Our Grant Programs
The Levy Love Foundation administers six targeted grant programs designed to address the most critical needs facing Nashville's children and families. Each program has clear eligibility criteria, transparent funding ranges, and rigorous outcomes tracking requirements.
Early Childhood Literacy Grants
Our flagship Early Childhood Literacy program represents the foundation of everything we do at the Levy Love Foundation. Research consistently demonstrates that children who are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. In Davidson County alone, nearly 40 percent of third-graders fail to meet state proficiency benchmarks in English Language Arts. This program exists to change that trajectory through direct, evidence-based intervention at the earliest stages of a child's educational journey.
We fund three primary categories: classroom library development (purchasing up to 500 age-appropriate titles per grant), embedded literacy coaching (placing trained reading specialists in underserved pre-K and kindergarten classrooms), and parent-child reading initiatives (teaching caregivers how to read aloud effectively, ask comprehension questions, and build a print-rich home environment). Grantees must use curricula with demonstrated efficacy, conduct pre- and post-assessments, and report outcomes within 90 days of program completion.
Eligibility Requirements
- 501(c)(3) nonprofits with current IRS determination letter
- Public or charter schools serving pre-K through 3rd grade
- Community-based programs serving children ages 0 to 5
- Must operate within Davidson County or adjacent Middle Tennessee counties
- Must use evidence-based reading curricula or demonstrate research-informed approach
- Applicant organization must have at least one full year of operational history
After-School Arts Enrichment Program
When school budgets tighten, arts programs are almost always the first casualty. The Levy Love Foundation's After-School Arts Enrichment Program exists to ensure that every child in Nashville has access to visual arts, theater, music, and creative writing regardless of their school's funding level. We believe that creative expression is not a luxury supplement to education; it is a fundamental developmental necessity that builds critical thinking, emotional intelligence, collaboration skills, and self-confidence.
Our grants fund after-school programs that operate for a minimum of 12 weeks per academic year, employ qualified arts instructors with relevant credentials or professional experience, and serve at least 15 students per session. Priority funding is given to programs operating in Title I school zones where district arts budgets have been reduced or eliminated. We encourage programs that culminate in a public showcase, exhibition, or performance, giving students the experience of sharing their creative work with the broader community and building the kind of presentation confidence that serves them throughout their academic careers.
Eligibility Requirements
- Schools and nonprofits serving K-12 students in Davidson or adjacent counties
- Programs must operate for at least 12 continuous weeks per academic year
- Minimum of 15 students enrolled per session
- Qualified arts instructors with relevant credentials or professional portfolio
- Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income or underserved student populations
Family Stability Fund
A child cannot learn when their home is unstable. The Family Stability Fund addresses the foundational conditions that make academic success possible: safe and affordable housing, access to family counseling, parenting education, and wraparound support services that prevent family crises from becoming family collapse. Nashville's rapid growth has created an affordability crisis that disproportionately impacts families with young children, and this program is our response to that reality.
Unlike our other programs, the Family Stability Fund accepts rolling applications reviewed on a quarterly basis, allowing us to respond to emerging community needs and crisis situations. We fund both emergency interventions, such as temporary housing assistance and utility support, and longer-term programs that build family resilience through structured counseling, financial literacy training, co-parenting mediation, and connection to community resources. Every funded program must demonstrate a direct link between its services and improved outcomes for children in the family unit.
Eligibility Requirements
- Established nonprofits with at least 2 years of continuous operation
- Must directly serve families with school-age children (ages 0 to 18)
- Demonstrated outcomes tracking and data collection capacity
- Service area within Middle Tennessee
- Must show clear connection between services and child welfare outcomes
Teacher Innovation Awards
Great teachers are the single most important school-based factor in a child's academic success. The Teacher Innovation Awards recognize and empower Metro Nashville Public Schools educators who are designing creative, evidence-informed classroom projects but lack the budget to bring them to life. These individual micro-grants provide teachers with the resources to pilot innovative approaches to instruction, purchase specialized materials not covered by their school's operating budget, or attend professional development conferences and workshops that deepen their expertise.
Past award recipients have used their grants to create bilingual science labs, build makerspace stations for STEM exploration, purchase culturally responsive classroom libraries, develop gamified math curricula for struggling students, and attend national conferences on trauma-informed teaching practices. Each applicant must submit a detailed project proposal with measurable outcomes, a timeline, and a budget. Teachers who demonstrate exceptional results are invited to present their projects at our annual Educator Showcase, held each spring at the Nashville Public Library's Main Branch.
Eligibility Requirements
- Current Metro Nashville Public Schools teacher (K-12, any subject)
- Must submit a detailed project proposal with measurable outcomes
- Budget must be itemized and reasonable for the scope of the project
- One award per teacher per academic year
- Must agree to submit a brief outcomes report within 60 days of project completion
Summer Learning Scholarships
The "summer slide" is one of the most well-documented phenomena in education: during the months when school is out, low-income children can lose up to two months of reading achievement and more than two months of math skills. Over multiple summers, these losses compound dramatically, contributing to a widening achievement gap that becomes increasingly difficult to close. The Levy Love Foundation's Summer Learning Scholarships ensure that financial barriers do not prevent any child from accessing the structured summer learning experiences that prevent this slide.
We partner with licensed summer program operators across Davidson County and surrounding areas to provide scholarships at $275 per child. Programs must run for a minimum of four weeks, incorporate both academic enrichment and creative or physical activity, employ licensed educators or certified youth development professionals, and serve children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Our 2024 summer cohort provided 412 scholarships across 18 partner programs, and pre/post assessment data showed that scholarship recipients maintained or improved their reading levels at a rate 3.2 times higher than comparable non-participating peers.
Eligibility Requirements
- Licensed summer program operators with at least one year of operating history
- Must serve children eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch
- Program duration of at least 4 weeks
- Must incorporate academic enrichment alongside creative or physical activities
- Pre- and post-assessment data collection required
Parent Education Workshops
Parents are a child's first and most enduring teachers. The Parent Education Workshops program funds structured curricula and community-based workshops that empower caregivers with the skills and confidence to support their children's learning at home. Topics include interactive read-aloud techniques, creating print-rich home environments, positive discipline and behavior guidance, navigating the school system, understanding report cards and standardized assessments, and building daily routines that support academic success.
We strongly encourage applications from organizations offering bilingual programming. Nashville's immigrant and refugee communities represent a growing and vibrant part of our city, and many families face language barriers that make school engagement particularly challenging. Programs that provide materials and instruction in Spanish, Arabic, Kurdish, and other community languages receive priority consideration. Funded workshops must serve at least 20 families, include pre- and post-participation assessments to measure knowledge gains, and provide participants with take-home resources and tools they can use immediately.
Eligibility Requirements
- Nonprofits, community organizations, and faith-based organizations
- Workshops must serve at least 20 families
- Must include pre- and post-participation assessment
- Take-home resources and tools required for participants
- Bilingual programming strongly encouraged
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