February 2025 Community Spotlight

Giving Circle: Sharing God’s Goodness

At The Generosity Trust, we have the privilege of facilitating 4 collaborative giving circles. Sharing God’s Goodness is inspired by biblically based generosity, to support small area ministries and non-profits that are African American led and/or meeting the needs of African Americans.

The giving circle meets annually and since 2022 has collectively awarded 155,000 to 18 local ministries. This giving circle focuses on supporting churches or ministries with an operating budget of $100,000 or under in the greater Chattanooga area. By focusing on small ministries, it allows the group to support ministries that are growing and often may be overlooked.

Sharing God’s Goodness (SGG) is actively looking for new members of all backgrounds as they seek to grow. Individuals may join for $50 per month and organizations, churches, or businesses for $100 per month. Members review and vote on grant proposals once a year and collectively decide how to give away funds.

If you would like to view our recent grantees, or learn about the group, click here.

Nonprofit Highlights

Each month, we like to highlight a local ministry doing excellent work. This month we are featuring two organizations in Chattanooga, TN.

At The Generosity Trust, we also offer Alpha Funds, our nonprofit incubator. Our Alpha Funds allow approved Chattanooga ministries and projects that have not yet received their IRS status as a 501(c)(3) public charity to operate under our nonprofit umbrella for up to three years. During this time, they can pilot their idea while receiving tax deductible donations through their fund at TGT. This runway allows them to decide whether to launch fully, partner with another organization, or discontinue their project.

bēkn, one of our Alpha Funds launched in 2024, shares with us about their work:

A beacon (bēkn) of light for those who need it most.  

As our population ages, many families find themselves stretched beyond capacity to care for three generations at once. The “sandwich” generation (younger Boomers and GenX) have begun caring for the “silent” generation and aging “boomers,” often while still raising children at home. Caring for the aging, especially those with some form of dementia, takes a toll. The financial, mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional strain on the family caregiver is often unseen or overlooked until it’s too late and three generations disappear from church life.

At bēkn, we help churches launch essential support services for family caregivers and seniors as they age. We do this by working alongside pastoral leadership to evaluate the needs of their congregation and support or initiate ministries to aging seniors and their care-giving family. bēkn provides proven models of respite care, conversation workshops as well as tailor-made ministries. Churches now have essential support through practical, spiritual, and emotional care for some of our community’s most vulnerable within the context of local churches.

To learn more about békn click here.

Many of our donors are actively connected to our community, serving and volunteering in nonprofits. One of our donors shared with us how her organization has implemented their own Giving Circle! She shares:

LADIES ONLY! You are invited to join Circle of Hope, a women’s giving circle focused on support of Partnership for Families, Children and Adults’ mission to provide safety, stability, and hope for our most vulnerable neighbors. Members make a minimum commitment of $50 each month so that, together, we can make a difference in the lives of families, children, and adults in need.

Together, we will vote on the recipients of our generosity. This year, our contenders include:

Sponsoring 22 children to attend Camp Hope’s weeklong summer camp.
A fund for direct assistance for our elderly who have past-due utility bills, need medicine, a bed, refrigerator, or stove.
New furniture for our Domestic Violence Shelter 3rd and 4th floor landings.
100 “Care Packages” containing an athletic top and bottom, a fleece blanket, and toiletry items for victims of rape.
A fund for direct assistance with transition costs as young people in our youth homeless program move into independent living.

To join, simply visit partnershipfca.com/circle-of-hope. Once you have signed up, you will receive a link to vote on these initiatives. Then, mark your calendar for Tuesday, March 25th, to attend our first Circle luncheon! During this time, we will announce our funding initiative and hear from Partnership’s CEO, Kevin Hyde, on a Legacy of Service.

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. 

Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. 

To learn more about Circle for Hope, click here.