New Partner Agency Application

Thank you for your interest in partnering with the Community Resource Center (CRC)! Community Resource Center is Middle Tennessee’s only Hygiene Hub, providing essential hygiene and household cleaning products to our neighbors during seasons of ongoing need. By offering regular hygiene distribution in collaboration with over 400 locations across our seven county service area, we’re here to ensure a dignified standard of living for our most vulnerable community members.

What is a Partner Agency?

A Partner Agency is a non-profit, faith community, or government agency that has completed the application process and met specific requirements in order to partner with Community Resource Center, such as food pantries, senior centers, schools, and more. Our partner distribution organizations help distribute essential hygiene products such as shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes and menstrual products to tens of thousands of people experiencing hygiene insecurity.

Your agency’s staff is responsible for the ordering and distribution of products to support the individuals and families you serve. This partnership is guaranteed for one year and is eligible for annual renewal, however, renewal is not guaranteed. 

 

Steps to Completion:

1. Complete a Partner Agency Application Form.
   You can submit your completed application online using this form, or by mailing a physical copy to 218 Omohundro Place, Nashville TN 37210. Please note, applications are by invitation only. 

2. Once the application is received, a CRC Staff Member will contact you to set up a site visit to be held at your organization’s location if not already completed. 

3. Upon completion of a successful site visit, the CRC will issue final approval or denial of your application.

4. Approved agencies will complete a Partnership Agreement with CRC, signed by your Executive Director.

5. Staff member(s) of your organization responsible for ordering and distributing hygiene products complete a virtual New Partner Agency Orientation.

6. Your agency can begin ordering hygiene products from the CRC! 

 

Application Sections:

1. Agency Eligibility 
2. Agency Information
3. Program Description
4. Financial Information
5. Distribution Information

 

Questions? Contact Lauren Scarborough at (615) 538-4426 or email lauren@crcmidtn.org

Please Note: The turn-around time to become a Partner Agency will depend on the submission of a complete application, scheduling of the site visit, and orientation completion. Completion of this application form does NOT guarantee acceptance. No partnership can be finalized until all requirements are met.

Please carefully review the following eligibility requirements. The following eligibility requirements are minimum requirements. Organizations that do not meet these requirements will not be considered Partner Agency candidates. 

 

Basic Eligibility Requirements For All Partner Agencies

• Must be a federally tax-exempt 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 nonprofit public charity in current and good standing with the TN Secretary of State Office or a church, temple or synagogue that meets specified IRS requirements.

• Agree to distribute all products received from Community Resource Center directly to individuals who are hygiene insecure as part of the program(s) described in your application.

• Operate and distribute hygiene products within the Community Resource Center’s geographical coverage area. Community Resource Center only serves the following counties: Cheatham, Davidson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, Wilson

• Must provide resources to their community on a regular basis, not just once or twice a year. Should have the need and ability to distribute hygiene products from the Community Resource Center a minimum of six times each year. 

• Treat everyone with dignity and respect; must not require a donation, charge a fee, or require attendance at a service or gathering to receive services.

• Understand that Community Resource Center may request documentation relating to your organization’s distribution of products received through this program, and you agree to cooperate with any reasonable requests for such documentation.

• Have sufficient and sanitary handling and storage of products received from Community Resource Center

• Agree to site monitoring by a Community Resource Center representative.

 

Unincorporated Faith-Based Organization Eligibility Requirements (In lieu of 501c3)

Many faith-based organizations are part of a larger body of their own 501c3 status. Some faith-based organizations, however, do not have 501c3 status. To become a partner, those unincorporated faith-based organizations must meet any 12 of the following 14 criteria:

• Distinct legal existence (such as state tax-exempt)
• Recognized creed and form of worship
• Define and distinct ecclesiastical government
• Formal code of doctrine and discipline
• Distinct religious history
• Membership not associated with any church or denomination
• Complete organization of ordained ministers ministering to the congregation
• Ordained ministers elected after completing prescribed courses of study
• Literature of its own
• Established places of worship
• Regular congregations
• Regular religious services
• Regular classes for religious instruction of the young
• Schools for the preparation of its ministers

Please note: An unincorporated faith-based organization is not one that has applied for 501c3 status and been denied and /or had its 501c3 status revoked. To verify the status of your religious organization, submit a letter on organization letterhead stating how the organization meets the criteria and that it has not been denied 501c3 status. Please have this statement signed by an organization leader and submitted and submitted with the agency application

All questions are required unless noted otherwise.

Executive Director Information:

CRC Primary Contact Information (Representative from your organization who will act as the account user for CRC's Partner Portal and be the primary person placing your organization's CRC orders and receive CRC communication):

Additional Staff Member(s) from your organization who would be authorized to pick-up your CRC order/receive CRC communication (if applicable):

The Community Resource Center offers a Hygiene Locator database on our website where other service providers and community members can learn more about how to access CRC resources in the community. If your organization is approved to become a CRC Partner Agency, please indicate below if your organization would like to have your information displayed. The Hygiene Locator will include (where applicable): Public address, public phone number, public email address, hours of operation, and eligibility requirements.

Please note if you are applying to be a CRC Hygiene Pantry, the Hygiene Locator is not optional.

All materials distributed through the Community Resource Center are intended to provide for those who are hygiene insecure, including individuals experiencing poverty or receiving support in crisis/transition.

All questions are required unless noted otherwise.

Describe the populations you serve:

Please indicate the race/ethnicity of your participants using percentages:

Percentages must total 100%. If your agency does not formally track this data, please provide your best educated estimates.

Please indicate the age group(s) of your participants using percentages:

Percentages must total 100%. If your agency does not formally track this data, please provide your best educated estimates.

Please indicate the gender of your participants using percentages:

Percentages must total 100%. If your agency does not formally track this data, please provide your best educated estimates.

All questions are required unless noted otherwise.

What are your organization's current source(s) of hygiene and cleaning products? Please list in percentages, totaling 100%.

All questions are required unless noted otherwise.

For the question below, please refer to these Agency type definitions:

• An "Open" agency is an agency where the general public has access to your resources/services.
• A "Program Only" agency is an agency whose resources/services are provided exclusively to clients that are engaged in the agency’s programming and do not offer resources/services to the general public.

For the question below, please refer to this definition of unique individuals:

Unique individuals refers to the unduplicated total number of individuals you served in the past year. Individuals served more than one time in the past year should only be counted once. This number should include all household members to reflect the total number of individuals served.