Responsive Grants

Maintaining stability in a time of uncertainty

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis continues our long-term commitments to Reforming the Housing and Justice Systems and Community Solutions, while also responding to the changing needs of nonprofits across our region. Responsive Grants were created after we paused to listen directly to local nonprofits about the conditions affecting their work. More than 100 organizations across the region responded to our 2025 survey, describing growing community needs alongside budget pressures, staffing challenges, and uncertainty in public and private funding.

Since then, many nonprofits have continued to navigate these pressures while also experiencing increased demand for services, funding reductions or delays, rising operating costs, workforce strain, and changing public policies and funding requirements.

What we heard continues to shape this grant opportunity:

• Some nonprofits are managing the cumulative effects of funding reductions, interruptions, policy shifts, and rising costs that have required difficult operational or service decisions.
• Others continue to operate with limited or unstable resources while responding to increasing or changing needs in the communities they serve.
• Flexible, general operating support remains critical, as organizations work to sustain services, support their workforce, adapt to changing conditions, and remain present for their communities.

Responsive Grants continue that response by providing flexible support grounded in the realities nonprofits and the communities they serve are navigating.

About Responsive Grants

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis is offering general operating support to stabilize nonprofits responding to both long-standing and emerging threats especially those serving communities that have been historically under-resourced, overlooked in public funding, or excluded from traditional philanthropic investment.

These grants are intended to help organizations continue essential services, sustain core operations, and maintain stability in a time of uncertainty. While we recognize that every nonprofit is navigating pressures, this opportunity is designed to support organizations working with and within the communities most impacted by harmful policy shifts, funding reductions, and widening public sector gaps.

There is approximately $500,000 available for 2027. The average Responsive Grant is expected to range between $20,000 and $25,000.

Application evaluation criteria

Because funding is limited, applications will be prioritized according to the urgency of the organization’s context and alignment with the purpose of this grant round. For funding consideration, an organization must demonstrate that it is either under threat, serving communities facing heightened risk, or working in ways that make visible the voices, needs, and experiences of those often ignored or erased.

Additional consideration will be given to organizations showing signs of organizational stamina and are doing what it takes to hold steady in uncertain conditions, especially those maintaining strong connections to the communities they serve.

Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Risk / Threat: The organization or the community it serves is facing significant challenges such as funding cuts or interruptions, rising costs, increased demand for services, harmful policy changes, increased scrutiny, or a history of exclusion from public and philanthropic investment.
• Voice / Visibility: The organization is elevating the stories, perspectives, or lived experiences of communities that are often overlooked or erased in the public sphere.
• Stamina: The organization demonstrates persistence and reliability in sustaining its work, adapting as needed, and staying present for its community despite unstable conditions.
• Services to Communities with Great Need: The organization’s mission and work are deeply connected to communities experiencing significant or growing barriers or inequities, with strong relationships and trust built over time.

If you are unsure whether your organization aligns with the goals of this grant opportunity, email Vice President of Community Impact Aerial Ozuzu or call her at (901) 722-0022 to discuss your eligibility or application approach.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Responsive Grant, your organization must have an in-progress profile on LIVEGIVEmidsouth. This profile must be published by the grant award date and maintained for the duration of the grant period. The in-progress LIVEGIVEmidsouth profile of eligible applicants will demonstrate that the organization:

• Has operated as a 501(c)(3) agency for the last two consecutive years or longer
• Operates in the Community Foundation’s service area: west Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and/or eastern Arkansas
• Is permitted by the Tennessee Secretary of State to solicit funds
• Has the last two years of 990’s and audits, if required
• Operates under sound financial management and is financially stable
• Has at least one paid staff member and stable, demonstrated board leadership
• Provides significant community impact in, has solid relationships with, and reflects the makeup of the communities it serves

The following organizations are NOT eligible to apply for funding:

• Individuals
• For-profit entities
• Private foundations
• Religious organizations

Register to learn more!

Application process & timeline

A complete application includes an in-progress LIVEGIVEmidsouth profile and application submitted via the Community Foundation’s online grant portal, GranteeView.