Tennessee grants
Grants for Tennessee nonprofits, small businesses, schools and towns: state programs first, then national programs you can apply for from Tennessee.
- 2 open
- 2 rolling
- 0 upcoming
- Next deadline November 6, 2026
Small business grants in Tennessee
- Closes06 NOV
Southern SARE Producer Grant
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education · Small businesses, Individuals
Grants for farmers in the Southern region to run on-farm projects: $20,000 for one farmer, $25,000 for a farmer group.
- Closes07 DEC
Small Business Digital Ready grants
Verizon · Small businesses
$10,000 grants for U.S. for-profit small businesses that take free courses or events on Verizon's Digital Ready platform. Ten businesses are picked each month.
- ApplyANYTIME
Amber Grant
WomensNet · Small businesses
Monthly grants for women-owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada, with a larger year-end grant, from WomensNet. One short application covers every grant.
Grants for nonprofits in Tennessee
- Closes31 OCT
New World Screwworm direct support grant
ASPCA · Nonprofits
Emergency ASPCA grants for preventing and treating screwworm in dogs, cats and horses, part of up to $500,000 in funding.
- Closes13 NOV
Southern SARE On-Farm Research Grant
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education · Colleges, Nonprofits
Grants for agricultural professionals (extension, researchers, NGOs) running research on working farms in the Southern region.
- Closes13 NOV
TD Charitable Foundation regional grants
TD Bank · Nonprofits
Grants of $5,000 and up for nonprofits in TD Bank's footprint, decided in rounds through the year.
Tennessee and regional programs
- Closes06 NOV
Southern SARE Producer Grant
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education · Small businesses, Individuals
Grants for farmers in the Southern region to run on-farm projects: $20,000 for one farmer, $25,000 for a farmer group.
- Closes13 NOV
Southern SARE On-Farm Research Grant
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education · Colleges, Nonprofits
Grants for agricultural professionals (extension, researchers, NGOs) running research on working farms in the Southern region.
- ApplyANYTIME
Fund Tennessee (SSBCI)loan
State of Tennessee · Small businesses
Tennessee's small business capital program: InvestTN equity, LendTN loans and AssistTN technical help. Financing, not grants.
- ApplyANYTIME
Publix Super Markets Charities
Publix · Nonprofits, Schools
Grants for youth, education, hunger and homelessness from schools and 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the eight states Publix serves.
- StatusVARIES
Placemakers Entrepreneurship Grants
State of Tennessee · Local governments, Nonprofits
Tennessee grants to communities that train and support local entrepreneurs and small business owners.
- Closed28 AUG
Tennessee Downtown Improvement Grant
State of Tennessee · Local governments, Nonprofits
Grants of up to $300,000 for Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtowns communities, including façade work on for-profit and nonprofit commercial buildings.
National grants open in Tennessee
Company, foundation and federal programs open to organizations in any state.
- Closes31 OCT
New World Screwworm direct support grant
ASPCA · Nonprofits
Emergency ASPCA grants for preventing and treating screwworm in dogs, cats and horses, part of up to $500,000 in funding.
- Closes13 NOV
TD Charitable Foundation regional grants
TD Bank · Nonprofits
Grants of $5,000 and up for nonprofits in TD Bank's footprint, decided in rounds through the year.
- Closes29 NOV
Cities Deliver: AI Solutions for Public Services
Rockefeller Foundation · Nonprofits
Grants of $500,000 to $2 million for nonprofits working with a city government to pilot or expand an AI tool for public services, with the OpenAI Foundation.
- Closes07 DEC
Small Business Digital Ready grants
Verizon · Small businesses
$10,000 grants for U.S. for-profit small businesses that take free courses or events on Verizon's Digital Ready platform. Ten businesses are picked each month.
- Closes31 DEC
Spark Good Local Grants
Walmart · Nonprofits, Schools, Local governments, Churches
Cash grants from a local Walmart store, Sam's Club or distribution center for projects that serve the same community.
- Closes05 FEB
GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant
KidsGardening · Nonprofits, Schools, Local governments, Colleges
Garden grants for nonprofits, school districts, colleges and public bodies whose garden serves at least 15 young people.
- ApplyANYTIME
ALDI Community Gift Card Program
ALDI · Nonprofits, Schools
ALDI gift cards for local 501(c)(3) nonprofits and schools working on children's education, arts, athletics or food insecurity. Its larger Impact Grants are by invitation.
- ApplyANYTIME
Amber Grant
WomensNet · Small businesses
Monthly grants for women-owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada, with a larger year-end grant, from WomensNet. One short application covers every grant.
- ApplyANYTIME
Beyond Words disaster relief for school libraries
Dollar General · Schools, Libraries
Help for K-12 public school libraries rebuilding after a natural disaster, fire or act of terrorism.
- ApplyANYTIME
Community Possible grants
U.S. Bank · Nonprofits
U.S. Bank Foundation grants for work, home and play: workforce and small business programs, housing, and arts and recreation in its markets.
- ApplyANYTIME
Costco charitable giving
Costco · Nonprofits
Cash donations to 501(c)(3) organizations working on children, education, and health and human services where Costco does business.
- ApplyANYTIME
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grants
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation · Local governments, Nonprofits
Lifesaving equipment and resources for fire departments, EMS, police and other public safety organizations, awarded every quarter.
- ApplyANYTIME
Good Sports equipment grants
Good Sports · Nonprofits, Schools
New sports equipment, apparel and footwear for organized youth sports programs in high-need communities; 501(c)(3) status isn't required.
- ApplyANYTIME
Google Ad Grants
Google · Nonprofits
Up to $10,000 a month in Google search ads for qualifying charities, used to promote their own mission, programs and donation pages.
- ApplyANYTIME
Inquiries and open calls
Mellon Foundation · Nonprofits, Colleges, Libraries
Mellon funds the arts, humanities and higher learning, mostly by invitation. Humanities in Place and the Monuments Project take inquiries on a rolling basis.
- ApplyANYTIME
KaBOOM! community-built playspaces
KaBOOM! · Nonprofits, Schools, Local governments
KaBOOM! helps communities plan, design and build a new playground, sports court or nature play area with funding partners, in the metro areas where it is currently taking applicants.
- ApplyANYTIME
Letter of inquiry
W.K. Kellogg Foundation · Nonprofits, Tribes, Schools, Local governments
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation takes letters of inquiry all year for work on children, families and communities, with no fixed cycles.
- ApplyANYTIME
Microsoft for Nonprofits grants
Microsoft · Nonprofits
Donated and discounted software for eligible nonprofits: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, discounted Business Premium, and a $2,000 yearly Azure credit.
- ApplyANYTIME
PetSmart Charities Disaster Response grants
PetSmart Charities · Nonprofits
Grants for animal welfare and human service groups with pet programs responding to state or federally declared disasters.
- ApplyANYTIME
PNC Foundation Grow Up Great grants
PNC · Nonprofits, Schools
Grants for early learning from birth to age five where most children come from low- to moderate-income families, in communities where PNC has a large presence.
Showing 20 of 35, soonest first. The grant finder lists the rest.
Federal grants that reached Tennessee in 2025
Awards to Tennessee nonprofits and small businesses from October 2024 to September 2025, from USAspending.gov.
| Program | Awarded |
|---|---|
| Head Start 93.600 | $197 million |
| Cardiovascular Diseases Research 93.837 | $70 million |
| Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research 93.855 | $66 million |
| Aging Research 93.866 | $43 million |
| Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research 93.847 | $41 million |
| Health Center Program 93.224 | $40 million |
| Cancer Cause and Prevention Research 93.393 | $36 million |
| National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences 93.350 | $22 million |
| Recipient | Awarded |
|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $375 million |
| St Jude Children'S Research Hospital INC | $111 million |
| Porter-Leath | $45 million |
| Family Resource Agency INC | $20 million |
| Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency, INC. | $18 million |
| City of Chattanooga | $15 million |
| Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency, INC. | $14 million |
| North West Tennessee Economic Development Council | $13 million |
| Program | Awarded |
|---|---|
| Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships 47.084 | $7 million |
| Clean Energy Demonstrations 81.255 | $4 million |
| Cardiovascular Diseases Research 93.837 | $2.5 million |
| Renewable Energy Research and Development 81.087 | $2.4 million |
| Inflation Reduction Act Landscape Scale Restoration 10.731 | $2 million |
| Vision Research 93.867 | $1 million |
| Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research 93.855 | $979,138 |
| Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 93.865 | $906,335 |
Questions
Are there Tennessee grants to start a business?
Grants to start a business are rare in every state. Tennessee's programs below mostly help existing businesses (training, exports, expansion) or go through local partners and towns. For startup money, look at the loan programs listed and free advising at a Small Business Development Center.
Where do Tennessee nonprofits find state grants?
State agencies post their own grant programs, and the Tennessee programs below link to each one. Federal money often reaches Tennessee nonprofits through state agencies too: the table of fiscal 2025 awards shows which programs paid out the most.
Do I have to pay to apply for a grant?
No. Real grant programs never charge to apply or to receive an award. Anyone asking for a fee before you get grant money is running a scam.