Calling All Leaders - Help Design the Future

Direct a $50,000 Grant for a Worthy Cause

We invite nonprofit leaders or engaged citizens with innovative ideas to attend our Building Collaborative Coalitions Workshop. Participants will then design the 2026 Make Lasting Connections grant round, funding $50,000 in a worthy cause or causes.

This year, the South Cumberland Community Fund is taking a new approach to its annual $50,000 Collaborative Grant program. Rather than simply funding partnerships, we're investing in building stronger, more effective collaborations that can create lasting, systemic change across the South Cumberland Plateau. As part of this effort, SCCF has engaged a national consultant to lead a Building Collaborative Coalitions Workshop on July 9–10 from 9-4. The collaborative leaders who emerge from the training will be well prepared to help us invest our grant funds.

The theme for this year's Collaborative Grant is informed by our recent Community Benchmarking initiative. Across the Plateau, one message rose to the top: residents want to see a stronger local economy.

Executive directors and nonprofit leaders often spend their days responding to immediate needs and managing countless responsibilities. Engaged citizens who want to lend their energy to building a better community sometimes do not know the best way to connect with others. This workshop is an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, partner with other leaders doing meaningful work across the Plateau, and think strategically about how we can address the root causes of our region's challenges together.

Participation in the workshop is required for organizations interested in applying for this year's "Make Lasting Connections" collaborative grant. Spaces are limited! Apply for the workshop here.

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Mandy Bouldin, MPA (she/her)

Director of Community Development 

931.598.1210

mandy.bouldin@sewanee.edu