Deadline: 8-Feb-21
The Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Inc. is seeking applications for its Grant Program to serve nonprofit organizations that work to improve Memphis and the Mid-South.
Focus Areas
Their primary areas of focus are:
- Health and Human Services: Helping the Mid-South thrive spiritually, mentally, and physically, The Foundation funds initiatives that work to improve the health and well-being of the community, as well as the responses and delivery of the healthcare system.
- Education and Lifelong Learning: As a champion of lifelong learning, The Foundation works to strengthen their community’s educational well-being through programs that develop tools for life and focus on the awareness and importance of accepting social responsibilities. The Foundation funds nonprofits that build the organizational capacity of provider agencies, provide professional development, promote collaboration, and leverage local, state, and federal resources.
- Social Justice and Ethics: The Foundation believes in organizations that help individuals strive to reach their greatest human potential. They fund projects and programs that strengthen ethical values among Mid-South citizens and promote social justice; initiatives that lead to a better understanding of, and a more effective response to, the economic and social challenges of the community.
- Cultural Enrichment and the Arts: Seeking to foster an even greater appreciation of Memphis arts and culture, The Foundation supports some of their area’s cultural icons and groups that work to promote the cultural and artistic heritage of Greater Memphis.
Eligibility Criteria
- IRS status: The organization must have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.
- Geographical Location: They consider funding for organizations and programs specifically located in Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton Counties in Tennessee; Crittenden County, Arkansas; and Desoto County, Mississippi.
- Arts/Cultural Groups and Arts Related Applicants: Applications are considered for the first quarter only. The deadline for applications is mid-November of each preceding year and notifications are made in January.
- Schools, Academic Institutions, or for Education-Related Activities, Programs, Projects; Support: Applications are considered for the second quarter only. The deadline for applications will be mid-February of each year for consideration at the April Board meeting. Notifications will make no later than the first Friday in May.
- Requests from academic institutions with more than one site or with multiple departments (e.g. colleges and universities) must come through the office of the President or equivalent office. Requests from public or other school systems must come from the Superintendent’s office.
- Organizations providing services to children and/or youth are required to have a current, written, Board approved Child Protection Policy to which all employees and volunteers are held accountable.
- Organizations providing services to elderly and/or vulnerable adults (as defined by the Tennessee Code 39-15-501) are encouraged to have a current, written, Board approved Adult Protection Policy to which all employees and volunteers are held accountable.
- Large organizations with multiple departments/branches: Requests from large organizations with more than one site must come through the office of the Chief Executive Officer or equivalent administrative role.
- Faith Based Organizations: This note is an effort to help clarify the intent of the nondiscrimination clause. They acknowledge and appreciate your statements of values and faith that guide the practices of yours and many other faith based organizations. If however, your organization precludes or prohibits individuals of a different faith from participation, or receiving services from your organization, and/or from serving on the staff or governing Board of your organization, the Foundation asks that you seek funding from other sources. They appreciate the values of principles and not changing them for either expediency or gain. To clarify further, even if you have volunteers, employees, and serve clients from ALL faith traditions, if you have never had non-Christians on your Board and have no plans to select non-Christians to serve on the Board, their request is that you please not evade this issue by claiming to have no document to explicitly prohibit their membership as part of the governing body. They have sometimes accepted applications in good faith with the expectation that faith based organizations behave ethically and tell the whole truth, only to be told by a peer organization that we have been misled. They ask that you “walk your talk” and not hide your light.
- The Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Inc. owes its legacy to Christians and non-Christians who built a hospital, whose eventual sale resulted in its formation. As a private Foundation, they are guided by a commitment to serve individuals and organizations within their community irrespective of ethnicity, gender, creed, national origin, religion, or disability status. They trust that the value you provide to others and the community will merit consideration from donors who may have a different history and may be guided differently.
For more information, visit https://www.assisifoundation.org/for-grantseekers/