South Cumberland Community Fund (SCCF) represents the first local philanthropic entity to serve the tri-county area of the South Cumberland Plateau in rural Tennessee. This isolated highland region lies roughly halfway between the metropolitan communities of Nashville and Chattanooga, but is virtually invisible to the institutional philanthropy in those cities.
BetterFi’s financial assistance program seeks to provide a pathway for individuals to escape dependence on predatory, high-interest loans and credit. The program primarily serves the geographic South Cumberland Plateau area and areas nearby, and the target clients are those who are financially vulnerable, have low asset liquidity, rely on alternative financial products and services (underbanked), or otherwise are seeking to improve their financial knowledge, financial stability, or credit.
The mission of Growing Roots is to increase food access and community wellness on Tennessee’s South Cumberland Plateau.
This is accomplished through activities and programming for residents of Franklin, Grundy, and Marion counties in Middle Tennessee, including holistic community wellness workshops and classes, small-scale garden programming, direct food distribution, youth gardening support, and garden-based community infrastructure.
Growing Roots is motivated by a justice-oriented approach to land use, food sovereignty on the grassroots level, and collaborative community efforts to improve the quality of life for all who call this mountain home.
The Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers Coalition Chapter (SETNYF) was founded in 2019 at the geographical confluence of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia to promote interest and support denizens transitioning into agriculture, and to protect and enhance the local farming community and the landscape. SETNYF facilitates and advocates communication and cooperation among local farmers and between local entities, and champions the generation and dissemination of sustainable agriculture/food system-related education and information.
The Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic (BSMC) was established in 2010 for and by the Beersheba Springs community. Its mission is to promote, protect, and improve the health of persons (especially the medically indigent) living in, working in, or visiting Beersheba Springs and the surrounding area. To advance this mission, the clinic provides comprehensive evaluation and management of acute illness and chronic disease, e.g., diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and depression. Services are free; we have no government funding and we do not take insurance. Donations are encouraged and are necessary to the facility’s sustainability.
Mission: To provide free healthcare in a county where 15% of the populace is uninsured.
Grundy County Sheriff's Department
Mountain T.O.P. is a partnership ministry with a goal to help meet the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of all people we encounter. To achieve this goal, we offer a variety of mission-based programs for youth and adults. Participants can choose to serve with Mountain T.O.P. through home repair projects or day camp programs.
Funded under a grant contract from the State of Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, the Grundy Safe Communities Coalition serves as the substance abuse prevention coalition for Grundy County. Our mission is to be united together to establish a safe, caring, drug-free community that supports youth and families.
The mission of Monteagle Elementary School is to submerge all students in rigorous grade-level instruction. Students will be equipped with the foundational literacy and math skills necessary to meet the challenges and demands of being an effective leader in an ever-changing world.
The vision of Marion County Schools is to prepare students to meet the challenges and demands of their futures. Marion County Schools is a district filled with students who are leaders both in their school and local communities. Students crave challenges and are capable of meeting rigorous demands. We believe all students deserve access to quality instruction and support students in accessing grade-level work.
Discover Together is an innovative partnership developed by members of the Grundy County community in Tennessee, Scholastic, Sewanee: The University of the South, the Yale Child Study Center. We promote resilience in young families through our integrated network of literacy and place-based educational programs. Through these programs, Discover Together delivers multi-generational interventions as a means to build positive social networks grounded in place, community, and literacy—ultimately fostering resilience.
At the Cumberland Forest School, we offer an opportunity for your child to explore and get to know the local Sewanee area while they develop a deeper understanding of themselves. Our vision is to support students on their journey to becoming compassionate, self-sufficient, and mindful individuals. We accomplish this goal by providing your child with a supportive and safe learning environment, trusting them with real responsibility, and establishing everlasting bonds with the natural world.
Mission: The mission of the Mack S. Prichard Foundation is to engage in activities to protect and conserve the natural environment in Tennessee and as set forth in its charter. The Friends of South Cumberland are coordinating efforts with a parallel effort being undertaken in Nashville, where the Tennessee State Library & Archives has provided a separate grant to scan other slides from Mack’s collection through a program overseen by TennGreen.
