Support for Nonprofits
Flexible support for steady, dignity-first work
What we support
The Martin Foundation supports nonprofit partners doing the daily work that keeps Nashville standing—often quietly, always relationally, and typically under real strain. Our role is not to steer your mission, but to strengthen what’s already working: the services, systems, and leadership that help people and families move from uncertainty to stability.
We support nonprofit partners whose work is built to deliver, not just aspire—organizations with clear purpose, sound stewardship, and a track record of showing up when it’s hard and staying when it’s not glamorous. The work may be quiet, but it’s consistent. Leadership is accountable. Promises are kept.
We look for organizations that treat people as whole—without shame, without shortcuts, without performative fixes. Programs matter, but so does how they’re carried: follow-through, care, reliability, and respect. We want our funding to strengthen what already holds up in real life—capacity, stability, and the operational health that protects both staff and the people they serve.
In short, we back the builders: nonprofits with strong foundations, honest numbers, and work that lasts. Where added support won’t create complexity, but will deepen delivery—more consistency, better access, stronger systems, and a clearer path for the community.
Where we focus
We are a place-based funder serving nonprofits serving Davidson County, TN.
How we support
We provide two kinds of grants to nonprofit partners:
Unrestricted general operating support to strengthen your core work and organizational health
Capital support for facilities and infrastructure that improve delivery and sustainability
To qualify for a grant, a nonprofit must:
– Be a qualified 501(c)(3)
– Provide a most recent 990
– Provide a most recent audited financial statement
– Provide a current budget
– Organizational Leadership (Board and Executives)
– Provide collateral material as you deem appropriate
Please note that we do not require this information until we have determined your initial eligibility for a grant.
What our support is meant to protect
Guarding what holds it all together
Nonprofits don’t just deliver programs—they hold continuity. They keep doors open, staff steady, and relationships intact. Our support is meant to protect the load-bearing parts of your work: the people, the systems, and the infrastructure that make service reliable. When those foundations are strong, the work can keep moving even when demand spikes, funding shifts, or an unexpected season hits.
What we hope our support makes possible
We hope our support buys margin—more follow-through, fewer bottlenecks, and less time spent chasing short-term fixes. We want it to translate into practical capacity: staff who can stay, systems that can scale, space that can function, and leadership that can plan beyond the next urgent need. The goal is simple: fewer fragile points, more consistent delivery.
What partnership looks like in practice
A strong partnership usually feels like this:
Clear communication and plain talk—no performance required
Shared respect for time, confidentiality, and boundaries
Funding that strengthens your work without steering your work
A mutual commitment to learn—what helped, what didn’t, what changed
Integrity when things get messy: transparency, adjustments, and follow-through
Our commitment to keep it proportionate
We try to keep our asks proportionate to the support. We don’t want the application to cost more than the grant is worth in time and energy. When we request information, it’s to understand readiness and responsibility—not to create hoops. We value clarity over polish, and truth over perfect narratives.
Where funding can do the most good
Sometimes the highest impact isn’t a new program—it’s fewer pressure points. Support that stabilizes staffing, improves scheduling and data flow, upgrades equipment, or tightens the handoffs between partners can change everything. We look for the places where one practical investment unlocks smoother delivery, better follow-through, and more consistent outcomes.
Checking in, not checking up
After a grant, we don’t disappear. We like a simple check-in—not a performance, just an honest conversation about what the support made possible and what you learned along the way. We’re interested in what held, what changed, and what you’d do differently next time. When the relationship is real, learning becomes part of the support.
"He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own."
— Confucius