2026 Request for Proposals

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The 2026 Maddox Fund Request for Proposals Is Now Open

The Dan & Margaret Maddox Fund is now accepting applications for our 2026 grant cycle, with a deadline of Friday, March 20.

This Request for Proposals reflects an important moment in Maddox’s evolution. Over the past year, we engaged a strategic listening and planning process—conversations with grantee partners, community leaders, peers, and advisors across Middle Tennessee—to help shape our next chapter. What we heard was clear and consistent: organizations are navigating complex, shifting conditions and need flexible, multi-year support grounded in trust, relationship, and shared purpose. Our 2026 RFP is one response to that call.

Our Vision and Approach

Maddox envisions a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat. Guided by our strategic blueprint, we are continuing to move toward a trust-based, community-responsive approach to grantmaking—one that recognizes the wisdom of organizations closest to the work and the communities they serve. For this cycle, Maddox will offer two-year general operating grants to organizations whose work advances one or both of our funding priorities.

people and planet
improving the lives of young people

The Maddox Fund does not have a formal minimum or maximum grant amount for this RFP. Instead, we invite applicants to request a meaningful level of support based on the scope of the proposed work and the overall size and capacity of your organization.

Historically, most Maddox grants have ranged from $15,000 to $30,000 per year, though grant amounts may vary depending on alignment, opportunity, and available resources.

For grants awarded through this RFP, funding will be distributed in two installments:

  • A first payment in 2026
  • A second payment in 2027

If you have questions about grant size or fit, please feel free to reach out to the Maddox team.

A New Pilot: Root Partners Cohort

This RFP also includes a new pilot opportunity—the Root Partners Cohort—designed to provide a small group of deeply community-rooted organizations with three years of unrestricted funding, technical assistance, and shared learning. There is no separate application for this opportunity; organizations may indicate interest directly within the RFP. Additional information about eligibility criteria and program expectations can be found here.

Apply and Stay Connected

We encourage organizations interested in applying to review the full RFP and join one of our upcoming Grant Application Workshops, where Maddox staff will walk through the application, share our review approach, and answer questions.

watch RFP workshop video
apply for a grant

We’re grateful to be learning alongside organizations across Middle Tennessee and look forward to the conversations and partnerships this grant cycle will bring. We also welcome direct outreach if you have questions about fit or focus areas:

  • For People and Planet grants: Joseph Gutierrez, Director of Grants & Operations — joseph@maddoxfund.org.
  • For Improving the Lives of Young People grants: Jen Bailey, Executive Director — jen@maddoxfund.org

2026 Request for Proposals Read More »

Planting Seeds for the Future

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As 2025 draws to a close, I find myself holding both the weight of this year and the possibility of what comes next. This has been a season of transformation not only for the Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund, but for Middle Tennessee as a whole. Our region continues to grow and change at a rapid pace. Nonprofit partners are navigating unprecedented political and economic pressures. Young people and the lands that sustain us are facing challenges that require courage, creativity, and care.

In the midst of all of this, Maddox has been listening deeply.

Over the past six months we engaged sixty-five partners across listening sessions, check-ins, interviews, and community conversations. Youth-serving and environmental organizations shared stories of resilience and innovation. We heard about expanded programming, new collaborations, advocacy victories, and leaders investing in long-term sustainability. We also heard about exhaustion, funding instability, and the urgent need for philanthropy to show up with humility, clarity, and consistency.

This listening affirmed something core to who we are becoming. To meet this moment well, Maddox must continue leaning into trust-based philanthropy, an approach rooted in transparency, partnership, and the belief that communities are best positioned to know what they need. Trust-based philanthropy asks funders to reduce burdens, share power, and invest in people and relationships over the long term. It asks us to listen first, to move resources more flexibly, and to honor the wisdom and leadership already thriving in Middle Tennessee.

These commitments sit at the heart of our renewed vision.

Early next year we will share our refreshed Strategic Blueprint rooted in the voices of our partners and aligned with our North Stars for youth, community, and environmental flourishing. It will outline not only what we fund, but how we accompany movements, leaders, and organizations with greater intention.

Looking Ahead: A Refreshed RFP in Q1 2026

One of the most exciting pieces of this next chapter is a refreshed RFP that we will launch in the first quarter of 2026. This new approach reflects everything we heard in our listening process. It will offer:

  • Clearer guidance for applicants
  • Streamlined processes and expectations
  • Better alignment with the rhythms of community work
  • Expanded pathways for partnership beyond traditional grants
  • Deeper alignment with trust-based philanthropic practices

We cannot wait to share more in the months ahead.

As We Grow, We Are Hiring

To support this work, we are growing our team. The Maddox Fund is currently hiring a Senior Program Associate, a role that will serve as a relational anchor for our community partners and an essential thought partner in our youth portfolio and data operations.

This position was previously called a Community Manager, but following our compensation study we refined the title to better reflect the level of responsibility and leadership. The role remains rooted in relationship building, strategy, and supporting the day-to-day rhythms of grantmaking.

If you or someone in your network is passionate about youth, community, and environmental stewardship, and is energized by trust-based philanthropy, we encourage you to apply and share widely.

Gratitude for Our Partners

As we close 2025, I want to express my deep gratitude for the partners who guided, challenged, and inspired us this year. Your honesty helped us sharpen our purpose. Your courage reminded us what is at stake. And your vision continues to push us toward a future where all young people and communities can thrive.

We are stepping into 2026 with renewed clarity, renewed commitments, and renewed hope. Thank you for being in this work with us.

Planting Seeds for the Future Read More »

We’re hiring!

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The Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund is hiring a Senior Program Associate. The Senior Program Associate is an integral member of the small Maddox team, serving as a relational anchor for our community partners and the engine for our grants and data operations. This role primarily supports the Executive Director and is dedicated to managing the majority of the Fund’s portfolio (Youth), ensuring operational excellence across the Youth program area.

The full job description is linked below. Interested candidates should submit a brief cover letter and
resume to careers@maddoxfund.org by Friday, January 9, 2026.

full job description

We’re hiring! Read More »

Tending to Hope in Toxic Soil: A Reflection on Our Grantmaking Year

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This year at the Maddox Fund, I’ve found myself returning to an image offered by futurist and pathfinder Mia Birdsong: seeds planted in toxic soil. What does it mean to cultivate hope when the ground beneath us feels depleted, stripped by years of systemic injustice, environmental degradation, and philanthropic practices that too often extract more than they restore?

What we have learned again and again from our grantee partners is this: in even the most desolate landscapes, healing is possible. Like native plants that remediate poisoned ground, our partners are doing the slow, steady work of restoration. They are transforming harmful conditions into ecosystems where justice can take root and hope can grow.

In a philanthropic landscape marked by volatility, scarcity, and shifting priorities, we chose a different path. This year, the Grant Committee made the intentional decision not to consider new proposals. Instead, we deepened our investment in the organizations already in partnership with us. In an unstable environment for nonprofits, we saw this as a practice of sustainability—a way of nourishing the roots rather than constantly seeking new growth. This is what trust looks like in practice.

Our North Stars, guiding us toward a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat, remained at the center of every discussion. Our funding areas of youth and the natural environment also held steady. And in the spirit of transparency, we continue to make five years of past grantmaking decisions available on our website.

full grant directory

We believe transparency is a necessary condition for cultivating authentic relationships.  So that data can become knowledge that transforms our actions, we offer this analysis of our 2025 grants to date:

At Maddox, we believe that liberation is only as permanent as our practice. We are committed to continuing the internal work required to ensure that equity, justice, and liberation are not just values we name but truths we live.

As we look to the horizon, we’re excited to announce that we will release a refreshed Request for Proposals (RFP) in the first quarter of 2026. This new RFP will reflect lessons learned from our current partners, emerging needs in the field, and our refined grantmaking priorities. What will not change is our unwavering commitment to our North Stars and to the communities who inspire us every day with their courage and creativity.

To our partners: thank you for being the ones who transform poisoned soil into sacred ground. Thank you for teaching us what it means to hold fast to hope.

Let us keep planting, even when the ground feels unsteady.

For quarterly updates on the Maddox Fund, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

Tending to Hope in Toxic Soil: A Reflection on Our Grantmaking Year Read More »

Protecting the freedoms to invest in our communities.

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The Maddox Fund has signed onto a “Public Statement from Philanthropy” — joining the Council on Foundations and other giving institutions an effort to protect our freedom to express ourselves, to give, and to invest in our communities.

read the statement

Protecting the freedoms to invest in our communities. Read More »

2025 Environmental Advisory Board Grants

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In 2024, the Dan & Margaret Maddox Fund brought together a community group of composed of young environmental professionals and activists to distribute $100,000 in grants to Middle Tennessee organizations working to protect the natural environment. This was our first participatory grantmaking initiative to focus specifically on the environment. Previous years had focused on high school youth, HBCUs, and LGBTQ+ youth. This year’s group met regularly over the course of six months to learn about grantmaking and different nonprofit organizations to make the follow grants:

  • $30,000 to The Tennessee Aquatic Project
  • $30,000 to Brooklyn Heights Community Garden
  • $20,000 to the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
  • $10,000 to Recycle Reinvest
  • $10,000 to Tennessee Ancient Sites Conservancy

This Advisory Board wanted to fund organizations and initiatives focused on increasing access to green space, climate justice, and food justice. When looking at the applications, they prioritized applications that embodied Indigenous and racial justice, intersectionality, advocacy & direct service.

2025 Environmental Advisory Board Grants Read More »

Stepping into a New Chapter: A Message from Rev. Jen Bailey

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It is with great joy and deep gratitude that I step into the role of Executive Director of the Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund. As I embark on this new chapter, I am honored to continue the Fund’s legacy of investing in transformative change for Middle Tennessee’s young people and the ecosystems that support them.

I want to extend my deepest appreciation to my predecessor, Kaki Friskics-Warren for her  leadership, dedication, and vision. Her unwavering commitment to justice and liberation helped shape the foundation of the Maddox Fund, and I am honored for the opportunity to build upon the legacy of her work as we move forward together.

At Maddox, we seek a world in which people and planet flourish together in regenerative systems free from oppression and threat. It is a vision of hope for the future. In our current landscape, I am aware that it can sometimes feel like that future is just beyond our grasp. I step into this role during a time when our nonprofit partners are facing unprecedented challenges. Economic uncertainties, shifting philanthropic and policy priorities, and the growing needs of our communities require us to be more adaptive, resourceful, and collaborative than ever before. Despite these difficulties, I firmly believe in the power of community and that solutions to some of our most pressing challenges will be found by following the wisdom and leadership of those most proximate to the pain. 

In this constantly shifting world, one thing that will remain constant at Maddox is our commitment to you, our community partners. We are here to support you—we see your work, honor your leadership, and remain committed to walking alongside you.

In the months ahead, I look forward to listening and learning from our grantees, community leaders, and partners. Your insights, experiences, and wisdom will be invaluable as we continue shaping a shared vision for the future. 

In the coming weeks, we are curating two types of opportunities for connection: 

  • Attend a Listening Meeting: Beginning on February 19th, Maddox will be hosting a series of Listening Meetings as we look for early guidance in our strategic planning process.  A good candidate to attend is a person in leadership who knows the external forces at work in the organization as well as the internal challenges ahead for the organization’s programs, staff, board and program participants. You can sign up to attend here.
  • One on Ones: In addition to listening meetings, I welcome the opportunity to connect one on one for a 45 minute conversation. You can sign up for a time here.  I’m happy to meet either in person or virtually – whatever is most convenient for you!

Please feel free to reach out, introduce yourself, and share what inspires you about the work we are doing together.

Thank you for welcoming me into the Maddox Fund community. I am excited about the work ahead.

With gratitude,

Rev. Jen Bailey
Executive Director
Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund

Stepping into a New Chapter: A Message from Rev. Jen Bailey Read More »

The Maddox Fund stands against school vouchers.

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Since 2008, the Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund has partnered with nonprofit organizations in Middle Tennessee to improve the lives of young people across Middle Tennessee.  Core to this work is our commitment to addressing the systemic injustices that have marginalized communities and continue to leave many behind.  School vouchers will be a detriment to ensuring that all children can access high-quality educational opportunities.

School vouchers divert resources away from already underfunded public schools and further burden families facing poverty.   Public schools in Tennessee lack the resources they need for students to thrive and vouchers would magnify the problem. It is expected that the voucher proposal will cost the state of Tennessee over $1.1 billion over the next five years. 51% of public school students will get less in state funding than voucher recipients will.

Private schools are also not accountable for serving students and families with the greatest needs.  Private schools are not required to offer the same protections and services that guarantee safe environments and equitable education opportunities for all students  including students with disabilities, English language learners, and LGBTQ+ students. Vouchers also fail to benefit rural students where private school options are limited.

Most importantly, data shows that vouchers do not lead to better academic outcomes. MNPS students outperformed voucher users in Nashville. ESA/voucher participants in Nashville.

Here are some resources from our partners to learn more about vouchers:

The Education Trust
Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment
Nashville Public Education Foundatoin

The Maddox Fund stands against school vouchers. Read More »

2025 Listening Meetings

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At Maddox, 2025 is a year of asking questions: 

  • What do our youth and environmental partners need from us at this moment in time? 
  • What does the community need Maddox to be? 
  • How can Maddox challenge itself live more fully into our justice and liberation values? 
  • Where will our new leader, Jen Bailey, lead us in service to Middle Tennessee? 
  • How is the legacy of Dan and Margaret Maddox embodied 26 years after their deaths? 

These questions require us to lean into learning, exploration and listening to the experts—our nonprofit partners.  In anticipation of strategic planning, the Maddox Fund will hold listening meetings with nonprofit leaders.  We invite nonprofits to sign up now and come ready to guide the Maddox Fund’s future. 


Sign up for a listening meeting here

All listening meetings will be held from 11:00-1:00 in the Maddox office at 100 Taylor Street 37208.  Lunch will be served. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions/preferences.  Executive Directors can also sign up for a one-on-one with Jen Bailey in March using this link.

2025 Listening Meetings Read More »