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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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Available grants
Recently awarded grants
Nonprofit grants FAQ
Build a LIVEGIVEmidsouth profile
Sign up for LIVEGIVEmidsouth eNews
Staff contacts

Understanding our grantmaking

At the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, grantmaking reflects the many ways our community comes together to invest in what matters most. Our current grantmaking priorities and programs are carried out through several distinct pathways—each with its own focus, decision-makers, and timing.

  • The FOREVER Funds is the Community Foundation’s community-voiced, community-centered investment in Greater Memphis. Volunteer grant committees award grants that are responsive to the changing needs of our community and are guided by our Community Investment Principles.
  • GiVE 365, the Community Foundation’s dollar-a-day giving circle, awards grants annually advancing a theme chosen by its members, who also vote on the year’s grantees.
  • Most grants made through the Community Foundation are recommended by the people and organizations who established private, donor-advised funds here. Some of those donor funds open their application process to reach a broader network of potential applicants, with grant decisions made by the families themselves.

We encourage grantseekers to explore these different opportunities, understand how decisions are made, and check back regularly as priorities and availability shift. Together, these approaches help ensure that generosity across our community is thoughtful, responsive, and impactful.

Available Community Foundation grants

GiVE 365

Grant program supporting nonprofit projects advancing an annual theme, decided by GiVE 365 members. Applications open January, with awards announced in May.

Available donor fund grants

Lichterman Loewenberg Foundation Fund

Donor fund grant program supporting philanthropic investments aligned with the family’s mission and values, decided by the fund’s Executive Committee. Applications open January, with awards announced in the spring.

See nonprofit grants FAQ

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

Learn more
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Build a LIVEGIVEmidsouth profile

The first step your organization should take to work with the Community Foundation is to create a profile on the LIVEGIVEmidsouth community information system. An up-to-date profile is a key eligibility requirement to apply for any of our grant opportunities.

Get started
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Stay connected to nonprofit news

Sign up for the LIVEGIVEmidsouth eNewsletter for grant opportunities, trainings, and resources for nonprofits.

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Recently awarded grants

Responsive Grants

FOREVER Funds grant program supporting nonprofit stability, decided by our volunteer Strengthening Nonprofits Committee. Applications closed; 2025 awards were announced in December.

Community Solutions Grants

FOREVER Funds grant program supporting community-driven strategies, decided by our volunteer Community Initiatives Committee. Applications closed; multiyear awards were announced in December 2024.

Reforming the Housing & Justice Systems

FOREVER Funds grant program tackling root causes for transformational change, decided by our volunteer Community Initiatives Committee. Applications closed; multiyear awards were announced in December 2023.

Nonprofit Capacity Building

FOREVER Funds grant program supporting nonprofit effectiveness and efficiency, decided by our volunteer Strengthening Nonprofits Committee. Applications open September, with awards announced in December.

Rapid Response

FOREVER Funds grant program supporting nonprofits in community crises, decided by our volunteer Community Initiatives Committee. Fund activates during emergencies; applications are not currently open.

See recent grants

Learn where Community Foundation resources are going and how recent grants are advancing equity, opportunity, and sustained impact in our region.

View grants
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Here to help

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Aerial Ozuzu

Director of Community Impact

Grantmaking programs and GiVE 365

(901) 722-0022

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Vanessa Williams

Community Impact Manager

Scholarships and grantmaking committees

(901) 722-0032

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Randy Truong

Community Impact Program Associate

LIVEGIVEmidsouth and nonprofit relations

(901) 722-0039