Operating Grant

Operating Grants provide unrestricted funds for nonprofits that have already received 3 years of grants from The Healing Trust. These nonprofits have organizational and financial strength and have received a grant from The Trust within the last 12 months. Grant size is based on the budgeted operating expenses of the agency.

AGENCY BUDGET SIZE
$500,000 – $999,999
$1M – $1,999,999
$2M and above

MAX REQUEST AMOUNT
$40,000
$49,500
$63,000

Request amounts must follow the guidelines based on the size of the agency’s budget (operating expenses) for the most current budget year and cannot exceed $63,000. Grants are awarded for one-year terms and applicants cannot apply for a Transom and Operating Grant within the same year.

In addition to meeting our general eligibility requirements, Operating Grant applicants must also:

Have an established relationship with The Trust:

Agency has at least three full years of previous grant funding history with The Trust. The three years do not have to be consecutive.
Agency has received a grant from The Trust within the previous 12 months.
Agency met or exceeded outcomes and complied with all reporting procedures with previous grants.

Have a mission that aligns with The Trust’s mission:

Agency provides compassionate health services to the vulnerable in Middle Tennessee.
At least 51% of the agency’s clients must live within the geographical area funded by The Trust. These clients must also have low incomes.
The majority of the agency’s programs must be health services. These programs must produce measurable, positive health outcomes within one of The Trust’s areas of interest or include efforts to increase access to compassionate health care.

Have demonstrated organizational sustainability and stable financial position:

Agency had revenues (excluding in-kinds) of $500,000 or more in their most recent year of operation.
Agency must have received an unqualified audit for the prior two years. The agency must provide any letters from their auditors which communicate material weaknesses and/or significant deficiencies in the agency’s internal controls.

1. Application Details

Deadlines

The Operating Grant does not have a preliminary application. The full application is due on the Full Proposal Deadline.

Full Application

The application times out every 15 minutes, so we recommend that you cut, paste, answer, and save the following questions in a Word document. After you have answered all the questions, please paste your final version into the online grant application. Please note that there are other questions on the application that require you to select an answer from a drop-down menu.

Please list the name, title, annual salary, and racial/ethnic identity of each member of your agency’s leadership team. Please also include a brief biographical sketch of each leadership team member. Limit response to 300 words.
Please include your organization’s statement of inclusiveness which indicates that services are provided without discrimination. This should be more than just your organization’s hiring practices. Limit response to 100 words.

Organization Information

Enter the contact information for your organization, including name, mailing address, phone, and fax (optional), as well as a 100-word description of your organization and its mission.
Enter the name of the primary contact for this request.
Enter the name of your organization’s Executive Director/President or CEO
Please list the staff member that handles media and communications.
Please enter the full name of the person who will be the organization’s board chair on the start date of the grant term.

Common Application

Please describe any significant changes within the organization in the last year. Examples of major changes include rebranding, new programming, organizational policy change, change of major funding sources, and staff transition. Limit response to 500 words.
What are your organization’s overall goals for the upcoming year? Your response to this question should include a description of your top strategic initiatives for the upcoming year. Limit response to 400 words.
How many individuals will be served by your organization in the upcoming year? Please break the numbers down by the target population and/or program. Limit response to 400 words.
What emerging trends, changes in the community, and/or changes in your service area do you anticipate impacting your work in the grant term and beyond? Examples include shifts in the political climate, changes in client needs, improvements in the clinical landscape, etc. Limit response to 600 words.
What is the biggest challenge faced by your organization? (500-word limit) Please consider challenges from the previous year and those you anticipate during the grant term. We understand fundraising is typically a challenge for nonprofits. Please only describe fundraising challenges if they are unusual or unexpected, such as the loss of a major funding source. Limit response to 500 words.

Outcomes

Please list the measurable outcomes that your organization hopes to accomplish in the upcoming year. Your outcomes should be measurable, and at least 50% of your stated outcomes should have positive health implications. Please use The Trust’s outcome format: Of 500 patients with diabetes, 350 (70%), will have an A1C of 9 or less by the end of the project period. Limit your response to 250 words.

Required Attachments

Current Financial Statements (Unaudited Profit and Loss Statement) Please include aggregate year to date data rather than month by month statements. Profit & Loss or Statement of Activities for the year to date period that should 1) show at least six months of activity and should 2) be through the most recently completed quarter or the prior quarter.
Current Financial Statement (Unaudited Balance Sheet) Balance Sheet or Statement of Financial Position current for the most recently completed month or the prior month (from the full proposal deadline.)
Organization Chart with employee titles and names (Please upload your chart as a pdf file)
Letter(s) of Support from Collaborative Partners. These letters are required for new Operating applicants. They are optional and not necessary for recurring Operating applicants
Report on any internal control related matters identified in the financial audit. (Note: This is a separate letter to the Board of Directors not included in your audit, often called the Management Letter).

Please contact Meredith Benton for questions about Operating Grants that address healing from abuse, neglect, and violence at (615)284-8271 ext 116.

Please contact Catherine Smith for questions about Operating Grants that address mental health and recovery from substance abuse at (615)284-8271 ext 121.

Please contact Jennifer Oldham for questions about Operating Grants that address physical health at (615)284-8271 ext 114.

How are these grants evaluated?

We evaluate Operating Grants based on responses to the following questions.

1. Does this agency benefit the health of individuals through near-term direct services or through longer-term structural enhancement efforts?

2. Do the values and mission of this agency coincide with the mission and values of The Trust to promote compassionate, holistic healthcare?

3. Does this agency focus on the health needs of underprivileged population(s)?

4. Does this agency address existing deficiency (ies) within the community?

5. Does this agency have clear, measurable and realistic outputs and outcomes and does the agency have a reasonable, current strategic plan?

6. Does this agency work collaboratively within the community to ensure that needed services are delivered in the most effective manner?

7. Does the agency appear to be sustainable and the organization financially viable if The Trust funding were to end?

8. Are the infrastructure and leadership present for the agency to succeed?

Final Report Questions

Operating grantees are required to submit a final report. The following questions are included in that report. To submit your final report, please log in to your account and select “requirements.”

Please list your progress towards your approved grant outcomes during the entire grant term. Please use the same format that you used in the application.

Did you meet your outcomes? If not, please explain why.

Please include a specific example or a story that illustrates how your agency is living out its mission through this work. Please use a new story or example from this grant period.

Required Attachments

Please submit the following documents with your Final Report:

1. The most recently prepared financial statements including a Profit & Loss statement and a Balance Sheet. The statements should be for the same time period and may be internally prepared. Profit & Loss statements should include at least six months of activity. If your most recent financial statements do not include at least six months of activity, please provide statements for your most recently completed fiscal year.

2. If your organization receives an audit, please upload its most recent audit to https://givingmatters.guidestar.org/

Click here for an example of the financial statements that are required.

Ready To Start?

Applicants must also meet our general eligibility criteria. You will need your agency’s Tax ID number to begin the application. Please remember to update and save after modifying any of the fields. We also suggest that you save your text in a Microsoft Word document as a backup.

Begin Your Application