Opportunity Overview
The Louie M. & Betty M. Phillips Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in health, human services, civic affairs, education, and the arts, with priority consideration for organizations serving the greater Nashville community. The Foundation funds grants twice each year. For the fall 2026 cycle, proposals are due on the last business day of October, which is October 30, 2026. The Foundation does not publish a closing clock time or time zone, so Atlas does not infer one.
Funding
The Foundation states that it most frequently awards General Operating Support and Program or Project Specific grants in the $1,000 to $5,000 range. This is a typical award range, not a stated maximum. No total fall 2026 funding pool is published.
Eligible Uses
Project and Program support may fund specific projects, equipment, or programs with defined objectives and timetables and a broad community benefit. The Foundation also provides Sustaining Operating support to selected organizations contributing significantly to the Nashville area.
Eligibility and Exclusions
The Foundation gives priority consideration to nonprofit organizations serving the greater Nashville community and to organizations with longstanding relationships to the founders or Foundation leadership. It does not support individuals or their projects, private foundations, political activities, advertising, or sponsorships. It also ordinarily excludes projects or organizations serving a limited audience, disease specific organizations, biomedical or clinical research, and tax supported institutions.
Application Requirements
The Foundation uses no standard application form. Proposals are submitted electronically to Allison Buntin at allison@phillipsfoundation.org. The proposal letter should be no more than two pages and describe the organization and its record of accomplishments, the program objectives and intended beneficiaries, the amount requested relative to the total need, and exactly how the funds would be used. Organizations without a current GivingMatters profile should also include an annual report if available, the IRS letter confirming 501(c)(3) public charity status, and marketing material. Only one request per organization is considered during a calendar year.
Match and Submission Controls
The current public materials do not state a mandatory match or cost share. Proposals are accepted throughout the year and generally considered at semiannual meetings, with the fall deadline tied to the November meeting.
N9+ and Dr. Miltie Relevance
N9+ Fit Score: 68/100, conditional. Health is an express Foundation priority and project or program grants may include equipment, creating a plausible pathway for the Nonagon N9+ device and platform within a specific eligible nonprofit project. Fit should not be assumed. A Nashville nonprofit would need a genuine clinical access or care delivery need, and the project would need to satisfy the Foundation’s broad benefit and other eligibility criteria. Dr. Miltie is not being treated as a direct eligible applicant.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 86/100. This is a currently open Tennessee private foundation opportunity with direct health and education relevance, flexible operating and project support, explicit equipment eligibility, a straightforward submission process, and substantial lead time. Execution certainty is reduced by the absence of a published closing time and time zone and by the Foundation’s relatively small typical award size.
Next Steps
Eligible Nashville-area nonprofits should confirm that they have not already submitted a request during calendar 2026, define a specific project or operating need, prepare the short proposal and any required supporting materials, and submit before October 30. Any technology-centered health project should confirm project-specific fit before budgeting a device or platform.