Foundations that fund organizations in Nashville, Tennessee
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Nashville nonprofits
2,075 private foundations gave $356M to Nashville organizations in their latest filings; 35 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
7,588 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Nashville around $150K. 49 of these funders are based in Tennessee; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 2,075
- Accept applications
- 35
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Nashville
- $356M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 7,588
- Typical median grant
- $150K
- Based in TN
- 49%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Nashville organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Frist Foundation | Nashville, TN | 117 | $32M | $20K | Yes | Operating support for 2024; General support directed by lauren elcan ingram; General support directed by julie and tommy frist |
| Dettwiller Foundation | Nashville, TN | 115 | $13M | $25K | Preselected only | General fund |
| American Educational Assistance Foundation | Nashville, TN | 1 | $12M | $12M | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| W L Lyons Brown Foundation | Louisville, KY | 1 | $11M | $11M | Preselected only | Liquidating distribution |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | Bentonville, AR | 7 | $10M | $1.3M | Preselected only | To provide subgrants to promising tutoring providers, resea…; To expand the evaluation capacity of researchers for state-…; To support general operations. |
| Lilly Endowment Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 7 | $7.3M | $997K | Yes | Capacity buildg-disaster relief orgs; Nurturing children-worship & prayer; No small endeavor public media proj |
| Cal Turner Family Foundation Inc | Nashville, TN | 19 | $6.8M | $59K | Yes | Fra turner fellows; Capital support for new building; General support |
| Scarlett Family Foundation | Nashville, TN | 97 | $6.3M | $15K | Yes | Tuition; Support for operations; Support for operations and capacity building |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 12 | $5.7M | $574K | Yes | K-12 education; Public awareness and analysis; K-12 education; postsecondary education; public awareness a… |
| Hca Healthcare Foundation | Nashville, TN | 190 | $5.6M | $20K | Yes | Operational funding request; Program funding request; President approved |
| Joe C Davis Foundation | Nashville, TN | 97 | $5.5M | $20K | Yes | Operating support; Program support; Capacity building & operating support |
| Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Houston, TX | 9 | $4.5M | $148K | Preselected only | To support grantee's states leading recovery grant program.; To develop a research-based definition of "credentials of v…; To advance higher education policy to impact postsecondary… |
| Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation | Knoxville, TN | 16 | $4.1M | $88K | Preselected only | General operating support; Operating support; Support for general operations |
| The Ayers Foundation Trust | Parsons, TN | 16 | $3.9M | $28K | Yes | General/operating |
| Yarbrough Family Foundation | Franklin, TN | 8 | $3.8M | $324 | Preselected only | Unrestricted |
| Milton and Denice Johnson Family Foundation | Nashville, TN | 50 | $3.8M | $10K | Preselected only | Operational support; Capital campaign; Reimagining community spaces in mnps |
| Glenn M Weaver Foundation | Milwaukee, WI | 1 | $3.8M | $3.8M | Preselected only | General operating |
| The Melkus Family Foundation | Nashville, TN | 32 | $3.7M | $63K | Preselected only | To further one or more of the exempt purposes of the charity |
| Memorial Foundation Inc | Madison, TN | 139 | $3.5M | $20K | Preselected only | To further one or more of the exempt purposes of the charity |
| Cohen Veterans Network Inc | Stamford, CT | 3 | $3.5M | $1.2M | Preselected only | Military family clinic |
| The Healing Trust Formerly Baptist Healing Hospital Trust | Nashville, TN | 97 | $3.5M | $30K | Yes | To further the exempt purposes of the organization. |
| Wellcome Leap Inc | San Diego, CA | 3 | $3.4M | $1.6M | Preselected only | Global health research |
| Speer Foundation | Brentwood, TN | 22 | $3.2M | $38K | Preselected only | Operating support |
| The Prescott Miller Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | 1 | $3.1M | $3.1M | Preselected only | General |
| Clark Charitable Foundation Inc Dba a James & Alice B Clark Foundation | Chevy Chase, MD | 1 | $3.0M | $3.0M | Preselected only | Clark scholars program |
| Carolyn Smith Foundation | Hendersonville, TN | 95 | $3.0M | $20K | Yes | Human services - local community; Medical research; Health - General |
| Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 2 | $2.7M | $1.3M | Preselected only | Education: research to practice - practice; Science: precision health |
| The Jackson Foundation Inc | Dickson, TN | 3 | $2.6M | $10K | Preselected only | To further exempt purpose |
| Charter Fund Inc D/B/A Charter School Growth Fund | Broomfield, CO | 10 | $2.4M | $219K | Yes | Charter school growth; Impact and innovation; Charter school capacity-building |
| Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation | Nashville, TN | 243 | $2.2M | $2,500 | Preselected only | General support.; Annual gift.; Annual fund. |
| The West End Home Foundation | Nashville, TN | 33 | $2.0M | $45K | Yes | To further one or more of the exempt purposes of the charity |
| Don Waggoner & Zelma Waggoner Foundation | Naples, FL | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | To further the mission of the organization. |
| Red Gates Foundation | Richmond, VA | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | General support |
| Enchiridion Foundation | Nashville, TN | 79 | $1.9M | $10K | Preselected only | General support for operations; For youth camp; General support for renovation project |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 3 | $1.9M | $600K | Yes | To support the tennessee arts & humanities initiative; To support capacity building and producing partnerships for…; To support capacity and programming at the engine for art,… |
| The Anne Wojcicki Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M | Preselected only | Structure/function deep dive of egfr and her2 |
| Tennessee Titans Foundation | Nashville, TN | 59 | $1.8M | $5,000 | Yes | Operating budget |
| Tennessee Health Foundation Inc | Chattanooga, TN | 13 | $1.8M | $5,000 | Yes | 2024 reynolds match; 2024 bosse match; 2024 moore match |
| Sandra Schatten Foundation | Nashville, TN | 33 | $1.8M | $7,500 | Preselected only | To fulfill the exempt purposes of the foundation |
| McCauley-Lindsay Charities of Tenn | Nashville, TN | 23 | $1.7M | $50K | Yes | Lighting, parking lot, food equip, c; Hungry program; Robertson co land purch & matching s |
| The Kresge Foundation | Troy, MI | 9 | $1.7M | $150K | Yes | Project support grant to provide support for a pilot intend…; Project support grant to provide training and capacity buil…; Project support grant to expand and strengthen service deli… |
| James Stephen Turner Family Foundation Inc | Nashville, TN | 22 | $1.7M | $28K | Yes | General operating support; General operating; Tpacs annual family day and further programmatic support fo… |
| The Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund Inc | Nashville, TN | 60 | $1.6M | $20K | Yes | To provide operating support for youth programs; To provide operating support; To provide operating support for environmental programs |
| The Stanley E Hanson Foundation | Laguna Hills, CA | 4 | $1.5M | $58K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 6 | $1.5M | $275K | Preselected only | Expansion of pancreatlas connectivity platform and phenotyp…; Defining molecular mechanisms of cell dysfunction in type 1…; Screening human islets to identify small molecules enhancin… |
| The Ann and Monroe Carell Foundation | Nashville, TN | 5 | $1.5M | $50K | Preselected only | To further charitable activities |
| Cigarran Family Foundation | Nashville, TN | 6 | $1.5M | $7,500 | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Pritzker Family Foundation C/O Pritzker Group | Chicago, IL | 3 | $1.4M | $250K | Preselected only | Building awareness and education on importance of early chi…; Research and education on early childhood education; Research and education on family economic stability |
| Tua the Anne Potter Wilson Fdn | Dallas, TX | 14 | $1.4M | $50K | Yes | Unrestricted general; General |
| Stephens' Christian Trust | Nashville, TN | 2 | $1.4M | $717K | Preselected only | General support |
| Act Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | 2 | $1.4M | $685K | Preselected only | Special project support |
| Care Foundation of America Inc Two Brentwood Commons | Brentwood, TN | 4 | $1.3M | $361K | Preselected only | To further exempt purpose |
| Mike Curb Foundation | Nashville, TN | 4 | $1.3M | $106K | Preselected only | General |
| Wm Keck Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Yes | To understand the neural circuits that link oral sensation… |
| R O W Foundation | Lisle, IL | 1 | $1.2M | $1.2M | Preselected only | Seizure control for people with epilepsy in low-income area… |
| Andrea Waitt Carlton Family Foundation | Nashville, TN | 30 | $1.2M | $19K | Yes | General operating support |
| G Harbaugh Foundation | Thompsons Station, TN | 2 | $1.1M | $575K | Preselected only | To support program |
| The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 7 | $1.1M | $158K | Yes | 82540 training and placing climate and health fellows in ci…; 81774 understanding how anti-displacement housing redevelop…; 80516 providing critical data to inform key stakeholders in… |
| Carnegie Corporation of New York | New York, NY | 4 | $1.1M | $271K | Yes | As a final grant to build science instructional capacity an…; For project support to Nashville Public Library to expand r…; For general support |
| The Mark and Jane Wilf Family Foundation Inc | Short Hills, NJ | 3 | $1.1M | $100K | Preselected only | General operating support; Scholarship support |
| Trevecca Towers Inc Dba the Jones Heritage Foundation | Huntingdon, TN | 10 | $1.1M | $16K | Preselected only | Religious purposes; To nurture survivor healing and strategically combat human…; Curating experiences that activate transformation of self,… |
| The Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family Foundation Inc | Waukesha, WI | 2 | $1.1M | $535K | Preselected only | Develop a framework to form leaders for flourishing at belm…; Implement apdp |
| Ishbia Family Foundation Inc | Chicago, IL | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | To further program services |
| Mba Wilson Trust Justin P William M & Blair J Wilson Tr | Nashville, TN | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | General use with special attention to library |
| United Health Foundation | Eden Prairie, MN | 2 | $1.0M | $508K | Preselected only | Integrating medical care and behavioral health services in…; United health foundation donation to tennessee state univer… |
| Publix Super Markets Charities Inc | Lakeland, FL | 51 | $1.0M | $6,000 | Yes | Organization's charitable purpose |
| Allen Family Charitable Foundation | Charlottesville, VA | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Yes | Endowment fund |
| Mays Family Foundation | San Antonio, TX | 3 | $1.0M | $500K | Yes | General |
| The Sartain Lanier Family Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | 2 | $1.0M | $500K | Yes | To support the mission of the recipient organization |
| Herbert a Fritch Family Foundation | Nashville, TN | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Restricted - animal exhibit |
| The Wilf Family Foundation | Short Hills, NJ | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 4 | $993K | $250K | Yes | For supporting leaders and teachers in accelerating student…; For sustaining open cultures in hbcus; For support of the preclusion project |
| Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust C/O Blair J Wilson | Nashville, TN | 25 | $981K | $10K | Yes | General use |
| Devine-Majors Foundation | New York, NY | 15 | $977K | $25K | Preselected only | Unrestricted support of organizations exempt purpose |
| Haslam Family Foundation Inc | Knoxville, TN | 4 | $970K | $75K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Alvin and Sally Beaman Foundation C/O Melissa Moss | Brentwood, TN | 1 | $957K | $957K | Preselected only | To further charitable purpose |
| Marguerite Casey Foundation | Seattle, WA | 2 | $950K | $475K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Louis Calder Foundation | Denver, CO | 4 | $950K | $175K | Yes | Growth of charter schools; Science of reading |
| Msb Cockayne Fund Inc | Nashville, TN | 57 | $943K | $5,000 | Preselected only | To further one or more of the exempt purposes of the charity |
| The Counihan Family Foundation | Villanova, PA | 21 | $935K | $50K | Preselected only | To support regular operations; To provide quality programs and services to impact the live…; To provide a community of love and grace |
| Wtc Foundation | Nashville, TN | 15 | $935K | $1,500 | Preselected only | Financial support; Scholarships |
| James R Meadows Jr Foundation | Nashville, TN | 32 | $907K | $10K | Preselected only | For use in the organization's exempt function |
| Bradford Family Foundation | Nashville, TN | 22 | $856K | $7,000 | Preselected only | General fund |
| The Teagle Foundation | New York, NY | 3 | $833K | $175K | Preselected only | Scholarship Program; Cornerstone: Learning for Living initiative; Special Project : Fellowship program |
| Champions of Love Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 6 | $832K | $23K | Preselected only | General |
| Louise B Wallace Foundation 19702 C/O Equitable Trust Company | Nashville, TN | 37 | $800K | $10K | Preselected only | To support charity; To support school; Capital campaign & annual fund |
| Edward P Evans Foundation | Charlestown, MA | 1 | $775K | $775K | Preselected only | Support scientific research |
| Kentucky Educational Fund for Handicapped Children | Frankfort, KY | 1 | $773K | $773K | Yes | Termination of fund and transfer of assets. |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 4 | $755K | $166K | Preselected only | To implement phase two of the astrophysics postdoctoral lau…; To enhance mathematics learning in early childhood classroo…; For the development of a neural calving ice sheet model |
| Cri Foundation Inc C/O Perelson Weiner | New York, NY | 1 | $750K | $750K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| The Sheperds Foundation | Franklin, TN | 3 | $750K | $20K | Preselected only | Legacy campaign; Operating fund; Medical costs |
| Wk Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 6 | $750K | $163K | Yes | Health and Health Equity; Trustee Mini Grant; Promise of an Equitable Future |
| Tuw Valere Blair Potter | Dallas, TX | 1 | $750K | $750K | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| Washington Foundation | Nashville, TN | 69 | $730K | $6,500 | Preselected only | Unrestricted gift |
| The G Harold & Leila y Mathers Charitable Foundation | Rye Brook, NY | 3 | $701K | $225K | Yes | Research project |
| Living Legacy Foundation | Franklin, TN | 4 | $673K | $115K | Preselected only | General support; Impact philanthropy |
| The Boedecker Foundation | Boulder, CO | 28 | $651K | $20K | Preselected only | Program Needs; Program Revenue |
| The Judith E & Joseph C Cook Jr Foundation Inc | Nashville, TN | 11 | $630K | $50K | Preselected only | Unrestricted funds; Belmont innovation labs; Youth & family chaplain program and unrestricted funds |
| Conway-Welch Family Foundation Inc | Nashville, TN | 4 | $602K | $175K | Preselected only | Nurse career scholarship fund; Serve women in crisis; Simulation lab for nursing school |
| Robert J & Helen C Kleberg Foundation | San Antonio, TX | 1 | $583K | $583K | Yes | Support medical study |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Nashville, Tennessee?
The Frist Foundation, Dettwiller Foundation, American Educational Assistance Foundation, W L Lyons Brown Foundation, Walton Family Foundation Inc and 95 others reported grants to Nashville organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Nashville. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.