The South Cumberland Community Fund board has directed $50,000 for a special grant round during 2024, the Connecting for Lasting Impact Grant. With this grant round, first introduced in 2022, the Community Fund hopes to cultivate deeper and more meaningful lasting connections among non-profit organizations on the Plateau. In issuing this call for proposals, the goal of the Community Fund’s board is to foster connections between and among organizations on the Plateau to address big challenges we all face as a community.

A grant orientation session will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 8, at Kennerly Hall at the Parish of St. Mark and St. Paul, located at 216 University Ave., Sewanee. A representative from your organization must attend if you wish to apply. We will focus on program goals and methods for assessing your project. In addition, we will share a rubric that the grants committee will use to determine which applications best reflect the program’s goals. We hope that the orientation session will also be a place where collaborations between organizations can be formed and projects identified.

For more information about the Connecting for Lasting Impact Grant, visit <www.southcumberlandcommunityfund.org/grants-program> or email us at <director@southcumberlandcommunityfund.org>.

Directly after the orientation session on June 8, the Community Fund will host its annual Celebration of the Plateau at 11:30 a.m., also at Kennerly Hall at the Parish of St. Mark and St. Paul. We will celebrate the recipients of our spring grants cycle (listed below) and share a simple meal together. Please RSVP at <forms.gle/VVPcsMkkxF3myujs5> or by emailing <grants@southcumberlandcommunityfund.org> so that we can have an accurate meal count.

Betty Carpenter, chair of the Community Fund’s grants committee, says of the spring grants slate, “To enhance the quality of life for all living on the plateau has always been the goal of South Cumberland Community Fund. The organizations receiving grants have shown a dedication to using the funds in ways that will make a difference. I don’t know of any other place where so many people work so hard to make things better for everyone.”

We hope you will join us to celebrate the spring grantees listed below and consider applying for your own grant if you are an organization that serves the Plateau. For more information about the Community Fund’s work, visit us at <southcumberlandcommunityfund.org>

South Cumberland Community Fund 2024 Spring Grant Slate:

Folks at Home to renovate the front entryway of the Folks at Home building for handicapped accessibility

Grundy County Food Bank for equipment racks and a commercial freezer

Grundy County Historical Society for expansion of the Grundy County Historical Society Heritage Center Outdoor Exhibit Area

Grundy County Mayor’s Office for handicapped accessible playground equipment at the Miracle on the Mountain Park

Housing Hub to establish a centralized office space for training and resources in support of safe, healthy, affordable housing

Housing Sewanee for infrastructure costs for Sherwood Spring Cul-de-Sac 2 in preparation for construction of home number four

Sewanee Community Chest to install a handicapped restroom and a new water heater for the Mountain Goat Trail Welcome and Heritage Center

Sewanee Mountain Grotto to purchase a trailer and trailer modifications for recycling efforts at the Caverns

St. James Midway Community Park to install electrical outlets and security lights at the park

Town of Tracy City to repair and refurbish the “Old Fair Barn”

Tracy City Elementary School for an addition to the walking and running track at Tracy City Elementary School

Tracy City Volunteer Fire Department for partial funding of an AMKUS ION ITR 500 RAM extraction tool