Photo courtesy of Rick Wood

The Benwood Foundation Community Grants

Photo courtesy of Matt McCelland

Community Grants

The Benwood Foundation believes that one aspect of its role is to provide opportunities for creativity and innovation on the part of organizations in the community. While the Foundation believes that its focus area grants will address issues of critical concern to the future of Hamilton County, it recognizes that other issues and needs will arise. It further recognizes that these issues and needs may be identified by others in the community. Community Grants will be made in response to proposals submitted to the Foundation, in accordance with its published guidelines.

 

The Community Grantmaking area will also provide support for Capital Campaigns. Organizations contemplating a Capital Campaign and desiring Foundation support are encouraged to discuss the campaign with Foundation staff prior to making application. Capital support to an organization will not exceed $50,000 for any campaign. In keeping with the Foundation's environmental commitment, building projects that will obtain LEED certification will be eligible for $100,000. For more information on LEED certification, visit the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

Before submitting your application, please contact Lori Quillen at

423-785-4229 or lquillen@benwood.org.

 

Please read the guidelines carefully to ensure you meet the criteria.

 

 


Grants Awarded

 

2010

 

The Bethlehem Center

Chattanooga, TN

$12,250

For the Raised Urban Gardens and Health Initiative project, establishing community gardens in the Alton Park neighborhood.

 

Blood Assurance, Inc.

Chattanooga, TN

$25,000

For assistance in the purchase of Automated Donor Testing Equipment.

 

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, Inc.

Chattanooga, TN

$30,000

For renovations to the building on McCallie Avenue.

 

Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Challenges and Opportunities Fund.

 

East Ridge Revitalization Program, Inc.

East Ridge, TN

$5,000

For assistance in the purchase of a bus for East Ridge Academy's after school and summer programs. 

 

The Next Door

Chattanooga, TN

$35,000

For the development of Next Door Chattanooga's Transitional Residential Program, serving women re-entering the community from incarceration.

 

Public Education Foundation

Chattanooga, TN

$2,500

For the Principal Leadership Academy, a program designed to help mentor and prepare assistant school principals to take over the job of principal.

 

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Chattanooga, TN

$35,000

For house refurbishment and replacement of the computer and phone system, a part of the 20-Year Refurbishment Project.

 

Stop the Madness National, Inc.

Chattanooga, TN

$20,000

For the Summer Enrichment Camp, designed to create an empowering experience for young people through a series of activities and educational field trips.

 

Tennessee Aquarium

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the conversion of a saltwater tank into freshwater for the Disappearing River Giants Freshwater Conservation Exhibit.

 

United Way of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the 2010 Annual Campaign.

 

Urban League of Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$35,000

For the Friends-in-Training for Life (FIT for Life) Program, focused on combatting obesity at urban elementary schools through fitness and nutrition classes for children and parents.

 

Wally's Friends

Chattanooga, TN

$10,000

For Spay it Away, a high quality spay/neuter clinic addressing the problems of pet overpopulation.

 

 

2009

 

A Better Tomorrow

Chattanooga, TN

$25,000

For Creative Hearts Child Enrichment, an after school program for at risk students in five high poverty schools.

 

Chattanooga Community Kitchen

Chattanooga, TN

$30,000

For program expansion.

 

Chattanooga Police Department

Chattanooga, TN

$18,700

For the Child Identification Program in the Crime Prevention Unit.

 

Church of the Firstborn

Chattanooga, TN

$10,000

For the M.V.P. After School Tutoring Program.

 

Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Challenges and Opportunities Fund.

 

Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$1,500

For the Non-Profit Effectiveness Seminar.

 

Interfaith Homeless Network

Chattanooga, TN

$100,000

For the Capital Campaign to build a family day center for homeless families.

 

Legal Aid of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$20,000

For the Unemployment Transition Project, building capacity to provide civil legal services to Hamilton County's growing jobless population.

 

Metropolitan Ministries

Chattanooga, TN

$20,000

For direct client assistance with homeless communities in Chattanooga.

 

Open Arms Care Foundation

Chattanooga, TN

$9,600

For sensory equipment and materials for the Sensory Stimulation Room.

 

Salvation Army

Chattanooga, TN

$5,000

For the relocation feasibility study.

 

Scenic Land School

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For general operating support.

 

Signal Centers, Inc.

Chattanooga, TN

$20,000

For the Arts Capital Campaign for a therapeutic playground.

 

Siskin Children's Institute

Chattanooga, TN

$100,00

For the Capital Campaign for a new Behavioral and Developmental Pediatric Clinic.

 

Tennessee Aquarium

Chattanooga, TN

$150,000

For the Jellies: Living Art - Bringing Art and Science Together Capital Campaign.

 

United Way of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the 2009 Annual Campaign.

 

Volunteers in Medicine

Chattanooga, TN

$32,000

For program expansion in offering medical services to financially eligible individuals and families of Hamilton County who otherwise have no access to health care.

 

Friends of the Zoo Inc.

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Argentine Jaguar acquisition.

 

 

2008

 

A Better Tomorrow

Chattanooga, TN

$23,000

For the In-School Life Skill Development and Mentoring Program, to give at-risk youth the tools they need to make rational, responsible decisions.

 

American Cancer Society of Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$14,300

For Transportation Assistance Programs.

 

Chattanooga Cares

Chattanooga, TN

$17,000

For Electronic Medical Records.

 

Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation

Chattanooga, TN

$15,400

For the Oak Project, to furnish and equip rooms and office space in the Oak House.

 

Chattanooga Community Kitchen

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the 25th Anniversary Capital Campaign for Day Center, Worker's Shelter and Respite Space.

 

Chattanooga Rescue Mission

Chattanooga, TN

$250,000

For the acquisition of Senter School Building.

 

Children's Advocacy Center

Chattanooga, TN

$17,500

For the Prevention Education and Awareness Program.

 

College Access Center

Chattanooga, TN

$20,000

For the Camp College program, to help rising seniors from Hamilton County with the college application and financial aid processes.

 

Humane Educational Society

Chattanooga, TN

$35,000

For the Getting to Zero Capital Campaign, to reduce euthanasia of treatable, adoptable and trainable animals.

 

Lookout Mountain Conservancy

Lookout Mountain, TN

$17,095

For the Environmental Education Program, "Land Protection through Consercation Education."

 

Open Arms Care Foundation

Nashville, TN

$5,000

For the Client Computer Lab Program, making a positive difference in the lives of people with disabilities.

 

Orange Grove Center

Chattanooga, TN

$250,000

For the Capital Campaign for campus renovation.

 

Salvation Army

Chattanooga, TN

$75,000

For the renovation of the organization's 40-year-old swimming pool.

 

Salvation Army

Chattanooga, TN

$5,000

For a feasibility study to assess the former Farmers' Market site for relocation purposes.

 

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

$50,000

For the Capital Campaign for new nursing building.

 

United Way of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$125,000

For the Annual Campaign, for long-term asset development and for operational support.

 

University of Tennessee Hamilton County Extension Service

Chattanooga, TN

$3,900

For capacity building, to expand the number of patient visits while adding orthopedic screening program in conjunction with Project Access.

 

Wally's Friends

Chattanooga, TN

$20,000

For Ending Pet Overpopulation, a program providing free spay and neuter services to low-income families.

 

WTCI - TV 45

Chattanooga, TN

$15,000

For the Ready to Learn Program, providing parents, teachers and caregivers in the Tennessee Valley with public television resources that help children develop a lifelong love of learning.

 

 

2007

 

Association for Visual Artists

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Capital Campaign for New Media Iniative.

 

Chattanooga Chamber Foundation

Chattanooga, TN

$25,000

For Chattanooga CANDO, a program accelerating economic development through partnerships between public and private entities.

 

Chattanooga Endeavors

Chattanooga, TN

$25,000

For CEI works, a program providing readiness training and supportive job search services for job seekers with felony convictions.

 

Chattanooga Nature Center

Chattanooga, TN

$35,000

For environmental education in Hamilton County Schools.

 

Chattanooga State

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For Chattanooga State's Capital Campaign for the Health Science Center, a state-of-the-art facility offering the broadest array of health-related programs in the Chattanooga region.

 

Fortwood Center

Chattanooga, TN

$200,000

For the Capital Campaign for the Fortwood Children's Center.

 

Hospice of Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Capital Campaign for a new Community Bereavement and Palliative Center.

 

Ladies of Charity of Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Capital Campaign for the Resale Store renovation project, a low-cost shopping alternative for those with modest incomes and sources of items to assist those in need.

 

Little Miss Mag Child Care Center

Chattanooga, TN

$100,000

For the Capital Campaign to create a new Little Miss Mag daycare center, sell the existing facility and move into a new development project on Walnut Street.

 

On Point: Direction for Life

Chattanooga, TN

$10,000

For the CORE Abstinence Education Program and Road to Excellence programs, providing teens with the skills to make smart decisions about life.

 

Teen Challenge

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Teen Challenge Capital Campaign: Building Hope in the Lives of Others.

 

Tennessee Aquarium

Chattanooga, TN

$100,000

For the Capital Campaign for Penguin's Rock, an interactive exhibit featuring two species of cold climate penguins.

 

United Way of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$125,000

For the 2007 Annual Campaign and for long-term asset development.

 

University of Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH

$20,000

For the Chapin-Thomas Scholars.

 

 

2006

 

AIM Center

Chattanooga, TN

$100,000

For the Capital Campaign, to relocate the organization to 402 West MLK Boulevard.

 

Animal Care Trust McKamey Animal Care & Adoption Center

Chattanooga, TN

$100,000

For the Capital Campaign, setting a high standard in animal welfare to increase the quality of life for both the community's human and animal population.

 

Chattanooga Community Kitchen

Chattanooga, TN

$29,450

For updating the sprinkler system to meet fire codes and regulations.

 

Chattanooga Drum & Bugle Corps

Chattanooga, TN

$14,450

For the Drums and Bugle Corps Color-Guard Unit.

 

Children's Advocacy Center

Chattanooga, TN

$17,500

For the Prevention Education Awareness Program, serving children who are victims of abuse through prevention, education and intervention.

 

College Access Center

Chattanooga, TN

$25,000

For the school-based College Advisor Program, placing trained college advisors in every public high school in Hamilton County to increase the number of students who pursue postsecondary education.

 

Community Impact

Chattanooga, TN

$150,000

For projects improving the quality of life in participating neighborhoods through support of neighborhood associations and partnerships with key organizations.

 

Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park

Chattanooga, TN

$45,000

For the purchase of two parcels of private property at the gateway to Moccasin Bend National Archeological District.

 

Friends of the Zoo, Inc.

Chattanooga, TN

$85,000

For the Zoo Debut Front Entrance Campaign, opening new doors to the community with an improved entrance complex featuring a gift shop, ticketing area, concessions pavilion, antique carousel, and extra exhibit and event space.

 

Habitat for Humanity

Chattanooga, TN

$75,000

For the construction of houses for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

 

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Chattanooga, TN

$50,000

For the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a 40-foot, state-of-the-art mobile dentist office providing dental treatment to children in Chattanooga and surrounding counties.

 

Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation

Chattanooga, TN

$100,000

For the Capital Campaign, dedicated to addressing the spiritual and emotional meeds of patients facing life-altering challenge and change.

 

United Way of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

$125,000

For the 2006 Annual Campaign and for long-term asset development.

 

Volunteers in Medicine

Chattanooga, TN

$33,500

For capacity building, to expand patient visits by 20% in 2007 while adding three new specialties.