The Community Partnership Fund is for donors who want to pool their dollars to make nonprofits stronger and our community more vibrant. Grants are decided by committees of community volunteers. 

Nonprofit Capacity Building grants

These grants are awarded to established nonprofits that are working to become more effective organizations by increasing efficiencies in operations. Grants are to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the organization. FY 2018 grants totaled $203,117. Read more in The Daily News.

A Step Ahead Foundation, Inc. ($15,000) for a Salesforce upgrade and training as well as a marketing technology upgrade

Center for Transforming Communities ($9,500) for architectural services for The Commons on Merton

Church Health ($40,000) for server upgrades, new software for the physical therapy clinic, and software upgrades for human resources

Creative Aging Mid-South ($7,500) for a new website with refreshed branding and the development of a digital/social media strategy

DeltaARTS ($10, 667) for technology upgrades for a new meeting and performance space

Dorothy Day House of Hospitality ($20,000) for wiring, computer hardware, and printers for its new facility

Hope House Day Care Center, Inc. ($20,000) for the development of a marketing and public relations plan

Madonna Learning Center Incorporated ($7,000) for a website redesign and e-commerce site development

Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association ($20,000) for the development of the MIFA Center for Community 

New Hope Christian Academy ($20,000) for the development of a public awareness campaign

PRIZM Ensemble ($6,750) for website upgrades 

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis, Inc. ($15,000) for purchasing Raiser's Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT database software 

Southern College of Optometry ($6,300) for researching and implementing a diversity and inclusion plan

Streets Ministries, Inc. ($5,400) for Trauma Informed Care training for staff. Read the ioby article about this project. 

Intermediary grants

These grants provide unrestricted operating support to agencies whose work directly supports other nonprofits. FY 2018 grants totaled $165,000.

BLDG Memphis ($60,000) provides capacity assessments, training programs, and technical assistance for its member organizations working to revitalize Memphis neighborhoods.

Community Alliance for the Homeless ($30,000) works to develop a comprehensive system to help end homelessness and coordinates local agencies that serve homeless individuals.

Community LIFT ($25,000) focuses on neighborhood development and planning, creating partnerships and securing funding from public and private sources to make sound investments in neighborhoods and community development organizations. Read The Daily News article about the organization.

Memphis Leadership Foundation ($25,000) supports the growth and capacity of faith-based organizations through training and technical assistance in governance, outcome measurement, resource development, and internal operations. Read The Daily News article about the organization.

Momentum Nonprofit Partners ($25,000) provides educational programs to staff and board leadership of nonprofits in order to drive equitable, measurable, and lasting change in the sector and in the community. Read The Commercial Appeal article about the organization.

Community-wide grants

These grants support projects of broad significance and long-term benefit. FY 2018 grants totaled $107,400.

Community LIFT ($10,000) to support Wendi Thomas’s MLK50: Justice through Journalism project 

Comprehensive Planning Fund ($25,000) to support the two-year Memphis 3.0 comprehensive city planning process spearheaded by the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development

Overton Park Conservancy ($50,000) to develop a comprehensive Overton Park Master Plan and a companion business plan, the first large-scale planning effort in three decades

Rhodes College ($4,000) to purchase books for the Liberal Arts in Prison Great Books Reading Group. Read The Commercial Appeal article about this project.

Stand for Children ($9,400) to host education consultant Cami Anderson for a series of events focused on school discipline reform 

UrbanArt Commission ($9,000) to expand the time frame for artist participation in the Memphis 3.0 comprehensive city planning process. Read the High Ground News article about the grant.

Beyond the Classroom grants

These grants support the Community Foundation's Beyond the Classroom initiative, focused on strengthening organizations serving K-12 students in Memphis during their out-of-school time. FY 2018 grants totaled $348,967.

Seeding Success ($300,000) to continue backbone support of Beyond the Classroom. In this second phase, Seeding Success is refining and implementing the strategy with four additional partners, including BRIDGES, Emmanuel Center, Girls Inc., and Memphis Athletic Ministries.  

Communities in Schools of Tennessee at Memphis ($10,967) to continue Beyond the Classroom work by funding Check & Connect to support the work of site coordinators

Knowledge Quest ($10,000) to continue Beyond the Classroom work by subsidizing the salary of a Curriculum Specialist

Latino Memphis ($10,000) to continue Beyond the Classroom work by subsidizing the salary of the Director of Evaluation and Abriendo Puertas intern

Literacy Mid-South ($8,000) to continue Beyond the Classroom work by funding research for a valid measurement for summer learning loss and the development of a student information system

Porter-Leath ($10,000) to continue Beyond the Classroom work by funding curriculum implementation fidelity, face-to-face training, and e-training modules

MLK50: The Next Step Forward grants

MLK50: The Next Step Forward grants ($150,000) will support agencies that are working to change the path forward for Mid-Southerners by addressing pillars integral to the systemic change for which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated.