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Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund

Annual Giving
$1.8M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.1M
Decision Time
5mo

Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $1,751,413 (2023)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $100,000
  • Geographic Focus: 41 counties in Middle Tennessee
  • Application Method: Online, annual deadline (January 15) for major grants; rolling for responsive grants
  • Total Impact: Over $23 million awarded since 2009 to 150+ organizations

Contact Details

Address: 100 Taylor Street, A-20, Nashville, TN 37208
Phone: (615) 385-1006
Website: https://maddoxfund.org
Email: joseph@maddoxfund.org (Program Officer, joseph gutierrez)

Overview

Established in 2008 and began grantmaking in 2009, the Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund honors the legacy of founders Dan and Margaret Maddox, who died together in 1998 while on a hunting and fishing trip. The private foundation operates in Nashville, Tennessee, where the Maddoxes built their businesses and contributed to community life. Dan founded Associates Capital Corporation in 1944, while Margaret served as Financial Vice President before retirement. Their shared passion for young people and the natural environment—particularly hunting, fishing, and wildlife conservation—shapes the foundation's mission: "to better our community through partnerships that improve the lives of young people and protect the natural environment." Since inception, the fund has distributed over $23 million to more than 150 organizations across Middle Tennessee's 41 counties. The foundation has evolved significantly from traditional grantmaking toward a stronger commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and liberation, with 11 of 13 board members identifying as people of color. The fund is currently re-evaluating its grantmaking strategies and will announce its next Request for Proposals in 2026.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Responsive Grants: $10,000 - $15,000

  • Available throughout the year with monthly review
  • First step: Contact a Maddox staff member
  • 2025 priorities: Immigrant and refugee youth, LGBTQ+ youth, environmental work, and advocacy

Participatory Grants: Up to $100,000 total

  • Distributed by community grant panels (e.g., HBCU students, LGBTQ+ youth, environmental justice advocates)
  • Follow social media for upcoming opportunities
  • Past participatory grantmaking cohorts have focused on youth and environmental justice

Capacity Building Grants: Variable amounts

  • Support for strategic planning, leadership transitions, staff respite/healing, and organizational milestone celebrations

Priority Areas

The fund supports three primary areas:

Youth Development

  • After-school programs and mentoring
  • Leadership development for marginalized youth (ages 6-24)
  • Youth organizing and climate action
  • Programs serving immigrant and refugee youth
  • LGBTQ+ youth services

Education

  • Academic support and tutoring
  • Literacy programs
  • Social-emotional learning for K-college age students

Natural Environment & Conservation

  • Wildlife habitat protection
  • Hunting and fishing programs
  • Environmental justice and advocacy
  • Increasing access to green space
  • Climate justice and food justice initiatives
  • Projects embodying Indigenous and racial justice principles

What They Don't Fund

  • Scholarships or individual financial assistance
  • Endowments
  • Debt reduction
  • Family emergency assistance
  • Programs primarily benefiting congregational members
  • Organizations incorporated less than one year ago
  • Government affiliates and private foundations
  • Administrative overhead exceeding 15% of total direct program expense

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Jen Bailey (she/hers) - Executive Director Executive Director Jen Bailey brings extensive experience in community-based leadership and philanthropy. She founded Faith Matters Network, serving over 25,000 leaders, and co-founded The People's Supper, which has hosted 2,000+ gatherings across 135 communities. Bailey holds degrees from Tufts University and Vanderbilt University Divinity School and serves on boards including the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, Fetzer Institute, and The Healing Trust. In her message to grantees, Bailey articulated the fund's vision: "a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat." She emphasizes that "solutions to some of our most pressing challenges will be found by following the wisdom and leadership of those most proximate to the pain" and commits to "walking alongside" community partners.

joseph gutierrez (he/him) - Program Officer
Born in Long Beach, California, to Filipino immigrants, joseph is a UCLA graduate who earned his master's degree in Community Development from Vanderbilt University in 2017. He previously served as Executive Director of API Tennessee.

Board of Directors

The 13-member board comprises volunteer community leaders: Kasar Abdulla, Cathy Bender, Andrea Blackman, Indira Dammu, Ashlee Davis, David Esquivel, Carrie Green, Herman Hicks, Brandon Hill, Karla MacIntyre, Tommye Maddox (granddaughter of founders), Brynn Plummer, and Jennifer Wang. The board meets quarterly with 87% attendance in 2024. Board demographics reflect the fund's commitment to diversity: 11 members identify as people of color (2 Asian/Pacific Islander, 6 Black, 2 Latinx, 1 Middle Eastern/North African, 2 white), and 3 identify as LGBTIA+.

As granddaughter Tommye Maddox noted about the founders: "My grandparents never forgot where they came from. They looked for the underdog and wanted to create opportunity so everyone could thrive."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Responsive Grants ($10,000-$15,000):

  • Available year-round with monthly review
  • First step: Contact a Maddox staff member before applying
  • Submit applications through online system

For Major Annual Grants:

  • Application deadline: January 15, 4:30 p.m. CST
  • Submit through online system at GivingMatters.com
  • Required documents: Budget form, board list, IRS Form 990 (if applicable), audit (if applicable), and IRS determination letter

For Participatory Grants:

  • Follow the fund's social media for announcements
  • Community-led grantmaking processes announced throughout the year

Eligibility Requirements:

  • 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
  • Programs must operate within the designated 41 Middle Tennessee counties: Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Macon, Marion, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, White, and Williamson
  • Organizations incorporated for at least one year

Decision Timeline

  • Annual grant announcements: May
  • Funds typically available: July 1
  • Responsive grants reviewed monthly
  • The fund will primarily fund one-year grants but will consider multi-year awards on a case-by-case basis

Success Rates

Based on recent grant activity:

  • 73 awards in 2023
  • 96 awards in 2022
  • 92 awards in 2021
  • 82 awards in 2020

Specific application-to-award ratios are not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

The fund's reapplication policy for unsuccessful applicants is not explicitly stated on their website. Contact staff directly for guidance on reapplication eligibility.

Application Success Factors

Based on the fund's documented priorities and approach:

Outcomes Must Be Specific and Measurable The FAQ explicitly states that outcomes should be "specific and measurable" and limited to 50 words each. Vague or overly broad outcomes will weaken applications.

Administrative Efficiency Matters The fund caps administrative overhead at 15% of total direct program expense, indicating they prioritize organizations with lean operations and direct service delivery.

Alignment with Equity Values The fund's evolution toward centering "diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and liberation" suggests applications should demonstrate commitment to these values. The 2024 environmental justice cohort prioritized "Indigenous and racial justice, intersectionality, advocacy & direct service."

Contact Staff First for Responsive Grants For responsive grants, the fund explicitly requires applicants to "contact a Maddox staff member" as the first step—suggesting relationship-building and preliminary conversations are valued.

Focus on Marginalized Communities 2025 responsive grant priorities specifically name "immigrant and refugee youth" and "LGBTQ+ youth," indicating the fund prioritizes serving historically marginalized populations.

Environmental Grantmaking Emphasizes Justice Rather than traditional conservation alone, the fund's environmental priorities include "climate justice," "food justice," and "increasing access to green space," suggesting applications should connect environmental work to equity.

Flexibility Around Challenges The FAQ notes organizations "can request deadline adjustments and outcome revisions during grant terms" and should "contact staff promptly about challenges," suggesting the fund values honest communication over perfect execution.

Community-Led Solutions Executive Director Bailey's emphasis on "following the wisdom and leadership of those most proximate to the pain" suggests applications should highlight authentic community leadership and lived experience.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic requirement is absolute: Programs must operate within the specific 41-county Middle Tennessee region—no exceptions mentioned
  • Start with a conversation for responsive grants: The fund requires contacting staff before applying for $10-15K responsive grants, signaling they value relationship-building
  • Prioritize equity and justice framing: With 11 of 13 board members identifying as people of color and explicit commitment to "justice and liberation," applications should demonstrate authentic equity commitments
  • Administrative efficiency expected: 15% overhead cap is strict—organizations with high administrative costs may face challenges
  • Specific, measurable outcomes required: Limit outcomes to 50 words and ensure they are quantifiable and concrete
  • Strategy is evolving: The fund is "re-evaluating grantmaking strategies" with next RFP in 2026—expect priorities and processes to shift
  • Follow participatory opportunities: Community-led grantmaking panels distribute significant funding ($100K+) and offer alternative pathways to traditional applications

References

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