The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $60+ million (with a record $103 million granted in 2024)
Total Assets: $700+ million
Grant Range: $1,000 - $30,000 (Community Impact Grants average $22,000)
Geographic Focus: 40 counties in Middle Tennessee and 3 counties in Southern Kentucky
Decision Time: Approximately 3-4 months (July application to November notification)
Application Window: July 1-31 annually

Contact Details

Website: https://www.cfmt.org
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (615) 321-4939
Address: Nashville, TN

For grant-specific inquiries, contact the Grants Team at [email protected] or (615) 321-4939.

Overview

Founded in 1991 by civic leaders including Ellen Eskind Lehman, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has grown into one of Tennessee's largest philanthropic organizations, managing over $700 million in assets across more than 1,600 charitable funds. Since inception, the foundation has distributed over $1 billion to nonprofit organizations across Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. In 2024, CFMT achieved record-breaking numbers, with $223 million contributed and $103 million granted to nonprofits across the region—the largest single-year totals in their history.

Under the leadership of CEO Hal Cato, who succeeded founder Ellen Lehman in 2022, CFMT has evolved its grantmaking approach to focus on deeper partnerships with fewer organizations, increasing the average grant size from $5,000 to $22,000. The foundation has experienced significant growth of more than 50% over the past three years. Cato's vision emphasizes addressing pressing regional issues including housing, homelessness, and economic advancement, with a particular commitment to marginalized communities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community Impact Grants (Annual competitive process)

Grant Range: Typically $1,000 - $30,000 (average $22,000)
Application Method: Online portal (Foundant's Grant Lifecycle Manager) - opens July 1, deadline July 31
Focus Areas (applicants may only choose ONE):
- Arts & Creative Culture: $435,000 distributed in 2024
- Positive Mental Health & Quality of Life: $580,000 distributed in 2024
- Child/Youth Development & Education: $770,000 distributed in 2024
Total Awarded in 2024: 264 grants totaling $2,839,256
Tiered funding based on organizational operating budget: Organizations with budgets under $5 million are prioritized

Special Interest Grants

The Women's Fund: Up to $20,000 for organizations 3+ years old; up to $5,000 for organizations under 3 years old (awarded $251,326 in 2024)
Ernest and Selma Rosenblum Fund for the Performing Arts: Up to $5,000 for arts exposure and education programs (awarded $48,494 in 2024)
The Sports Fund: Up to $5,000 for youth programs using team approaches (awarded $24,328 in 2024)
Lillian Ashley Fund for Coffee County: Up to $20,000 for Coffee County nonprofits (awarded $125,550 in 2024)
Dickson County Nonprofits: Up to $5,000 (awarded $32,657 in 2024)
Rutherford and Cannon Nonprofits: Up to $3,000
William N. Rollins Fund for the Arts: $35,000 distributed in 2024
Animal Welfare: $381,225 distributed in 2024

Priority Areas

CFMT funds organizations across a broad range of causes including:

Animal welfare
Arts and humanities
Conservation and preservation
Environment
Education
Employment and training
Health and human services
Housing
Economic and community development

The foundation is particularly interested in grant proposals that address currently unmet community needs and provide long-term solutions.

What They Don't Fund

Religious programs requiring religious participation or adherence as a condition for services (faith-based organizations are funded only when programs serve the wider community beyond their own members)
New organizations within their first two years of operation
Donor Advised Funds
Organizations headquartered outside Middle Tennessee unless they have a local presence including a physical address/office, local staff and board, and local financials for Middle Tennessee operations
Multi-year grants (currently not offered)
Permanent/continuous funding for the same program year after year

Governance and Leadership

Leadership

Hal Cato, CEO (joined November 2022)

Hal Cato is a longtime Nashville nonprofit leader who succeeded founding president Ellen Lehman. His vision for the foundation emphasizes:

"I feel like the community is calling this foundation to grow and become a more strategic player in helping us address some of our most pressing issues, whether it's housing, homelessness, or economic advancement for individuals. There are a lot of challenges Middle Tennessee faces, and I'll be listening intently to see how the Community Foundation can lead in galvanizing a philanthropic response."

On his approach to leadership, Cato states: "But I'm a big believer that before you get on the horse and get going, you've got to listen to where people are calling you to go."

Regarding his personal mission: "I'm still attracted to the underdog today, those who are marginalized and just sort of on the outskirts."

On collaboration, Cato described what he calls "the golden triangle of collaboration, and it's a shared vision, trust, and humility. If you have all those three in place, there is no limit to what can be done."

Ellen Eskind Lehman, Founding President (1991-2022)

Ellen Lehman founded and led CFMT for 31 years, growing it from a startup into a philanthropic force that has contributed more than $1.1 billion to nonprofit organizations. A Harvard University cum laude graduate with a master's degree from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Lehman retired at the end of 2022.

Board of Directors

The Trustee Council is led by co-chairs Debi Tate and Jerry Williams, and provides strategic guidance, advocacy, fund development, governance, and networking opportunities for the organization.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Community Impact Grants:

Create/Update GivingMatters.com Profile: All 501(c)(3) public charities must maintain a complete and up-to-date profile in GivingMatters.com. All profiles must be claimed or created and fully completed by July 31. This profile contains information about your mission, programs, organizational finances, and more that CFMT will use to gather context while reviewing your application.
Access Grants Portal: Applications are submitted through CFMT's Grants Portal, powered by Foundant's Grant Lifecycle Manager (GLM). All applicants must create a new account in this system.
Application Window: July 1 - July 31 annually
Key Requirements:
- Must be a 501(c)(3) public charity
- Must serve one of the 40 Middle Tennessee counties
- May only apply to ONE focus area (choose the one that best describes your organization's mission-aligned work)
- Organizations with operating budgets under $5 million are prioritized
- Grant requests must stay within guidelines based on total organizational operating budget

Decision Timeline

Application Opens: July 1
Application Deadline: July 31
Grant Announcements: November (on or around November announcement)
Grant Payments Begin: December

Total Timeline: Approximately 3-4 months from application deadline to notification

Success Rates

In 2024, CFMT awarded 264 Community Impact Grants totaling $2,839,256 across three focus areas, serving organizations across 28 counties. The foundation has shifted from awarding many smaller grants to providing fewer, larger grants to enable deeper partnerships—average grant size increased from $5,000 to $22,000.

Specific success rate percentages are not publicly available, but the foundation notes they receive many more requests than their resources permit.

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply the following year with no waiting period or restrictions. The foundation emphasizes that the decision to decline a grant proposal is not necessarily a reflection on the value of the program—they simply receive more requests than resources permit.

However, CFMT strongly recommends that organizations not seek continuous funding for the same program year after year, as CFMT should not be viewed as a source of permanent funding. The foundation prefers to give a wide range of organizations a chance at funding.

Application Success Factors

Critical Requirements

GivingMatters.com Profile: Your complete and up-to-date GivingMatters.com profile is essential—CFMT uses this to gather additional context beyond what's in the grant application itself. Ensure all information about your mission, programs, and organizational finances is current.
Choose the Right Focus Area: Applicants may only apply to ONE focus area. Choose the one that best aligns with your organization's mission-aligned work:
- Arts & Creative Culture
- Positive Mental Health & Quality of Life
- Child/Youth Development & Education
Address Unmet Needs: The foundation is particularly interested in proposals addressing currently unmet community needs and providing long-term solutions—not band-aids.

What CFMT Values

Based on recent funding patterns and leadership priorities:

Strategic Impact Over Scale: The shift from many small grants to fewer larger grants indicates CFMT values deeper partnerships and meaningful impact over spreading resources thinly.
Serving Marginalized Communities: CEO Hal Cato has explicitly stated his attraction to "those who are marginalized and just sort of on the outskirts," indicating proposals serving underserved populations align with leadership priorities.
Collaboration: Cato's emphasis on "the golden triangle of collaboration" (shared vision, trust, and humility) suggests proposals demonstrating collaborative approaches may resonate.
Addressing Systemic Issues: Cato has identified housing, homelessness, and economic advancement as pressing regional issues where CFMT aims to lead philanthropic response.

2024 Funding Examples

Examples of recently funded work include:

Healing in the Margins (Positive Mental Health & Quality of Life): Expanded therapy access to over 475 underserved individuals via pop-up clinics, youth programs, and community education
Organizations across 28 counties received support in areas from animal welfare to youth development to arts education

Budget Size Considerations

CFMT prioritizes organizations with total operating budgets below $5 million, though organizations above that threshold remain eligible. Grant request amounts are tiered based on organizational budget size—review portal guidelines for specific tiers.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Applying to multiple focus areas (only ONE application per organization)
Failing to complete or update GivingMatters.com profile by the deadline
Seeking continuous year-after-year funding for the same program
Proposing short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions to community needs
Applying as a new organization (must be 3+ years old for most programs; 2+ years for general eligibility)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Complete your GivingMatters.com profile first - CFMT uses this for essential context beyond the grant application. Ensure it's fully updated by July 31.
Choose ONE focus area strategically - You can only apply to one focus area, so select the one that most closely aligns with your core mission and strongest programmatic work.
Target unmet needs with long-term solutions - CFMT explicitly seeks proposals addressing currently unmet community needs through sustainable, long-term approaches rather than temporary fixes.
Smaller organizations are prioritized - With explicit prioritization of organizations with budgets under $5 million, smaller nonprofits have a competitive advantage, though larger organizations remain eligible.
Think partnership, not permanent funding - The shift to fewer, larger grants signals CFMT's interest in deeper partnerships. However, avoid seeking continuous funding year after year—demonstrate how CFMT support will help you build toward sustainability.
Align with CEO priorities - Proposals serving marginalized communities or addressing housing, homelessness, and economic advancement align with CEO Hal Cato's stated priorities and may receive favorable consideration.
Reapplication is encouraged - If declined, you can reapply immediately the following year with no penalty or waiting period. The foundation emphasizes that declination is not a reflection on program value—they simply receive more worthy requests than available resources.

References

Information accessed December 2025