Knoxville, TENN., June 30, 2025 — United Way of Greater Knoxville (UWGK) announces $550,000 in emergency funding to 15 nonprofit organizations. The new Grants for Advancement & Preservation (GAP) initiative will provide one-time, general operating grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to address urgent budget shortfalls and help sustain essential services disrupted by shifts in federal and state funding.
The 15 organizations receiving GAP investments to help stabilize their work serving communities across UWGK’s five-county service area (Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, and Union) include:
- Beardsley Community Farm (Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee)
- Bridge Refugee Services, Inc.
- Catholic Charities of East Tennessee
- Centro Hispano de East Tennessee
- Covenant Health Foundation
- Douglas-Cherokee Economic Authority, Inc.
- Emerald Youth Foundation
- Knox Area Urban League
- Legal Aid of East Tennessee
- Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center, Inc.
- Salvation Army
- Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee
- Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless
- Wesley House Community Center
- YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley
Since February 2025, UWGK has tracked the regional impact of executive orders and funding freezes. Estimated losses across its five-county service area could total as much as $43 million. More than 40 organizations have reported grant revenue shortfalls ranging from $13,000 to $2 million. These cuts threaten hundreds of staff positions and have already resulted in service disruptions. Informed by ongoing conversations with local nonprofit partners and six-month progress reports from Community Investment grantees, UWGK identified where timely investments could preserve critical infrastructure and support organizations on the front lines of delivering essential social services.
Organizational impact: Beardsley Community Farm
When federal funding for AmeriCorps was abruptly cut, Beardsley Community Farm lost half of its staff just as the growing season began. Programs that provide free produce to seniors, people with disabilities, and families struggling to afford groceries were suddenly at risk. Through the GAP funds, Beardsley will be able to hire part-time staff, sustain operations, and avoid disruptions to food distribution and programming.
“The demand for groceries, and specifically produce, is higher than we’ve ever witnessed,” said Charlotte Rodina, Farm Manager at Beardsley. “Some of our partner pantries have seen patron numbers grow more than tenfold since last year. This grant helps us keep pace with the needs of our community and gives us breathing room to plan for future staffing and fundraising.”
Applications were evaluated through a grant review process, including community volunteers, members of UWGK’s Board of Directors, and UWGK staff. The 15 funded organizations were selected based on a demonstrated funding shortfall, the ability to maintain services with the support, and alignment with one or more of UWGK’s impact pillars: Early Care & Education, Economic Mobility, or Healthy Communities.
GAP is part of UWGK’s broader commitment to nonprofit resilience and ensuring that individuals across East Tennessee continue to have access to the services they rely on.
“We need to protect the services that help people stay fed, housed, healthy, and supported, and we need to support the nonprofits doing that work with care and consistency,” said Chrystal Armstrong Brown, Interim CEO. “This is a moment for our community to lead with compassion, act with purpose, and stand UNITED.”
To donate to United Way of Greater Knoxville, visit www.uwgk.org.
