First Horizon Foundation marks 25th anniversary
While the traditional giving season is still months away, First Horizon Foundation has decided to celebrate its 25th anniversary by adding to the millions of dollars it has provided to nonprofits during the past quarter century.
“We realized several months ago that our 25th anniversary was coming up (on June 30), and we wanted to find an opportunity to share the stories of what we’ve done thus far after we’ve distributed more than $80 million in grants across our markets,” said Alana Hu, community investment manager for First Horizon Foundation. “So, after much thought and conversation, we landed on a video contest.”
On June 25, First Horizon Foundation, which operates under the Capital Bank Foundation and the First Tennessee Foundation, began accepting 60second smartphone video entries for the 25 Years of Giving contest from nonprofits in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Winners of the contest will be awarded anniversary tribute grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, for a total of $250,000.
The contest is open to eligible 501(c) (3) organizations that have partnered with First Horizon Foundation in the past or have a plan to partner with it in the future. The video must highlight previous community acts or the philanthropic deeds they could perform in their markets.
“There are powerful stories that are existing that we have not heard, and we may not be aware of,” Hu said. “The call for this contest is to engage with those thought processes this year, get those stories and to share those stories.”
Hu said First Horizon Foundation wanted to do something that would celebrate the organization’s anniversary by engaging their community members and nonprofit organizations while also giving back.
The deadline for video entries is Aug. 1. Finalists will be determined by public voting on the foundation’s website, 25yearsofgiving.com, from Aug. 15 to 31. Winners will be chosen by a panel of community leaders and announced in October.
Videos will be judged on a variety of factors.
“Criteria includes storytelling and messaging, creativity and originality,” Hu said. Motivation, inspiration and then overall community impact of the video will also be taken into consideration.
First Horizon Foundation held a similar contest in 2014, when it celebrated First Tennessee Bank’s 150th anniversary by hosting the 150 Years of Giving campaign. The contest was considered a success, generating 1.3 million votes while collecting and distributing $750,000 to 150 nonprofits.
First Horizon Foundation chairman Charles Burkett is excited about 25 Years of Giving.
“Part of our fiber here at First Tennessee and First Horizon has always been that we see the community as critical to our success in the marketplace,” Burkett said.
“In other words, how our communities go, is how our financial services in that market go. So, it’s always been important for us to give back to the community. This is just another step toward giving back to the community and getting people excited about it.”