The Lillian L. Colby Charitable Foundation, established in 2012, is seeking local and regional organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Chattanooga Area to apply for a fall 2014 grant award.
Established under the Trust Agreement of the late Lillian L. Colby, the Lillian Colby Foundation seeks to support a variety of health and human service organizations through both established and innovative programs.
Colby’s mission for the foundation encompasses relieving the suffering of the poor, downtrodden, homeless, hungry and battered, along with overall cultural and artistic advancement throughout the community.
“Throughout her life, my Aunt Lillian and her husband, Fred Colby, worked steadily with young people and their families, helping them cultivate a myriad of life skills to excel as individuals and to grow as community members and leaders,” said Dr. Catherine Colby, a member of Board of Directors for the Lillian Colby Foundation and niece of the late Colby. “She created the foundation so that community organizations with relevant, sustainable initiatives can make strides toward their goals of assisting individuals and developing our community.”
In its initial year of granting awards, the foundation supported seven organizations, including Metropolitan Ministries and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
“The economy is still causing severe hardships on families in our region, and we are very thankful that the Lillian Colby Foundation was able to help fund our Homelessness Prevention Initiative,” said Rebecca Whelchel, executive director of Metropolitan Ministries. “The foundation truly lives out their mission of giving back and supporting our local community.”
The foundation’s directors award multiple grants every spring and fall to organizations in the Greater Chattanooga region that are exempt from taxation under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c)(3). The foundation offers capital, operating and program or project support to the organizations aligned with the mission.
The foundation’s board members consist of Jim “JV” Vaughn, Gary Chazen, Dr. Catherine Colby, Ryan Crimmins, Dana Perry and Ben Probasco. The foundation primarily supports children and youth services, health and human services, and mental health, with special consideration given to the Chattanooga Symphony and Wayside Presbyterian Church.
“Hunger is a serious issue in our community and the need for food assistance is greater than ever, particularly among families with children. We are committed to meeting the growing need in our community, and we simply could not do it without philanthropic support from institutions like the Lillian Colby Foundation,” said Maeghan Jones, president of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
To learn more about the Lillian Colby Foundation, or to apply for a fall 2014 grant award, visit www.lilliancolby.org.
Born in 1920 to a farming family in Eagleville, Tenn., Lillian Colby and her husband, Fred, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., worked with youth and with agricultural development throughout Tennessee. Their permanent home was on Signal Mountain, where after graduating from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Colby spent the majority of her professional career teaching at Thrasher Elementary School. She was passionate about folk and classical music and enjoyed traveling the globe. Colby strongly supported Chattanooga’s Sister City program with Wuxi, China, as well as sponsored a Chinese violinist’s education at UTC. She was an avid animal lover and an active member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, Daughters of the American Revolution, and a number of local clubs and associations. Colby passed away on Dec. 23, 2010.