CHARITIES

Our Mission:

To guide, manage, and execute the charitable efforts of the ECON Club of Nashville on behalf of the larger community.

Our Vision:

To create a community where families thrives.

As the charitable arm of the ECON Club of Nashville, ECON Charities guides, manages and executes the club’s philanthropic mission in an effort to help make Nashville a better place to live. Since ECON's inception 105 years ago, we have had a long history of initiating civic projects and supporting nonprofit organizations, most notably Cheekwood and The Family Center and more recently Light A Spark, our in-house initiative that seeks to build resilient families through shared experiences of the cultural arts. Our primary fundraiser is the annual Antique & Garden Show, which  raises money for us as well as for Cheekwood directly, and which provides opportunities for ECON Club members to engage in fundraising and service. Our goal is to contribute to our community in meaningful ways so that we can be a place where all people thrive.

Our 2026 Community Partners:

Raising Resilience TN (formerly known as The Family Center)

The Next Door Recovery

ELI's House

Legacy Mission Village

St. Luke's Community House

Oasis Center

Raphah Institute

NAZA

Martha O'Byran Center

Preston Taylor Ministries

TN Voices

ECON 100th Anniversary Video from The Economic Club of Nashville on Vimeo.

THEN

  • Initiated civic projects that shaped the growing city
  • Widened Church Street west of the viaduct and extended Ninth Avenue from Church Street to Union Station
  • Increased parking facilities at Union Station
  • Beautified Memorial Park, opposite the state Capitol
  • Implemented Nashville's first citywide street marking program
  • Built children's playgrounds at the Davidson County Tuberculosis Hospital
  • Equipped the Vanderbilt band with its first uniforms
  • Sponsored the first successful local fundraising campaign for the American Red Cross
  • Inspired the art exhibit still maintained today in the Parthenon at Centennial Park

NOW

  • Founded Light A Spark through ECON Charities, helping build resilient families through shared experiences of the cultural arts
  • Serves as the largest annual donor for Raising Resilience TN (formerly The Family Center)
  • Supports Cheekwood through the Antiques & Garden Show partnership
  • Supports nonprofit organizations that share its mission of strengthening Nashville families, including The Next Door Recovery