The Pipeline

As one of the nation’s oldest historically black medical colleges, Meharry wanted to strengthen its culture of philanthropy ahead of the university’s upcoming sesquicentennial celebration. To do so, Meharry needed more than periodic community updates to establish a recurring, recognizable channel to keep faculty, staff, and stakeholders informed about funding opportunities and the partnerships shaping the College’s future. The Pipeline emerged as a quarterly newsletter from the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations, reaching more than 8,000 recipients. Each issue pairs a letter from the CFR Director with recent grant and philanthropic wins; a curated slate of upcoming requests for proposals with funders, amounts, and deadlines; and CFR news that spotlights the impact of donor support across campus. Because the newsletter doubled as a stewardship tool, it was structured to steer faculty back to the CFR office before pursuing any funding from a prospect—protecting donor relationships while establishing the Division of Institutional Advancement as the primary resource for external funding from non-government entities. The result reframes internal grant communications as an engine of awareness, coordination, and shared progress.