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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Tennessee
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 10,532 grantmakers listed 62,679 grants totaling $3.1 billion to 16,389 organizations in Tennessee. 9,775 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 757 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 952 are based in Tennessee; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Tennessee organization was $6,500. Davidson County received the most grants (18,576, from 2,650 funders), followed by Shelby County (15,203) and Hamilton County (3,687). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were health & mental health (10,556 grants), education & literacy (7,219 grants) and children & youth (5,283 grants).
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc (Nashville, TN) funded the most different Tennessee organizations: 1,086, through 1,812 grants with a typical size of $7,670.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Tennessee organizations
Ranked by the number of different Tennessee organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to TN organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc Nashville, TN · EIN 62-1471789 | 1,812 | 1,086 | $7,670 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | Community Foundation of Greater Memphis Inc Memphis, TN · EIN 58-1723645 | 850 | 554 | $29,163 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 3 | Christian Community Foundation of Memphis Memphis, TN · EIN 62-1752885 | 619 | 404 | $25,025 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 4 | Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tn Inc Nashville, TN · EIN 62-1049447 | 566 | 359 | $70,014 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 5 | United Way of Middle Tennessee Inc Nashville, TN · EIN 62-0533104 | 764 | 337 | $20,096 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 6 | Scarlett Family Foundation Nashville, TN · EIN 20-1980932 | 582 | 317 | $7,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Hca Healthcare Foundation Nashville, TN · EIN 61-1230563 | 469 | 297 | $20,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | East Tennessee Foundation Knoxville, TN · EIN 62-0807696 | 265 | 265 | $18,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 9 | Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation Chattanooga, TN · EIN 62-1536731 | 263 | 262 | $23,083 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 10 | Memorial Foundation Inc Madison, TN · EIN 62-1202302 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 372 | 246 | $20,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Enterprise Holdings Foundation Saint Louis, MO · EIN 43-1262762 | 473 | 226 | $2,500 | 2023 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Publix Super Markets Charities Inc Lakeland, FL · EIN 59-6194119 | 445 | 220 | $2,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation Nashville, TN · EIN 62-1103568 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 892 | 213 | $2,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 14 | Carolyn Smith Foundation Hendersonville, TN · EIN 81-4706113 | 399 | 213 | $12,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | The Healing Trust Formerly Baptist Healing Hospital Trust Nashville, TN · EIN 52-2362225 | 287 | 185 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson County | 18,576 | 2,650 | $892.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Shelby County | 15,203 | 5,436 | $958.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Hamilton County | 3,687 | 576 | $146.2 million | Top 5 funders |
| Knox County | 3,097 | 637 | $158.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Williamson County | 2,508 | 838 | $142.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Rutherford County | 1,041 | 255 | $27.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| Marion County | 745 | 251 | $39.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Sumner County | 686 | 155 | $17.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Washington County | 627 | 221 | $25.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Sullivan County | 595 | 172 | $21.8 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Health & mental health | 10,556 | Top 5 funders |
| Education & literacy | 7,219 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 5,283 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 2,258 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 1,903 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 1,506 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 1,188 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 1,054 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 863 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 380 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 277 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 173 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 95 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Tennessee ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.