Deadline: 1-Aug-21
The Thomas W. Briggs Foundation is currently seeking applications for its grant program.
Focus Areas
The Thomas W. Briggs Foundation supports organizations whose mission closely aligns with one of the following Briggs focus areas:
- Arts – Efforts that offer enriching cultural experiences throughout the city and position Memphis as a community of broad, uplifting artistic amenities
- Civic – Efforts that build on the uniqueness of Memphis, enhance the quality of life and provide opportunities for all people to interact
- Education – Efforts in local primary and secondary schools that improve the quality of teaching and assist students, especially the disadvantaged, in succeeding in the classroom and in the job market; and efforts of local higher education institutions that encourage and ensure excellence
- Social Services – Efforts that address local issues and concerns that improve the quality of life for individuals in need and empower them to become contributing members of the community
- Youth – Efforts that prepare the young people for academic success and responsible citizenship.
The Briggs Foundation supports organizations that have a broad transformative effect on Memphis, help all individuals feel welcomed, impact socioeconomic advancement and elevate educational achievement. For the 2-1-21 round of funding, the foundation seeks to support efforts that meet critical individual and organizational needs. Requests should be for work needed now to help meet the needs of those served by addressing racial inequity and economic instability, to support operational adaptations required as a result of the pandemic or to stabilize the organization so that the organization can operate effectively over the next year and fulfill its mission. Capital projects will not be funded at this time.
Criteria
In making grants the Thomas W Briggs Foundation:
- Seeks to leverage its gifts and to participate in community efforts that have wide support and generate measurable differences;
- May consider funding for seed money, capital support, multi-year gifts, entrepreneurial/innovative efforts and for annual operating activities that will help take an existing effort to scale;
- Limits its funding to 501c3 nonprofits in Shelby County Tennessee;
- Awards a total of about $750,000 a year in two funding cycles; this total includes new grants and existing payments on prior year pledges;
- Reviews about 12 proposals a cycle. In deciding which proposals can be reviewed, preference is given to organizations whose missions are the best fit with one of the five Briggs Focus Areas and to organizations that have successfully worked with Briggs in the past although new organizations can be considered. Organizations requesting funding must have a profile on Where To Give at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.
- Does not accept requests from any organization in two successive application cycles unless specifically deferred by Briggs to the next cycle.
- Does not accept applications from organizations with an existing pledge;
- Does not fund seminars, hospitals, events or any activities or projects intended for religious worship purposes; does not fund endowments or debt relief;
- Requests that all communications during the grant process be with one employee of the organization;
- Seldom funds elementary or secondary schools, though rare exceptions may be considered for extraordinary proposals from schools whose mission is to educate disadvantaged students in a unique way; any school considered must be a 501c3 entity.
- Does not fund any organization indefinitely.
For more information, visit https://thomaswbriggsfoundation.org/funding/
