Funding Guidelines

The Frist Foundation makes a handful of grants each year at its own initiative, the most significant of which is to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Support for the Frist Center accounted for more than one-third of our $15 million in grant distributions in 2015.

The Foundation also allocates more than $100,000 each year for the Frist Foundation Awards of Achievement, which are distributed through the Center for Nonprofit Management to organizations that best exemplify excellence in nonprofit management. In 2019, the Foundation distributed over $400,000 through a Technology Grant Program to help organizations assess their technology strategies and implement more effective, efficient systems.

The Foundation provides annual support to several organizations that serve multiple nonprofit agencies in the Nashville area. These organizations, which we see as vital to supporting Nashville's nonprofit community, include the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, the Center for Nonprofit Management, Hands on Nashville, the Community Resource Center and the Young Leaders Council.

Other than these grants, The Frist Foundation's funding focuses on strengthening the capital, managerial and technological infrastructure of organizations with strong track records, particularly those serving the community's most vulnerable populations. In addition, the Foundation has a special interest in enhancing Nashville's unique community assets and in helping agencies with strong track records develop new revenue streams.