Foundations That Fund Health Care in Tennessee

2,610 foundations reported 8,288 grants worth $156.3M to health care organizations in Tennessee on their most recent tax filings. Here is who they are — and which ones actually accept applications.

26%accept unsolicited requests (667 of 2,610)
$2Kmedian grant
2,610funders
$156.3Mtotal granted
75%of grantees funded again next year
Why the first number matters. Most private foundations state on their tax return that they give only to organizations they select themselves. Applying to those is wasted effort. The figure above counts only the foundations in this group that did not check that box.

Repeat funding in health care, Tennessee

Across 140 funder-year observations in this group, a typical foundation funded 75% of the same organizations again the following year. That is the core reason historical giving data is useful: past grantees are the best available predictor of future ones. It also means a funder with no history in your cause rarely starts with you.

Foundations that fund health care in Tennessee and accept requests

These are the funders worth your time first: each one granted to this cause in this state, and none of them told the IRS it only funds organizations it picks itself. Ordered by how many grants they made — a foundation writing dozens of cheques is far more approachable than one writing two huge ones. Typical grant is the median, so you can judge whether you are their size.

FoundationBased inTypical grantGrants madeGranted here
The Bank of America CharitableCharlotte, NC$500167$356K
The Robert Wood Johnson FoundationPrinceton, NJ$250139$434K
Enterprise Holdings FoundationSaint Louis, MO$2K124$427K
Gannett Foundation IncNew York, VA$7386$57K
Chubb Charitable FoundationPhiladelphia, PA$6276$17K
Lincoln Financial Foundation IncRadnor, PA$10075$11K
Westrock FoundationAtlanta, GA$2462$5K
Hca Healthcare FoundationNashville, TN$50K60$2.8M
Albemarle FoundationCharlotte, NC$32750$37K
American Express FoundationNew York, NY$40050$19K
657 more foundations in Tennessee fund health care and accept requests. The weekly email includes the full ranked list, each funder's recent grantees, and an alert when a new filing matches your profile.

The largest funders — for reference

These give the most money to this cause in this state, but most do not accept unsolicited requests, and their grants are usually far larger than a small organization would seek. Useful context, not a target list.

FoundationTypical grantGranted hereApplications
The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley$244K$8.6MPreselected only
The Pedersen Foundation$3.0M$6.0MPreselected only
Robinson Foundation$125K$5.2MAccepts requests
Cobey Robert P Tst Char Rem Unitr 2019$4.0M$4.0MPreselected only
Cal Turner Family Foundation Inc$1.0M$3.1MAccepts requests

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Where the money actually goes in Tennessee

Total granted to organizations in each city. Funding is usually far more concentrated than people expect, which matters when you are judging your own odds.

Memphis
$71.9M
Nashville
$52.5M
Knoxville
$7.6M
Chattanooga
$6.3M
Johnson City
$3.5M
Franklin
$2.6M

How to use this list

  1. Start with the foundations that accept requests. The rest almost never respond to unsolicited approaches.
  2. Check whether they fund organizations your size. The median grant here is $2K — a funder writing $2K checks is unlikely to write you a six-figure one.
  3. Look for a local connection. Foundations concentrate their giving geographically, and repeat the same grantees year after year.
  4. Read their recent grants before writing. Past giving tells you what they actually fund, which is often narrower than their stated mission.
What this data can and cannot tell you. These figures come from foundations' own IRS filings, which are published about a year after the tax year ends. This is a record of who each foundation has funded, not a list of open application deadlines. It is a strong predictor — most foundations repeat most of their grantees — but it is history, not a live feed. Full methodology.