Largest Charities in Tennessee: Top 10 Organizations to Donate & Volunteer (2026)

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee has served the region since 1978 — nearly 50 years — from its Nashville headquarters across 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. The organization partners with over 600 nonprofit agencies including afterschool programs, soup kitchens, and senior centers, and maintains a sourcing network of 720 partners including 500+ grocery stores, local farmers, and food manufacturers. Second Harvest distributes tens of millions of pounds of food annually and runs specialized programs: 56 School Food Pantry sites delivered 309,000 meals in the most recent year; summer feeding programs served 53,000+ breakfasts and lunches in summer 2025; and SNAP enrollment assistance helps eligible residents access benefits they may not know they qualify for.

The scale of the 2025 crisis at Second Harvest was cumulative. First came the spring USDA cuts — 700,000 pounds gone. Then the July announcement of 4 million fewer annual pounds going forward. Then the November SNAP freeze that Second Harvest estimated would cost 14.5 million meals in its coverage area if the disruption lasted the full month. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell joined Second Harvest CEO Amy Keil to launch the Hunger Can't Wait campaign in response. Demand has risen 46% since 2020 — the organization is operating at a scale it had not anticipated. Volunteers are essential to operations at the Nashville facility throughout the week.

Mid-South Food Bank covers 9 counties in the Memphis metropolitan area through a network of partner agencies and direct programs. Memphis has long been one of the most economically distressed large cities in the South — persistently high poverty rates, food deserts in significant portions of the city, and a majority-Black urban core that faces food insecurity at rates well above the state average. Mid-South Food Bank's mobile pantry network reaches communities without fixed food access points, and its partner agency network includes churches, community centers, and housing programs throughout the tri-state Memphis metro (Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas).

In spring 2025, Mid-South suspended more than 40 food pantries due to funding cuts — a dramatic contraction of service in a city that was already underserved. Spokesperson Nicole Willis explained the mechanism: mobile pantry partners couldn't afford to purchase food themselves, and Mid-South had previously subsidized that cost. When federal funding was cut, the subsidy disappeared and the pantries couldn't operate. Volunteers sort and distribute food at the Memphis facility. Donations are particularly impactful here given the scale of the food bank's current capacity constraints.

The Nashville Humane Association is the largest private humane organization in Middle Tennessee, operating adoption, spay/neuter, humane law enforcement, community education, and community pet support programs. Nashville's rapid growth — the city added roughly 100 people per day for much of the 2010s and 2020s — has created housing pressure that disproportionately affects lower-income residents and their pets. Pets are surrendered when owners lose housing, can't afford veterinary care, or face the reality that a new apartment won't allow animals. NHA's pet owner support programs try to keep animals with their families when possible.

Tennessee's other major animal welfare organizations include Memphis Animal Services (municipal, one of the country's largest open-admission shelters), Humane Educational Society (Chattanooga), and regional humane organizations in East Tennessee. Nashville Humane holds regular adoption events and maintains a large foster network for animals requiring extended care. Volunteer roles include animal care, dog walking, cat socialization, fostering, and off-site adoption event support.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville builds affordable homes and critical home repairs in a city that has become one of the most expensive housing markets in the South. Nashville's transformation into a major entertainment, healthcare, and corporate hub — with Amazon's operations center, Oracle's new campus, and the tourism economy's growth — has dramatically increased housing demand. Median home prices in Davidson County exceeded $450,000. For workers in Nashville's hospitality, healthcare support, and service sectors, homeownership has become nearly impossible without programs like Habitat's. The food insecurity rise of 43% in Davidson County in 2025 is directly connected to the housing cost squeeze that leaves food budgets the first thing cut.

Tennessee has strong Habitat affiliates in Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Clarksville, and many smaller communities. Nashville's affiliate benefits from the city's large corporate volunteer base — HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt University, Dollar General, and many others run Habitat volunteer days. Build days run year-round. ReStore accepts building materials, furniture, and appliances at multiple locations.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee manages donor-advised funds, endowments, and competitive grants for nonprofits across Middle Tennessee and beyond. CFMT is the largest and most active community foundation in the state, with a long track record of activating emergency funds after disasters — including the 2020 Nashville tornado, the 2021 floods in Waverly and Humphreys County, and the ongoing food security crisis of 2025. CFMT has supported Second Harvest Food Bank's Hunger Can't Wait campaign and directed emergency giving to hunger relief organizations during the SNAP disruptions.

For donors who want to support Middle Tennessee nonprofits without picking a single organization, CFMT's vetted directory and program officers can help direct giving to high-impact organizations across cause areas. Their Giving Matters initiative lists recommended giving opportunities for Tennessee donors.

United Way of Greater Nashville manages workplace giving campaigns for Nashville-area employers — HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt, Dollar General, Ingram Industries, Bridgestone Americas, and others — and distributes grants to nonprofits across education, income stability, and health. They operate 2-1-1 Tennessee, the statewide helpline connecting residents to food, housing, utility, and emergency resources. During the November 2025 SNAP crisis, 2-1-1 Tennessee call volumes spiked as residents sought food pantry locations and emergency support. Nashville's corporate growth has made UWGN's campaign one of the most active in the Southeast.

Tennessee has multiple United Way chapters — United Way of the Mid-South (Memphis), United Way of Greater Chattanooga, United Way of Greater Knoxville, and others. Nashville's chapter benefits from the city's growing corporate sector and strong philanthropic culture. Their annual community impact report documents investments across K-12 education, workforce development, and basic needs.

The Red Cross Tennessee Region responds to tornadoes, flooding, home fires, and severe weather statewide. Tennessee sits in active tornado territory — Nashville was struck by a major tornado in March 2020 that killed 25 people and damaged thousands of structures. The 2021 floods in Waverly and Humphreys County killed 20 people and caused catastrophic damage. Tennessee's geography creates storm risk across all three grand divisions: flat west Tennessee faces tornado risk, the middle basin faces flooding, and east Tennessee has mountain weather and flash floods. Red Cross long-term recovery case managers have worked in Tennessee communities after multiple events.

Blood collection serves HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt Health, Tennessee Medical Center, and other hospital systems statewide. If you were displaced by a tornado, flood, or fire in Tennessee and need immediate help, call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Catholic Charities of Tennessee covers the state with refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, emergency food and housing, counseling, and social services from its Nashville headquarters. Tennessee is a major refugee resettlement state — Nashville has received refugees from Somalia, Burma, Iraq, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and more recently Afghanistan and Ukraine. Catholic Charities handles the legal and social integration work that determines whether families build stable lives in their new community. Immigration legal services cover DACA renewals, family reunification, naturalization, and asylum for Nashville's growing immigrant population.

Memphis also has significant immigrant and refugee populations, particularly from Latin America and Southeast Asia, served by Catholic Charities programs in the western part of the state. Services are available to people of all faiths. Volunteers assist with English tutoring, resettlement support, food assistance, and administrative roles.

The Salvation Army operates in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, and other Tennessee communities with emergency food, rent and utility assistance, overnight shelter, after-school programs, and disaster canteens. After the 2020 Nashville tornado and the 2021 Waverly floods, Salvation Army deployed mobile kitchens and emergency assistance teams to affected communities. November 2025 SNAP crisis: Salvation Army corps statewide activated emergency food distribution alongside food banks. Nashville's visible homeless population — particularly along Jefferson Street and in downtown — requires consistent emergency food and shelter operations from the Salvation Army.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee matches children with adult mentors across the Nashville metro. Nashville's explosive growth has been uneven — the prosperity of the entertainment, healthcare, and corporate sectors has not reached the city's lower-income east and north neighborhoods, where child poverty remains significant. Davidson County's 43% food insecurity rise in 2025 means thousands of children are dealing with food stress on top of the challenges that mentoring programs address. BBBS research shows matched youth are more likely to stay in school and avoid the justice system. Tennessee has BBBS affiliates in Memphis, Chattanooga, and other cities.