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For over 50 years, the Community Foundation has helped people give with purpose, strengthening Memphis and the Mid-South.

We make giving easier and more impactful by matching your generosity with the causes and community you care about most.

We offer solutions and resources to donors and the professionals who advise them to help you give smarter and do more good.

We offer funding opportunities that helps nonprofits and students create positive change and build futures.

When you get involved with the Community Foundation, you join a group of people committed to Memphis’s future.

Learn more about the philanthropic hub that connects capital with the solutions that make our community thrive.

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About
Current theme
Eligibility
Application process FAQ

About GiVE 365 grants

GiVE 365’s informed and aware membership, a group of 290 members, makes grants annually to support nonprofits in the greater Memphis area. Grants are intended to address a theme, chosen each year by the GiVE 365 membership and announced in December.

  • Eligible organizations that have a project or program that fits the grant theme are invited to apply. 
  • GiVE 365 members review the submitted applications in teams, and the teams make thoughtful and objective recommendations for grant finalists based on grant criteria.
  • The grant finalists then present three-minute pitches about their proposals to the full membership at the Finals, an evening event in April.
  • Based on these pitches and the applications, members vote for their top grant finalists online to determine grant awards.

Grant awards are $7,500 on average, and members have typically chosen to make grants to multiple organizations. The total amount available to grant out varies year to year. Click here for examples of past themes and grants. 

Applicants are highly encouraged to attend an information session held in January each year. Scroll to the Application process FAQ to register for a session. 

2026 grant theme

The 2026 theme is Nourished Communities: Initiatives that build food access and community connection through homegrown solutions.

All 2026 funding proposals must follow this grant theme, regardless if an organization is seeking support for a specific project, program, or operating expenses. 

Logo for Nourished Communities featuring three abstract human figures in green and orange above stylized green leaves, reflecting the current theme, with the name written below in cursive and uppercase fonts.

Eligibility

  • Grants can only be made to 501(c)(3) organizations. Programs sponsored by fiscal agents* are welcome to apply, with a signed memorandum of understanding between the applicant and fiscal agent. Only one application per organization, including fiscal agents, may be submitted.
  • All applicants or fiscal agents MUST have a LIVEGIVEmidsouth profile in progress by the application deadline in order to meet the eligibility criteria.* See specific dates under Application process FAQ regarding submitting a new profile or updating an existing one. Programs sponsored by a fiscal agent must be listed under Programs on a LIVEGIVE profile.
  • Applicants are limited to organizations serving the greater Memphis area.

*Email Director of Community Aerial Ozuzu or call her at (901) 722-0022 before applying with a fiscal agent. The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis will not act as a fiscal agent. 

See nonprofit grants FAQ

Explore answers to commonly asked questions that help explain the Community Foundation’s grantmaking service area and process.

Learn more
Four young children sit at a table eating apples and snacks. Three of them are looking towards the camera while one looks to the side. Food items and paper bags are spread out on the table in front of them.

Application process FAQ

Understand dates, deadlines, and the decision-making process for GiVE 365 grants.

Optional information sessions will be offered January 15 and January 22, 2026, for interested grant applicants. The sessions will cover the grant theme, the process and requirements for application, and the expectations of grantees. REGISTER HERE 

Attendance is highly recommended but not mandatory. If you’re unable to attend an information session, you can access the recorded version HERE. Applicants who need to build a LIVEGIVEmidsouth.org profile or need assistance should email Director of Community Impact Aerial Ozuzu.

December 11, 2025: 2026 grant theme announced. Nonprofits should determine whether their program or project fits the grant theme before applying.

January 15, 2026: APPLY HERE online via the Grants portal. Click on the portal link to log in or register as a Grant Administrator for your organization to begin the application process.

February 6, 2026: Deadline for all applicants or fiscal agents to have a LIVEGIVEmidsouth profile in progress, in order to meet the eligibility criteria. If your nonprofit has not yet developed a profile, visit this page to create an account and begin the process. For assistance, email Community Impact Program Associate Randy Truong or call them at (901) 722-0020 for further assistance.

February 13, 2026: Deadline to submit a complete application via the Grants portal by 4:00 p.m. All applicants must have a LIVEGIVEmidsouth.org profile in progress by this deadline.

March 27, 2026: All applicants will be notified via email by this date whether or not their proposal has been selected by GiVE 365 member review teams to be a grant finalist. If selected, finalists are required to record a presentation for The Finals event.

April 2026 TBA: A representative for each grant finalist organization is required to participate at The Finals. 

May 2026 TBA: GiVE 365 members will vote online after The Finals, and grant awards will be announced.

Members of GiVE 365, the Community Foundation’s dollar-a-day giving circle, award the grants. GiVE 365 members review the submitted applications in teams, and the teams make thoughtful and objective recommendations for grant finalists based on grant criteria.

The grant finalists then present three-minute pitches about their proposals to the full membership at the Finals, an evening event in April. Based on these pitches and the applications, members vote for their top grant finalists online to determine grant awards.

All else being equal, the grant committee gives funding priority to the following.

Applications that:

  • Demonstrate the nonprofit’s programs align with its mission
  • Demonstrate how the organization’s board and staff effectively represent, involve, and sustain the population(s) it serves in its decision-making
  • The funding request clearly addresses the annual grant theme
  • Demonstrate how GiVE 365 funds will have a meaningful impact on the organization or program
  • Demonstrate how the project/program/organization will have positive effects on the communities/individuals it seeks to impact, and there is a clear method for measuring success.

Applicants that:

  • Are BIPOC-led by an Executive Director or CEO of color

Email Director of Community Impact Aerial Ozuzu or call her at (901) 722-0022 with any questions.

Organizations that are awarded a grant are required to complete two grant updates—a check-in by December 1 and a final report to be submitted no later than April 15. These and any other grant requirements are included in the organization’s grant contract.

Submit a written grant report through GranteeView


Once you have logged in, click on ‘Application Status & History’ in the portal’s navigation menu. Search for the application associated with your grant by updating the search date range to ‘Before [today’s date]’. Click on the associated application, and complete your reporting requirements listed in the Application Uploads table. 

If the person who initially submitted your organization’s application is NOT who will be the best contact throughout the grant term, email Director of Community Impact Aerial Ozuzu or call her at (901) 722-0022.