Free funder guide · Tennessee · Last checked 27 September 2026
Which Tennessee environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in Tennessee have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 14 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in Tennessee that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Of the 86 Tennessee private foundations that take applications and made an environmental grant in their latest filing, 74 also gave to a church, ministry, YMCA, Christian school or another religious charity, and most of the rest either failed a full read of their grants or do not really fund conservation. So this list leans on state programs, public funders and community foundations.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In Tennessee, 366 of the 519 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets that I could check tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 71%.
That leaves 153 larger Tennessee foundations that say they will read an application. It is a lower share of closed doors than in Georgia (76%, 615 of 812), and the same share as in Virginia (71%, 586 of 820) and North Carolina (71%, 509 of 718), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with a Tennessee address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (almost all for tax years 2024 or 2025). There are 521; 2 had no e-filed return I could find, so they are left out of the count. Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. Counting them too gives 71% (403 of 565).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
14 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in Tennessee.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 27 Sept 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm firstCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation: Stream and Wetland Restoration Grant
Nashville · statewide, near the watersheds named in its manual
Stream and wetland restoration paid for with natural resource damages the state recovered through enforcement. Projects must sit near one of the HUC 12 watersheds in its manual (for example the Little Harpeth River, South Harpeth River, Little River Middle Prong and Falling Water River headwaters) and be protected permanently by easement or deed restriction. Nonprofit corporations can apply.
Typical grant
$20,000 to $250,000 per project, up to $400,000 across the 2026 round, with at least a 20% match (2026 program manual).
Next deadline
2026 round: August 3 to September 30, 2026 Verified. After that, check its page for the next round.
How to apply
Pre-proposal through the TDEC Online Grants System (narrative, letters of commitment, budget and budget justification).
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation: Oak Ridge Reservation Natural Resource Restoration Grants
Nashville · Clinch and Tennessee River watersheds in Anderson, Roane, Loudon and Knox counties
Second round of a $42 million restoration fund for damage from historic contamination at the Oak Ridge Reservation: habitat creation, restoration and preservation, invasive species removal, groundwater improvements, trails, boat launches and land conserved for public access. Nonprofits are eligible; projects must fall in the HUC 12 watersheds named in the request for proposals.
Typical grant
Up to $12 million available across all projects in this round, with at least a 20% match (its program manual).
Next deadline
Opens October 19, 2026; submissions due January 22, 2027, 4 p.m. CST Verified. A pre-proposal is required.
How to apply
Pre-proposal through the TDEC Grants Management System, following the Restoration Project Selection Procedure manual. Questions to [email protected].
Permanent protection of land by purchase or conservation easement for recreation, natural, cultural and historic resources and working landscapes. Projects with partners, strong leverage, or links to existing conservation land score higher. Land trusts apply directly: its July 2026 agenda reviewed projects from Lookout Mountain Conservancy, TennGreen Land Conservancy and the Land Trust for Tennessee. The law behind the board expires June 30, 2028.
Typical grant
Not published. Every funding source and the date it will be secured must be named in the application.
Next deadline
Applications are due about a month before each quarterly board meeting; the last posted deadline was September 14, 2026 for the October 13, 2026 meeting. Next about mid-December 2026 for a January 2027 meeting Expected; 2027 dates are not posted yet.
How to apply
Application form CN-1276 by email to [email protected], with the draft easement for easement projects.
Tennessee Department of Agriculture: Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants
Nashville · statewide
Federal Clean Water Act money for projects that clean up streams impaired by runoff, based on an approved watershed plan (small grants can pay to write one), plus education projects. Nonprofits are eligible.
Typical grant
Covers up to 60% of project cost; the 40% match can be in-kind (its site). Nonprofit awards in its 2025 annual report: WaterWays $312,000 (Mountain Creek watershed), Cumberland River Compact $142,000 (Brown's Creek restoration) and $58,020 (River Friendly Farms), Wolf River Conservancy $26,000 (educational signage).
Next deadline
About December 1, 2026 Expected. The fiscal 2026 proposals were due December 1, 2025; the fiscal 2027 request for proposals is not posted yet.
How to apply
Proposal on its template following the annual request for proposals. Contact Heidi McIntyre-Wilkinson, program manager.
Tennessee Division of Forestry: Urban and Community Forestry Grants
Nashville · statewide
Two tree grants open to nonprofits: Community Tree Planting (TAEP), which can also plant riparian land and public-access nonprofit land, and Urban and Community Forestry Assistance, for planting, canopy planning, tree-board and nonprofit capacity, and workforce training.
Typical grant
Tree planting $500 to $20,000 with a 50/50 cash match; Urban and Community Forestry Assistance $5,000 to $40,000 (its site).
Next deadline
No round is open on its portal as of September 27, 2026 Check site. The 2025 tree planting round ran August 20 to September 30, 2025.
How to apply
Online through the Division of Forestry's Submittable portal when a round is open. Contact Ashley Kite-Rowland.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation: Recreational Trails Program
Nashville · statewide, publicly owned land
Federal trail money for trail building, rehabilitation, trailheads and trail land. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) groups can apply if they have a written trail management agreement with a government agency, and the land must be publicly owned.
Typical grant
2026 maximum request $392,000 on a $490,000 project (its 2026 workshop slides). Its 2025 award list includes Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (Spruce Flats Falls trail rehabilitation).
Next deadline
About January 2027 for the intent-to-apply step Expected. The 2026 cycle required an intent to apply by January 14, 2026 and a full application by April 1, 2026.
How to apply
Intent to apply, then a full application, in the TDEC Grants Management System. Contact [email protected].
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration
Washington, DC · Tennessee priority: Memphis, Nashville, Alcoa and Blount, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Sevier, Bradley and Hamilton counties
Community partnerships that restore wetlands, streams and urban habitat, with local residents involved in the work. The 2026 request for proposals named Memphis (tree canopy), Nashville (migratory birds) and seven East Tennessee counties as priority locations.
Typical grant
$30,000 to $150,000, 30 to 40 grants a year, with at least a 1:0.75 non-federal match (2026 request for proposals).
Next deadline
About early June 2027 Expected. The 2026 full proposals were due June 4, 2026; the 2027 request is not posted yet.
How to apply
Full proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system. Partnerships with several local partners are expected.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Cumberland Plateau and Southern Appalachian Stewardship Fund
Washington, DC · Cumberland Plateau and Southern Appalachian Tennessee
Forest and freshwater habitat restoration in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, with limited funding for the Southern Appalachians. Nonprofits are eligible.
Typical grant
$250,000 to $750,000 with at least a 1:1 non-federal match (2025 request for proposals). Tennessee examples: Duck River Conservancy $282,600 (landowner outreach in the lower Duck River watershed, its 2025 grant slate); Cumberland River Compact $182,426 (abandoned mine lands) and Tennessee Aquarium $41,690 (fish passage barriers on the Cumberland Plateau), from NFWF's latest filing.
Next deadline
No current round posted Check site. The last request for proposals (2025) had full proposals due July 16, 2025.
How to apply
Full proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system when a round opens. NFWF encourages applicants to discuss ideas with its staff first.
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee: Special Interest Grants
Nashville · Middle Tennessee; environmental funds for Coffee and Dickson counties
Two of its 2026 Special Interest funds name conservation: the Lillian Ashley Fund (children, animals and environmental conservation in Coffee County) and the Community Foundation for Dickson County (environmental and conservation efforts, youth and older adults, historic sites). Its general Community Impact grants are paused for new applicants in 2026-27.
Typical grant
Lillian Ashley up to $20,000; Dickson County up to $5,000 (2026 guidelines). Environmental grants from all of the Foundation's funds in its 2024 filing, mostly donor-advised, include Harpeth Conservancy (two grants of $200,000), TennGreen Land Conservancy $10,000 and Cumberland River Compact $6,500.
Next deadline
January 1 to 31, 2027 Verified (standing annual window on its site). The 2027 list of funds is announced in October.
How to apply
Online through its Grants Portal (Foundant). A current GivingMatters.com profile is required.
East Tennessee Foundation: Wildlife Preservation Fund
Knoxville · Knox County
Small grants for Knox County groups that keep land in its natural state as a scenic area, a sanctuary for plants and wildlife, and a protected watershed. Projects may not change the natural condition of the property.
Typical grant
Up to $5,000 (its site). Environmental grants from all of the Foundation's funds in its 2024 filing include Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park $42,877, Foothills Land Conservancy $28,205 and Legacy Parks Foundation $15,000.
Next deadline
About May 2027 Expected. The 2026 application ran May 4 to May 29, 2026.
How to apply
Online application in its grant portal. Its competitive grants team answers questions at (865) 524-1223 ext. 144.
Community Foundation of Greater Memphis: Responsive Grants
Memphis · west Tennessee, northern Mississippi, eastern Arkansas
General operating support for nonprofits under strain, prioritizing groups that work with under-resourced communities. Not an environment program, but open to environmental groups that fit. Applicants need two years as a 501(c)(3) and at least one paid staff member.
Typical grant
Average $20,000 to $25,000, about $500,000 in total for 2027 (its site). Environmental grants from all of the Foundation's funds in its filing for the year to April 2025, mostly donor-advised, include Wolf River Conservancy $61,900, Land Trust for Tennessee $52,500 and Tennessee Wildlife Federation $50,000.
Next deadline
Application September 8 to October 7, 2026 Verified. Decisions December 18, 2026.
How to apply
Online through GranteeView. A LIVEGIVEmidsouth profile is required; for the 2026 round it had to be in progress by September 25, 2026.
A small foundation for land and sea conservation and the protection of wildlife. Its filing says it has no geographic or purpose restrictions; about half its 2025 grants went to Tennessee groups.
Typical grant
Eight grants in 2025 totaling $308,200. Examples: Endangered Species Protection Agency $115,000, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment $50,000 (legal costs of a gravel pit challenge), Pacific Wild Alliance $28,200, Centennial Park Conservancy $25,000.
Next deadline
October 1 to 31, 2026, for grants in 2027 Verified.
How to apply
Email a brief description of the organization and the specific project to [email protected]. If interested, it asks for a formal request. Post: John Taylor, Trustee, PO Box 917, Fayetteville, TN 37334.
Priorities include land conservation, parks, animal welfare, arts and culture, historic preservation and livability in Knoxville. It also partners with the City of Knoxville to conserve land and build recreation facilities.
Typical grant
Environmental grants in its 2024 filing: Ijams Nature Center $20,000, Appalachian Mountain Bike Club $16,000, Keep Knoxville Beautiful $1,000. Its largest grants went to Young-Williams Animal Center ($275,000) and Big Ears Festival.
Next deadline
About mid-April 2027 for letters of inquiry Expected. In 2026 letters were due April 17; invitations go out by June 15 and invited applications are due July 31 at 5 p.m.
How to apply
One-page letter of inquiry by email to [email protected]; invited groups apply on its Submittable form.
Carrollton, GA · land conservation, so far in the Appalachians outside Tennessee
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. It gives to two things, land conservation and literary arts. Its three conservation grants went to land trusts in western North Carolina and New York, so a Tennessee land trust would be a new direction for it.
Typical grant
Five grants in 2025 totaling $1,510,000. Conservation grants: Open Space Institute $150,000, Blue Ridge Conservancy $135,000, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina $125,000.
Next deadline
None, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
A detailed written request with a copy of the IRS exemption letter, to Virginia McGee Richards, PO Box 2545, Carrollton, GA 30112. 501(c)(3) organizations only.
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
The full version
Want this done for your own organization?
A Funding Roadmap ($1,200, flat fee) gives you ten to fifteen funders matched to your mission, place and size, the grants each one paid to groups like yours, how to apply, and a 12-month grant calendar. Every deadline is labeled the same way as on this page.
Email me your organization's name, rough budget and what you'd like funded. You'll get a written reply within two business days.
You fill in a short intake questionnaire, then answer one round of written follow-up questions.
About three weeks later you get the roadmap, a two-page note on how to use it, and 14 days of email questions.
Everything happens in writing. There are no calls or meetings.