On Thursday, October 29th, the Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee awarded over $900,000 in grants to eleven nonprofit organizations due to a year-long effort to encourage projects related to its mission of improving the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of East Tennessee. This brings the total Trinity grants in our community this year to over $1.1 million. New this year, Trinity awarded large and small grants to give smaller nonprofits a more even playing field. From over 70 proposals submitted in April, twelve large and fourteen small Phase I grant recipients were chosen and received over $240,000 for project planning and research. After three months of further development, four large and seven small grants of the Phase I recipients were selected to receive Phase II grant awards which were announced on October 29th. The quality of the ideas that emerged is a tribute to the great work done by so many nonprofit organizations in our community.

These awards culminate in the third year of Trinity’s Health Initiative Grants that target the community health of our region. Winning initiatives this year range from programs for people experiencing homelessness, homes for veterans, a comprehensive center for autism, programs for inner-city youth, and addiction recovery. These proposals were selected based on the impact and the potential for sustainability demonstrated in written reports, oral presentations, and site visits. Trinity is honored to be able to help organizations that make our community strong.

The 2015 Phase II grant recipients are:

LARGE GRANTS (Up to $150,000)
Cherokee Health Systems – Medical Respite Care for the Homeless 
Knox Area Rescue Ministries – Rapid Mental Health and A&D Services  
Knoxville Habitat for Humanity – Habitat Homes for Heroes 
YMCA of East Tennessee – Alzheimer’s and Dementia Wellness Program
SMALL GRANTS (Up to $50,000)
A-1 Learning Connections – SMART Institute Healthy Living
Artistic Spectrum – Autism Site Knoxville
Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee – Mentor 2.0
Feeding the Orphans – MAN UP at Zion
Girl Talk, Inc. – Expanding our Voice – Expanding our Impact
New Hope Blount County Children’s Advocacy Center – Creating an Innovative Practice for Traumatized Children in East Tennessee
True Purpose Ministries – Providing True Purpose in Our Communities