About Us

Be Part of Something Bigger

For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community.

We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good.

We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community.

We would be honored to have you join us.

Mission

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

Values

Listen
and Learn.

Seek to understand “the why.”

Acknowledge every voice has meaning.

Recognize that questions are more powerful than statements.

Encourage and seek opportunities to grow and be challenged.

Ground the Work in Trust.

Share information widely, intentionally, and openly.

Communicate with kind and bold honesty.

Be impeccable with your word.

Set clear boundaries and expectations.

Show Up for Each Other and the Community.

Envision the best for myself and others.

Offer dependable and timely support.

Participate with curiosity and commitment.

Be Present. Be a Presence.

Find the Good
and
Praise It.

Recognize and celebrate unique gifts and strengths.

Connect people with the opportunities they need to thrive.

Lean into flexibility.

Build inclusion into everyday experiences.

Our Team

Governance

Financials

CFMT FAQs

Annual Report

Strategic Framework

Our History

In the heart of Nashville in 1991, a story of collective inspiration and strategic action unfolded, echoing the aspirations and commitment of a community united in purpose.

It all began with the visionary insight of Ida Cooney, then executive director of the HCA Foundation (now The Frist Foundation). Ida recognized a glaring need for a community foundation to channel the goodwill of Nashville’s charitable residents and shared this vision with soon to be co-founder Ellen Lehman.

Rallying a group of forward-thinkers like Ted Lazenby, Alyne Massey, Betty Brown, George Bullard, Elizabeth Queener, Richard Eskind, Judy Liff Barker, Ben Rechter, and Jack Turner, they set the stage for the creation of CFMT. These pioneers envisioned a foundation that embodied “common unity,” where individual aspirations converge into collective action.

Now, 33 years later, CFMT has granted over $1.25 billion back to our community, a testament to the unyielding generosity of our donors, partners, and friends. Here’s to many more years of impact!

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1990

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1990

September 1990

Ellen Lehman lunches with the late Ida Cooney, first executive director of the HCA Foundation, at Cakewalk restaurant, during which Cooney urges her to start a community foundation in Nashville. “What’s a community foundation?” Lehman asks.

October 1990

The Nashville Community Foundation, Inc. (NCF) begins in the garage of founder-president Ellen Lehman.
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1991

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1991

July 26, 1991

The NCF secures 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service.

October 1991

The Ida F. Cooney Fund for the Arts is established.

Late 1991

The Founding Steering Committee, hosted by Commerce Union bank, has a luncheon to introduce 38 estate planners and philanthropic angels to the idea of a community foundation.

Laundrea Lewis is hired as the first paid employee of NCF. Happily, she remains on staff as Senior Manager, Grants.
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1992

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1992

April 1992

Ida Cooney and the HCA Foundation host an educational event in the HCA Auditorium for 225 people. Speakers come from Palm Beach, Louisville, Atlanta and Memphis to share their stories of community foundation successes.

October 1992

The Dr. Jamye Coleman Williams and Dr. McDonald Williams Designated Fund is established. It benefits Wilberforce University and Payne Theological Seminary.
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1993

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1993
1993

The Nashville Community Foundation moves to St. Cloud Corner in downtown Nashville in offfices provided by Board Chair Ted Lazenby.

March 1993

The HCA Executives Program, envisioned by Thomas F. Frist Jr., M.D., chairman and CEO of HCA Hospital Corporation of America, is launched. This program aims to promote charitable giving, leading to the creation of twenty-three Donor-Advised Funds within the Community Foundation for senior executives.

June 1993

Melisa Currey becomes the second paid employee of NCF. She remained on staff as Chief Financial Officer until December, 2023.

December 1993

Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award Fund established. It perpetuates the memory of a very special person who led this community with strength of character and unwavering integrity.

The Founders’ Fund is created by individuals interested in helping The Community Foundation build a pool of unrestricted endowment funds for future grantmaking. Participants contributed $25,000 to the Fund and laid the cornerstone for grantmaking.

Founders include:

Betty M. & Martin S. Brown

Jane G. and Richard J. Eskind

LifeWorks Foundation

William W. McInnes

Mrs. Jack C. Massey

Elizabeth M. Queener

Barbara and Lester D. Speyer

Anne H. and Robert K. Zelle.
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1994

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1994

April 1994

The Women’s Fund is established to support programs promoting the health, well-being, safety and economic self-sufficiency of women and girls. Early supporter Ruth Ann Harnisch remains on its advisory board and helped to create the annual The Power of the Purse® fundraising luncheon.

December 1994

William and Clara Bryan Scholarship Fund is established, setting in motion the robust scholarship program we administer today.
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1996

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1996

June 1996

The Tricentennial Fund established.

December 1996

The Michael D. and Lisa A. Shmerling Charitable Giving Fund established.
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1997

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1997

July 1997

Chet Atkins Music Education Fund established. The only charitable entity that bears his name.
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1998

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1998
March 1998

The Cheatham County Community Foundation established.

CFMT Affiliate Foundation Funds support specific geographic areas, such as a county, community, or region. Each affiliate is managed by a local committee of leaders tasked with promoting the concept of a “charitable savings account” for community benefit. These committees also make grant distribution decisions based on the priorities of each individual affiliate.

Others established:

1999: Cumberland Plateau Community Foundation,
The Community Foundation for Dickson County, The Goodlettsville Area Community Foundation, and The Tullahoma Community Foundation

2003: The Community Foundation of Christian, Todd and Trigg Counties

2007: The Community Foundation of Clarksville/ Montgomery County

2014: The Community Foundation of Wilson County

2017: The Community Foundation of Rutherford County

2019: The Community Foundation of Robertson County

April 1998

The Nashville Community Foundation at long last becomes The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
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1999

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1999

July 1999

The Tomorrow Fund is established. It builds community awareness and responsibility in Middle Tennessee’s young professionals by establishing a pattern of community service and charitable giving.

August 1999

Genesco – Helping Get People Back On Their Feet Fund established.
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2000

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2000

October 2000

John E. Mayfield’s five Scholarship Funds are established.
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2001

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2001

2001

CFMT marks its 10th birthday by adopting the bee as its symbol.

Why the Bee?

The Community Foundation bee represents philanthropy, which is, at its heart, cross-pollination: gathering from those who have and getting it to those who need.
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2002

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2002

June, 2002

The Maddox Foundation, established by the late Margaret and Dan Maddox, donates The Maddox Building in Green Hills to The Community Foundation
to serve as its offices.

September 13, 2002

Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund is established. It has since become an integral part of Nashville’s official disaster manual created by the Office of Emergency Management. The Fund has been designated by the city of Nashville as the central repository for giving at the time of disaster.
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2004

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2004

April 2004

GivingMatters.com begins. A tool for nonprofits, donors and funders to research local issues and the nonprofits serving those issues, now hosts more than 1,650 profiles.
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2005

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2005

June 2005

The Teddy Wilburn Scholarship Fund is established. Through the estate of former Grand Ole Opry singer-songwriter Teddy Wilburn, the scholarship benefits students at Tennessee State and Vanderbilt universities.
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2007

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2007

January 2007

The Angel Fund is launched allowing incredible public servants, or “angels,” working in the nonprofit sector to help people in need, without delay.

August 2007

NowPlayingNashville.com is launched with the goal to serve as Middle Tennessee’s most comprehensive guide for Where to Go and What to Do.
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2010

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2010

2010

Childcare Tennessee is launched as well as the online resource ChildcareNashville.com. The initiative began with a group of 12 inner- city childcare providers with a shared goal of increased child care, quality programs, and easier access to enrollment.

May 2010

Middle Tennessee flood claims 19 lives and causes an estimated $2 billion in damages, leaving thousands displaced from their homes.

June 22, 2010

Nashville Rising flood relief benefit concert, organized by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and facilitated by CFMT, is held at Bridgestone Arena. Taylor Swift, ZZ Top, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Michael W. Smith, Miley Cyrus and Sandra Bullock are among the performers.

December 16-22, 2010

Nine sold-out flood relief benefit concerts at Bridgestone Arena, spearheaded by Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood, raise $5 million to support Tennessee flood recovery through the CFMT.
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2011

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2011

April 2011

Nashville Fashion Week, benefiting the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of CFMT, kicks off. The Fund gives an annual award to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field.

November 2011

Amy Grant and Vince Gill receive the Kraft Humanitarian Award.
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2012

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2012

2012

The Sports Fund initiative is established. It’s dedicated to helping ensure Middle Tennessee’s children have access to the opportunities team membership provides — ultimately, helping them succeed in school and in life.

November 2012

Former Tennessean editor and publisher John Seigenthaler received the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award.
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2014

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2014

May 2014

The Big Payback giving day debuts. It raises $1.65 million for 525 participating nonprofits.
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2015

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2015

December 2015

Nashville Unites Fund established by Francis S. Guess and Bishop Joseph Walker to foster dialogue and discourse.
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2016

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2016

May 2016

The inaugural Francis S. Guess Bridge to Equality Fund Award is given to Philanthropist-businessman Ben Rechter.

July 2016

The Community Foundation celebrates its 25th birthday with its staff, board, and founders at Cathy and Clay Jackson’s home.

November 2016

Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville Emergency Response Fund was established to support the affected communities and nonprofits in Sevier County, helping neighbors in the Great Smoky Mountains recover from the vicious wildfires that s wept through in late November 2016.

December 2016

CFMT selected to distribute $5 million to 121 Tennessee nonprofit and governmental senior-serving organizations through the Serving Tennessee’s Seniors grant opportunity. Funding was provided by the Chancery Court through the settlement of a lawsuit initiated by former Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper against both SeniorTrust and ElderTrust.
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2017

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2017

Summer 2017

In the summer of 2017, hateful language concerning our country’s past and our present hit home. To take a stand in support of all Nashvillians, Nashville Unites Fund published The Power of Nashville resolution alongside signatures of more than 3,600 community members and organizations in the Tennessean.

November 2017

CFMT selected as Nashville Scene’s Nashvillian of the Year

December 2017

CFMT announced strategic disaster grantmaking of more than $4.2 million to nonprofit partners helping survivors overcome hardship due to the Gatlinburg wildfires, hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting.
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2018

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2018

June 2018

Nashville SC Fund was established to support organizations that echo the soccer club’s core values of Youth, Physical and Mental Health, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

October 2018

NowPlayingNashville took the reins of ArtoberNashville, a month-long celebration of the arts established in partnership with Metro Arts Commission five years prior.

November 2018

Room In The Inn Founder Charles Strobel received 25th Annual Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award for dedicating his life to offering hospitality and hope to the city’s homeless population.
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2019

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2019

April 2019

The Women’s Fund celebrated its 25th anniversary at its signature event, The Power of the Purse®.

August 2019

Give Black, Give Back initiative launched following CFMT’s inaugural celebration of Black Philanthropy Month.

October 2019

In partnership with the Tennessee Department of Human Services, ChildcareTennessee is tagged to administer multiple grants to support TDHS-licensed childcare programs and early childhood education in Tennessee.

December 2019

CFMT celebrated donor generosity and its impact on nonprofit partners successfully putting grant dollars to work as it topped $1 billion in giving.
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2020

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2020

2020

A decade following the great Nashville flood of 2010, Middle Tennessee was hit by a tornado, the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and a Christmas Day bombing. CFMT stepped in to help respond as the community learned how
to function in a virtual world.
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2021

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2021

May 2021

The Frist Foundation announced a $1M commitment for the construction of CFMT’s future home.

November 2021

CFMT reflected on 25 years of scholarships and $27.7 million awarded to 10,450 students.
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2022

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2022

July 2022

Founding president Ellen Lehman announced retirement after 31 years of service in connecting generosity with need.

October 2022

CFMT Board of Directors selected Hal Cato, prominent Nashville community leader and nonprofit executive, as its new CEO.
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2023

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2023

Spring 2023

Multiple funds were established in support of the tragic Covenant School shooting that took place on March 27, 2023.

CFMT relocated to its community building located at the corner of Woodmont and Belmont boulevards, providing new opportunities and space to convene nonprofit, donor, and community partners.

July 2023

CFMT unveiled a revitalized brand to encapsulate the essence of our dedication to building an inclusive and thriving community, now and for generations to come, by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change.

The new logo showcases a symbolic Three Hills, inspired by the visually a bundant rolling hills of Middle Tennessee, representing CFMT’s Donor, Nonprofit and Community partners.