• Community or faith-based organizations including advocacy groups, coalitions, neighborhood associations, community health centers and service providers in Bedford, Coffee, Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson, or Wilson County with 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Interested public agencies and organizations without 501(c)(3) status are encouraged to apply in partnership with an eligible 501(c)(3) organization that may serve as the fiscal agent. Academic institutions may be collaborators on projects but are not eligible to apply.  
• Selected organizations must complete a 1-hour training on the foundations of health equity. This training, called Seeds of Equity, provides a deeper understanding of health equity and the historical context of health inequities in Tennessee. 

Organizations may apply for up to $10,000. We anticipate one award recipient to be selected for each county. Organizations will only be funded for projects in one county (even if multiple applications are submitted).

Provide a description of: (~650 words) 

a. The proposed project and how the project aligns with one or more of the CHNA needs.

b. The demographics of the target population, what specific challenges and inequities the target population faces, and how the project will address these inequities.

c. At least two SMARTIE goals for your project that will be completed during the 1-year grant cycle. A definition and example of SMARTIE can be found below:

Provide a budget:

The maximum funding level is up to $10,000. Please use the budget template below to give an example of how funds will be used. The budget can be high level and will be refined for awardees asked to submit additional information. Funds may be used to support project activities such as costs related to salaries, hosting meetings and events, design/printing of materials, etc. but may not be used for operational support for existing projects and activities not directly related to the proposed initiative. If the application is for an existing project, please specify which activities the Community Health Equity mini-grant funds will support.  

Application Submission and Formatting:

All applications must be submitted online via REDCap by October 20, 2023 at 11:59 PM CST. The application submission link can be found here. If you are not able to submit via REDCap, please email Autumn Montgomery at autumn.montgomery@vumc.org for assistance. 

The selection of award recipients will be determined based on the following rubric.

Phase 2: Organizations that meet the initial application review criteria will be invited to a 45-minute virtual discussion between November 6th-17th on the outlined project to gain a deeper understanding of the project and the discuss the following questions:

• How the project promotes health equity
• The lead organization’s capacity to address the outlined goals and experience working with the target population.
• How the project moves beyond the individual level impact to also address policy or systems change
• Plans for sustaining the project beyond the funding period.
• Project budget justification and refinement

Following award acceptance, grantees may be asked to submit more information including evaluation plans for the project, a revised budget, etc.

Grantees will participate in a virtual meeting after the first 6-months to share project progress, accomplishments, and barriers. This meeting serves as the first report. A brief final report will be shared at the end of the 12-month grand period. Grantees are encouraged to include photos, fliers, or other information supporting the project's success in their reports. Grantees may also be asked to share project results in other community forums.

Information that will be required for reports include, but are not limited to:

• Progress towards achieving projects goals, outcomes, and activities
• Update on how the project is advancing health equity
• Plans for project sustainability 

A Q&A webinar will be held on September 28, 2023 to clarify the application requirements in detail and provide an opportunity to ask questions. For those unable to attend, please reach out to autumn.montgomery@vumc.org to request a recording of the webinar. The slides from the webinar can be found here.