CNS awards $120,000 in grants to community nonprofits
October 2, 2026
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| Consolidated Nuclear Security’s Community Investment Fund awarded 12 grants to area nonprofits focusing on teen resilience and veteran support. Image submitted |
OAK RIDGE, TN — Twelve East Tennessee nonprofits received a total of $120,000 from the Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) Community Investment Fund during a ceremony at Y-12 National Security Complex on Thursday, Oct. 1. CNS manages and operates Y-12 National Security Complex for the National Nuclear Security Administration.
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Consolidated Nuclear Security’s Community Investment Fund awarded 12 grants to area nonprofits focusing on teen resilience and veteran support. Image submitted |
In 2015, CNS worked with East Tennessee Foundation (ETF) to create an innovative and effective method for contributing to the community in a way that would engage Y-12 employees. Since its inception, the fund has awarded more than 225 grants to more than 150 nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in 20 East Tennessee counties, totaling more than a combined $1.6 million in award money. Each year, a Y-12 employee committee recommends the grant recipients.
The Community Investment Fund is a partnership with CNS, East Tennessee Foundation, and our Y-12 volunteer employee committee,” said Gene Sievers, CNS vice president of Production and Operations. “Each year, our volunteer committee selects focus areas that they are passionate about. Based on those priorities, East Tennessee Foundation requests proposals through its nonprofit distribution network. |
Employees choose priorities and recommend funding
Todd Ailes, CNS president and CEO, said, “Our group of employee volunteers did the hard work of deciding priorities and ultimately selecting which grants would be funded. This year’s priorities, as agreed upon by our committee, were teen resilience and veteran support.”
“Tonight is exceptionally fun—recognizing the volunteers and nonprofits,” said Keith Barber, president and CEO of ETF. “Without the partnership with CNS, these awards wouldn’t happen.”
“Reviewing the grants is a long, difficult process—not because it’s hard to decide whether the grants deserve to be funded. They all do,” said Ann Smith, senior director of CNS Communications. “The difficulty lies with having to choose the best of them.”
This year, the employee committee recommended funding a dozen projects from the more than 30 proposals submitted.
Recipients provide services to 20 counties
The services offered by the grant recipients reach 20 East Tennessee counties. This year’s recipients and their intended use of the award money are as follows:
• Girls & Boys Clubs of the Clinch Valley to provide at-risk middle and high school students with a safe, supportive environment where they can explore college and career opportunities at no cost.
• CASA Monroe to fund the Fostering Futures Project that provides extensive educational services, mentoring opportunities, and support to older youth who have grown up in crisis, dysfunctional families, and are at high risk for future delinquent behavior.
• Compassion Closet to help meet the needs of teens in foster care, kinship placements, and youth aging out of care with clothing, shoes, hygiene items, school supplies, and beds.
• East Tennessee Human Resource Agency (ETHRA) to certify an instructor to coordinate 16 workshops and train 250 participants in senior centers, helping reach veterans who may not access the Veterans Health Administration. The goal is to provide initial support and skills to connect individuals to professional care.
• Frontline Gardens to support a horticulture therapy program to veterans, first responders and Gold Star Families affected by PTSD through the therapeutic benefits of gardening, addressing their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
• Isaiah 117 House - Anderson County to offer 50 housing scholarships for teens who have been removed from their homes and are awaiting foster-care placement.
• Isaiah 117 House - Bradley/Polk County to replace beds and purchase living room furniture to provide short-term housing for children going into foster care.
• Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity to provide critical home repairs for senior veterans who lack the resources.
• REBOOT Recovery to provide 30-40 veterans and family members with access to peer-led trauma healing courses at no cost.
• Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR) for the Heroes with Horses equine-assisted experience specifically for veterans with disabilities.
• Shora Foundation for their Youth Resilience Initiative that provides middle and high school students with year-round after-school academic support, trauma-informed mental health services, mentoring, and workforce development opportunities.
• Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless for their Bridge Housing for Veterans Program that provides temporary housing and supportive services for veterans experiencing homelessness while they secure permanent housing.
Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, operates the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Bechtel National, Inc. is the lead member of CNS; minority members include Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, LLC; and SOC LLC. Y-12 is a key facility in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, disciplined operations, and delivering as promised. For more information on Y-12, visit www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
