In a nutshell, to be eligible for a Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee grant, the lead proposing organization must have the following credentials:

• Nonprofit status as an organized church, non-governmental 501(c)(3), or equivalent organization.
• Registered and in good standing to operate as a business in Tennessee. (Annual reports filed and up to date.) This is separate from a registration to solicit funds.
• Have a service reach in Knoxville/Knox County and the surrounding contiguous counties (Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Loudon, Roane, Sevier, and Union).
• Serves as the lead proposer on only one proposal each year. An organization can collaborate on multiple proposals but can be the budgetary lead on only one.
• Phase II winners from the previous year will not be eligible for consideration in the current year’s proposal cycle.

TRINITY requires all lead-proposing organizations to have a 501(c)(3) or equivalent status. While specific tasks within a project can be subcontracted to for-profit entities or be in partnership with government entities, their participation must be under the supervision of the 501(c)(3) bidder. Phase I grants are for planning and prototyping activities. They can include funds for labor, consultants, travel, overhead, and minimal materials, if needed, for the initial demonstration (no funds for capital or equipment, or operational expenses in Phase I).

Phase II grants are for implementation and can be used for a broad range of activities beyond Phase I, including, but not limited to, capital facilities, equipment, and training courses. TRINITY desires but does not require matching funds and/or in-kind support (volunteer labor, use of facilities, infrastructure development like software, databases, products and websites, promotion, etc.) for proposed efforts, particularly in Phase II. Only successful Phase I grantees will be able to propose for Phase II. TRINITY is a faith-based organization but will consider proposals from non-faith-based entities as long as there is no conflict with our mission.

TRINITY serves the contiguous 9-county region that borders and includes Knox County. We serve a broad demographic (age & gender) population and seek to reach all residents in our region without giving economic, age, gender, or racial preference in selecting projects, unless clearly stated in the specific initiative request for proposal.