This year, The Frist Foundation once again will offer $105,000 in awards to organizations that best exemplify improvement and achievement in nonprofit management. In 2009, we distributed awards to nine organizations through the program. Winners in each of three categories received $20,000 unrestricted grants, and two finalists in each category received grants of $7,500 apiece. The 2009 grant recpients can be viewed on video by clicking here. This year's categories and finalists are as follows:

• Innovation in Action: Finalists in this category includeMercy Children's Clinic, the Rooftop Foundation and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
• Making a Difference: Finalists are Books from Birth of Middle Tennessee, Hands on Nashville and the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts.
• Team Building: Finalists are the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

The awards were established in 1985 to encourage and recognize outstanding nonprofit management. Over the years, the program as attracted more than 500 nominations from Nashville nonprofit organizations. The Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM) has administered the awards program since 1993.

The 2010 awards will be announced at CNM's Salute to Excellence banquet, scheduled for September 21. For more information on the Awards of Achievement, visit the CNM website at http://www.cnm.org.