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COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER MEMPHIS

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis

Contact information:

1900 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104-4029
Phone: 901-728-4600
Fax: 901-722-0010

Website: http://www.cfgm.org/

Type of foundation: Community foundation 

Types of grants: Capacity building, program, research, seed money, technical assistance.

Description: Established in 1969, the Foundation combined operations with The Memphis-Plough Community Foundation in 1989. Competitive grants are awarded through the Community Partnership Program, which makes the following types of grants:

  • Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants: These grants help organizations to become more effective and efficient. Grants are awarded for two types of requests: 1) Capacity building projects that will increase an organization's efficiency and effectiveness, for organizations of any size, and 2) Core operating costs for small or emerging organizations with operating budgets of $300,000 or less. Capacity building grants may cover a period of up to three years.
  • Research and Initiatives Grants: These grants allow the Foundation to initiate or take a lead role in creating and funding programs to improve the Memphis community or metropolitan area. Typically, these programs will be of community-wide significance and will increase public awareness about an issue while helping to provide a solution.

Sample grants:

  • $80,000 to Mid-South Public Communications Foundation, Memphis, TN to purchase high definition radio equipment (2008).
  • $25,000 to Beale Street Caravan, Memphis, TN for general operating support for radio program (most widely distributed Blues radio program in the world with more than 2.4 million listeners each week) (2004).
  • $15,300 to Southern Communication Volunteers, WEVL-FM 89.9, Memphis, TN for capacity building work (2008).
  • $1,500 to Educational Radio Foundation of East Texas, Tyler, TX for general/operating support (2006).
  • $1,000 to Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network, Denver, CO for general/operating support (2008).
  • $1,000 to Far East Broadcasting Company, La Mirada, CA for general/operating support (2004). 

Fit for public broadcasting: The Foundation has made 52 grants for radio/television projects over the past seven years, totaling $330,050.

Eligibility: Giving limited to Crittenden County, Arkansas; DeSoto, Marshall, Tate, and Tunica counties, Mississippi; and Fayette, Shelby, and Tipton counties, Tennessee. No grants to individuals or for endowments, capital or building funds, annual campaigns, code enforcement or core operating costs; no loans. Guidelines for Capacity Building Grants can be found here. 

Deadline: Deadlines vary by program.

How to apply: The Foundation holds mandatory pre-application workshops. Dates are provided in the guidelines; contact the Foundation to RSVP. Applicants should then submit an online letter of intent. The template is distributed at the workshop. The Foundation will invite full proposals from a selected group of applicants. 

Giving range: Capacity Building Grants range up to approximately $40,000, but are mostly in the $20,000-25,000 range. The average gift for radio/television is approximately $63,000. The Foundation has made gifts as high as $3 million.

Assets: $247,927,948 (2009) 

Total giving: $39,935,244 (2009)

View 2009 Annual Report [PDF].