Our History

Aunt Dora: Where It All Began

The story of The Generosity Trust is the story of a Christian woman with a bold vision: to be extraordinarily generous with the financial resources God had entrusted to her. Dora Maclellan Brown, affectionately known as Aunt Dora, served on the Board of her family’s private foundation and encouraged them in a letter “to always remember the definitely Christian faith.” Using proceeds earned through her family business, she started her own foundation that would become The Generosity Trust. Her letter has become a guiding principle for our outreach.

Today, The Generosity Trust (TGT) carries forward Aunt Dora’s vision more than 50 years later. We empower Christian generosity. We are a donor-driven community foundation that offers resources and services to simplify charitable giving for generous Christians. To serve the community, we also provide seminary scholarships, incubate new, local Christian ministries, and encourage donors to give collaboratively for greater impact.

The legacy of Aunt Dora remains central to our work today as we begin serving a fourth generation of donors. We partner with people who want to be generous with their financial resources and leave a legacy for years to come.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

1965 – Established as a private foundation known as the Dora Maclellan Brown Charitable Trust

1966 – 1974 – The trust underwent various name changes.

1993 – Incorporated as a public charity known as the Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation. (This remains the legal name of our organization)

2011 – Assumed the name of The Generosity Trust (dba with the State of Tennessee) while still operating legally as the Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation.