The Frist Foundation
General Grants Program
Aside from its own initiatives involving technology and the Awards of Achievement, the Foundation continues to focus on agencies serving Nashville's most vulnerable populations. In addition, the Foundation works to enhance Nashville's unique community assets and to help agencies develop new streams of earned revenue.
In general, support will go to organizations with strong track records of service to significant numbers of individuals. Grantees must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and not a private foundation as described in Section 509(a).
In addition, the Foundation makes a limited number of grants to other Nashville-based organizations to strengthen agency infrastructure and for management consulting as described below.
In general, the Foundation does not make grants foroperating expenses or programs. Exceptions may be made if support is needed as part of a realistic plan to achieve operational stability that is not dependent on short-term grants. Emergency operating support will be granted only if an agency has a compelling long-term plan for survival. Otherwise, grants generally will fall into the following categories:
Strengthening Agency Infrastructure
Grants generally focus on technology and capital projects – as long as expenses are integral to ensuring the agency's survival or long-term viability. Capital requests will be considered only if an agency's basic operating budget is on solid footing. In addition, the Foundation will pay special attention to grants that promise to strengthen earned revenue streams. In general, it's a good idea to discuss the needs with the Foundation staff before submitting a grant.
Management
Management grants typically cover consulting expenses. They may include, but are not limited to: strategic planning, board development, market studies, human resource management, financial management, development of strategies for fundraising or revenue generation, and expenses directly associated with administrative collaborations or mergers. In some cases, the Foundation may seek to partner with other funders to support projects on a larger scale.
Exclusions
For legal reasons, the Foundation does not support individuals or their projects, private foundations, political activities, or advertising. As a matter of policy, the Foundation does not ordinarily support:
- Recurring expenses for operations, programs or salaries, except as described earlier.
- Projects, programs or organizations that serve a limited audience or a relatively small number of people.
- Endowments or scholarships.
- Social or fundraising events.
- Biomedical or clinical research.
- Schools below the college level, except for projects intended to serve the broader community.
- Hospitals or nursing homes.
- Organizations whose principal impact is outside of Middle Tennessee.
- Religious organizations for religious purposes.
Proposals are accepted throughout the year. Organizations should make contact by phone, by letter of inquiry or by completing an application through the website. If you apply by mail, the letter should describe, in no more than two pages, the organization and its record of accomplishment, the objectives of the grant, the amount sought from the Foundation in relation to the total need, exactly how the Foundation funds would be used, and the proposed method to evaluate the program's success. Only one copy is needed.
General Grant Application
Please complete Agency and Grant Information on this form, on our website at or on a separate sheet if more convenient. If you use the form provided, attach a separate sheet(s) to answer Questions 1-5 under grant information. In preparing your responses, please restate each question and do not include supplementary materials unless requested.
Agency Information
Total amount sought: ______
Nonprofit agency: ______
Address: ______
City: ______State:______Zip Code:______
Telephone: ______Fax: ______Email:______
Affiliated with a larger organization? _____ If so, please identify:
______
Contact name and title:______
Year organization founded:______
Budget for current fiscal year:
Revenues ______Expenses ______
Results of the most recently completed fiscal year:
Revenues ______Expenses ______
What is your organization’s mission?
Grant Information
1) Brief description of your need (50 words or less):
2) How did this need come about? Please give detailed background information.
3) What is the purpose of this grant and how will it benefit Nashville/Davidson County clients?
4) Which donors have made a commitment to address this need?
Who else are you approaching?
5) How will you determine whether this grant has achieved its goals?
Reminder: Please mail or fax a copy of your agency's letter from the InternalRevenue Service confirming tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of theInternal Revenue Code, if it is not already on file with the Foundation.
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