The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) has opened applications for the 2024 Families First Community Grant Program, an initiative that will make available approximately $5 million in funding to non-profit organizations providing direct services to strengthen Tennessee families in need and promote self-sufficiency. Qualifying non-profit organizations are invited to apply through July 10 at 5 pm, CST.
“We understand that our state’s strength comes from its people, and we are delighted to extend this grant opportunity to those working on the ground to support our most vulnerable citizens,” said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “At TDHS, we are committed to ensuring that every Tennessean has the chance to achieve economic and social wellness. It is our goal to partner with community-based organizations dedicated to creating pathways that help families build social capital that can support both resilience and upward mobility for generations to come.”
The Families First Community Grant program was created as an additional method to invest TANF funds in ways to provide assistance to low-income families and help them move towards sustainable economic stability. The grants will support a wide range of services in the areas of education, health and well-being, economic stability and fostering safe, stable, and nurturing relationships. Grant recipients will be selected through a competitive application process and evaluated based upon their ability to provide effective services and programs that address the specific needs of the community.
TDHS encourages all community-based, nonprofit organizations ready to play a central role in the design and implementation of programs that address the unique problems of low-income families in their communities and fosters at least one of the federal TANF goals to submit an application for a Families First Community Grant. The department is focused on partnering with organizations that can provide family-focused solutions that demonstrate measurable impacts designed with the goal of transforming Tennessee’s safety net by growing the capacity of vulnerable families to self-sufficiency and economic prosperity.
