HOW WE STARTED:

In 2011, our organization was a mere entry at a 48 Hour Launch event...where we were ultimately voted crowd favorite and awarded a $17,000 services package. Teal Thibaud was organizing the Social Track of the competition and was introduced to Ben Garrison, who had an idea for a grassroots-level philanthropic organization in Chattanooga.  Teal liked the idea so much that she volunteered brand genius Tavis Salazar to develop the name and branding. Bijan Dhanani jumped in as the pitch artist and promoter, and Joda Thongnopnua joined the event to support building the organization. 

The idea we presented at the competition was simple: local philanthropy through collective action.  We saw a gap in the philanthropic funding landscape for seed stage and small program grant awards.  Foundations have millions to give away and typically prefer larger multi-year grants to established nonprofits. We don't. Our members (or trustees, as we call them) each contribute $100 per month, and we pool those funds together to make a $3,000 (at the time we started that was only $1,000) micro-grant.  So where does an engaged Chattanoogan go for the seed money for their big idea?  Look no further.

NOW:

The UNFoundation is run by a group of four regular folks with full time jobs just like you. They volunteer their time to promote philanthropy and bring awesome ideas to life. Promoting philanthropy involves recruiting trustees and meeting their needs for networking, warm hugs, and community knowledge. Trustees are the heartbeat of The UNFoundation giving $100 each month to fund our grants. If you are interested in becoming a trustee click here. #facesofphilanthropy

Bringing awesome ideas to life requires spreading the word about our easy monthly grant process to everyone in Chattanooga. We advertise to social media crawlers and public radio listeners about the opportunity for easy grants, we spread word of mouth through everyone we know and we promote ourselves to other foundations in town. #wefundcoolideas

Here’s a little more info on the four regular folks running this shindig (more tenured first):

Handling our finances like a boss, she’s a dime piece and sweet as a button. We’ll just take a minute to appreciate what we’ve got. Moment of silence, please. This social butterfly has a heart of gold and works at Chattanooga Tourism Co. as the Brand Experience Director promoting and developing visitor experiences for Chattanooga’s economic and social prosperity. She always keeps us in the loop with educators and entrepreneurs as she has deep roots in the community through her past work with COLAB, a nonprofit startup accelerator. Allison became a mom in 2023 to a cute little bundle called Walden. And no, that’s not why we offer free child care at all our trustee meetings, but it sure does help.

When she's not having lunch with prospective trustees or planning the next UNFoundation meeting, she's usually out adventuring with Otter and Juniper, their rescue pups. She rocks a hot mullet and despite her preference to drink copious amounts of craft beer, she can no longer handle her alcohol and is typically in bed before 10 PM after consuming her Chinese herbs. The creative arts refuel her and fostering social justice ignites them. She is the COO at Hinton and Co, an inclusion consulting firm, but is the CEO of dishes and laundry at home with her wife, Ashley.

With a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and over 10 years of expertise in community marketing, outreach, and program development, Summer has a proven track record of success in closing resource gaps and empowering underserved communities, raising awareness about and promoting health equity. Can you see why we’re so lucky to have her? Summer is the Executive Director of the Greater Chattanooga Colon Cancer Foundation (GCCCF) while also working at The Partnership. After spending over a decade at orgs like Erlanger and Girls, Inc. she is rooted in the CHA community. Her kiddo, Eli, says she is the best Mom ever, and we tend to agree with him. He has better birthday parties than we do.

A student of life and lover of learning, Michelle went from high school drop-out to a master’s in educational leadership. Like, whoa. They spent 10 years in public education teaching elementary and middle school students and retired from the 7th grade to move into nonprofit. Passionate about service work, Michelle spent years working with grassroots organizations like UnifiEd and A Step Ahead.  Nowadays they thrive in their own business, connecting people to the outdoors, their bodies, and their breath. They are the CEO and founder of Outshine Yoga and Co-Founder of Outshine Adventures. When Michelle isn’t working, you can find her practicing Kundalini, immersed in spiritual study, journaling with the oracles, professing poetry, frolicking in the woods, playing on paddleboards, witnessing the world through van life travels, cooking planty meals, and spending time with her two amazing adult daughters.