Our Mission

On a foundation of Christian faith, Martha O’Bryan Center empowers children, youth, and adults in poverty to transform their lives through work, education, employment and fellowship.

Who We Are

Martha O’Bryan Center is an anti-poverty non-profit organization with longstanding history and deep community roots, founded in 1894. Our headquarter campus sits in the East Nashville public housing campus of Cayce Place, currently transforming into the mixed-income neighborhood Boscobel Heights.  This is where we operate most of our programs, supporting education goals for learners of all ages, empowering youth and adults in their careers, and providing stability and support services for individuals and families. Martha O’Bryan Center also operates two public, K-8 charter schools in East Nashville, and is co-located with partner agencies in several other centers and public schools as well. These are the places in Nashville where we continue in service, partnering with families to open doors of hope and possibility, create a culture of attainment, and positively shape future generations.

Who We Serve

Martha O’Bryan Center serves over 15,000 children, youth and adults every year, from every residential zip code in Nashville. In our headquarter neighborhood of Cayce Place, less than a mile from downtown Nashville, the average household income for families is $7,494, 70% below the national poverty threshold for a family of 4 ($24,250).

Cayce Place stands at a pivotal moment in its long history. After four years of intensive planning, Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) has begun its Envision Cayce project, to scale the community’s 900 public housing units to 2,700 mixed-income units (1,100 low-income, 400 workforce, and 1,200 full-market). This kind of project has never been attempted—not at this scale, with most original residents remaining in place, and a high-performing school and amenities complex at its center.

Our transformed headquarter neighborhood will only succeed if driven by community input and feedback. Knowing this, we have partnered with MDHA to facilitate 50+ community meetings, listening to residents’ ideas, giving them decision-making agency in the transformation process. Our goal is to lift voices of original residents, creating a truly integrated mixed-income neighborhood. Change doesn’t happen when families move to new buildings; it happens when those buildings are complemented with a vast array of opportunities to pursue educational excellence, economic mobility, and family stability.

Our Core Values

Faith

We believe God has given
purpose and abilities
to every individual.

We believe there is
strength in differences
and beauty in all people.

We believe all are called
to act on behalf
of their neighbor.

Hope

We assume good will
and positive intent.

We work to
find solutions.

We believe that
every person can be
free from the impact
of poverty.

Love

We meet people
where they are.

We foster life changing
relationships.

We work together
for social justice.