Opportunity Endowment Fund Grant

The Opportunity Endowment Fund, managed by the East Tennessee Foundation, aims to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of nonprofit organizations across a 25-county service area. Grants of up to $25,000 support collaborative projects focused on improving operational systems, fostering partnerships, and addressing community needs. Projects that demonstrate collective impact and leverage matching funds are prioritized, particularly those that tackle adverse childhood experiences and enhance early childhood education.

NOTE: Eligible applications will be reviewed for funding consideration on a quarterly basis by a grant panel. All organizations will be notified of their funding status via email within two months of the application’s submission date.
Through investing in the effectiveness and future sustainability of East Tennessee’s nonprofit community, this fund supports the capacity building of charitable organizations in ETF’s 25-county service area and their ability to collectively address our community’s needs.
Areas of Focus
Grants awarded from these funds are to help organizations identify collaborative solutions and utilize partnerships to improve operational, financial, data/information, and programmatic systems so that together, they have a cohesive impact on the community.
Requests should indicate collaboration between organizations and show there are matching funds to support the proposed project. The East Tennessee Foundation values the spirit and potential for collective, community-level impact of organizations who work together and can leverage funds to secure other support, and ETF believes in organizations’ abilities to work together to address shared problems faced by our communities. The Foundation also appreciates projects with outcomes that can be shared across organizations’ networks and/or easily duplicated among similar charitable organizations. Additionally, ETF values prevention-focused programs which address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), drivers of health, and early childhood education.
Examples of this work include but are not limited to projects that:
Bring organizations together to improve efficiencies and/or sustainabilityEnhance and/or streamline evaluation/outcome, human resources, operational, or logistics systemsCreate long-term financial systems and plansDevelop improved donor engagement and education strategiesBuild effective leadership and boards of directorsAssess community needs and promote data sharingGrow professional development and continuing education opportunities for the fieldConvene peers and subject matter expertsIncrease access to quality information technology and infrastructureHelp organizations diversify revenue streams
Funding
Organizations can apply for an amount up to $25,000. Grant terms will be established with recipient organizations as part of the award process, not to exceed one year in length.

Eligibility

General Eligibility and Funding CriteriaEligible organizations must have and be able to provide documentation to verify the following:Confirmation that the organization is a 501(c)(3) public charity, unit of government , or educational institutionNew or emerging groups that do not have nonprofit status may apply if they have an established nonprofit organization as a fiscal sponsorEmployee Identification Number (EIN)Legal name of organization, address and contact information (phone fax, email address)Primary contact person and titleList of staff administering the projectMost recent financial statements and/or most recent audit and/or IRS Form 990Current year operating budgetList of current board of directors or equivalent governing bodyConfirmation that the organization operates and is organized so as to not discriminate on the basis of race, color national origin, religion, gender, familial status, sexual orientation, age, disability, covered veteran status, or other characteristics as identified in the Foundation’s Non-Discrimination Policy Statement.Although proposals must directly support charitable organizations’ work in ETF’s 25-county service area, organizations do not have to be physically be located in ETF’s service area in order to be eligible to apply, provided that your proposal directly serves communities located in one or more of the 25 counties.

Ineligibility

The following types of requests will NOT be funded:Grants to individuals. We are restricted by law and therefore unable to provide grants directly to individuals.
Projects that have explicit religious content, express a particular religious view, limit participation based on faith affiliation, or require participation in religious activities or servicesDebt retirement or budget deficits