing programs, which are not ready for expansion, are eligible to apply for supportive grant funding; however, low priority is given to these requests, and there must be well documented and strong sustainability and evaluation plans 

Capital Expenditures

The Foundation provides an opportunity for area nonprofit organizations to apply for grants in support of capital needs.

Proposed capital projects are limited to a maximum request of $20,000, and should directly further the mission of the organization and augment the ability of the organization to provide its programmatic services.

• Renovate an existing facility
• Build a playground (request should not exceed 10% of the playground cost or Community Foundation established funding limitation)
• Purchase equipment (including furnishings and computer equipment)
• Purchase an existing facility or construct a new facility or an addition to a current facility (low priority is given to requests for facility purchase, new construction, or new additions)

Priority areas for the foundation are Innovative Ideas and Initiatives focusing on the following areas:

• Health Behaviors/Healthy Environments
• Basic Human Needs/Social Services
• Neighborhood Revitalization
• The Needs of Immigrant Populations
• Early Childhood Development Birth through Grade 3
• Improved College Access
• Public Education  

Priority will be given to requests that fall within a priority area and meet one or more of the following objectives:

• Serve disadvantaged populations
• Serve a broad segment of the Hamilton County community
• Assist those whose needs are not adequately met by existing services
• Provide opportunities for employment
• Promote cooperation among organizations and are developed in consultation with other organizations and planning groups without duplicating services
• Enhance or improve the ability of an organization to be effective and self-sufficient
• Innovative or creative programmatic enterprises
• Generate matching funds and in-kind donations from other sources
• Enhance or improve the ability of an organization to sustain a project or program either though the generation of new funding sources, expansion of existing funding sources, or through collaboration or partnership with other organizations