Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon announces grant program for healthy living

Proposals for funding up to $10,000 due by July 31

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon announced on Thursday that it will offer a new grant program targeted at promoting healthy living in East Tennessee.

For a decade, the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon has been the premier event of the Knoxville Track Club, a press release said. Each year, funds have been set aside for the community contribution program.

In an effort to encourage healthy living beyond race day, the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon has issued a request for proposals now through the end of July for organizations seeking funding from the program.

“For 10 years, the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon has served as East Tennessee’s premier event for runners, as well as a healthy and inspiring opportunity for individuals and families of all fitness levels,” said race director Jason Altman. “We are proud that what happens during marathon weekend will be able to further impact our community throughout the year, and we’re excited to expand that to the public in a more formal way through this grant program.”

Application forms are available at www.knoxvillemarathon.com. Interested applicants should represent projects with unique ideas, methods and approaches that will achieve one or more of the following:

• improve quality of life and promote healthy living practices in the community;
• promote healthy eating habits; and
• support current active programs (i.e., providing supplies, equipment or other similar items).

Eligible applicants include nonprofits with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and regional government entities that are considered nonprofit serving the following counties in East Tennessee: Knox, Anderson, Blount, Claiborne, Cumberland, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Loudon, Roane, Union, and Sevier.

Applicants may submit proposals up to $10,000, and multiple recipients may be selected. Proposals must be submitted by July 31, and the award date will be no later than September 2014.

Currently, proceeds from the marathon benefit the Knoxville Track Club’s youth athletic program, as well as Covenant Health’s Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center Innovative Recreation Cooperative, which encourages people with disabilities to pursue leisure and sports activities, including handcycling, which is one of the races in the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon.

In addition to the new grant program, proceeds from the marathon will continue to benefit these two programs.

For additional information, please visit www.knoxvillemarathon.com.

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is a premier event organized by the Knoxville Track Club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the encouragement of physical well being through running, jogging, competitive road racing, racewalking, fun runs, cross-country, and track and field.