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Houghland Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Houghland Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$321k
Granted FY2025still arriving
35
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0191% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Philanthropy$499kRecreation & Sports$455kHealth$393kEducation$309kReligion$297kHuman Services$210kPublic Safety & Disaster$150kFood & Nutrition$140kOther$0
02FY2025 · 35 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k22 grants · $81k
  • $10k–50k12 grants · $190k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$5,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$2.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNITED WAY OF MIDDLE TN$50,000
ST PAUL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY$40,000
VOLUNTEER STATE HORSEMEN'S FOUNDATION$35,000
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH$20,000
ALIVE HOSPICE$15,000
MEALS ON WHEELS$10,000
SLAVATION ARMY$10,000
FRIENDS OF WARNER PARK$10,000
BRENTWOOD ACADEMY$10,000
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK - NASHVILLE$10,000
HANDS ON NASHVILLE$10,000
NASHVILLE UNION MISSION$10,000
COLGATE UNIVERSITY$10,000
NASHVILLE HUMANE ASSOCIATION$7,000
SAMARITAN'S PURSE$6,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–25, $245k) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 86% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $5k → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $5k → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $5k → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $5k → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $5k → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $5k → 12%WOUNDED WARRIORS: $5k → 12%GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 4%GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 4%GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 4%GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 4%GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 4%GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 4%GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $5k → 4%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%ALIVE HOSPICE: $15k → 14%FIFTY FORWARD: $10k → 14%FIFTY FORWARD: $10k → 14%FIFTY FORWARD: $10k → 14%FIFTY FORWARD: $10k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

NY
NE
MD
TN
NC
AL
GA
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

100%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.2M · 61 repeat orgs$9k to everyone else

61 repeat relationships: 35 still active in FY2025, 26 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

61
2

Total granted

$3.2M
$9k

Still filing today

44%
0%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationHuman ServicesHealthAnimalsReligionRecreation & SportsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • TV
    THE VOLUNTEER STATE HORSEMEN'S FOUNDATION
    9× · 2017–2025 · $315k · revenue +28%
  • AH
    ALIVE HOSPICE INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $135k · revenue +23%
  • HO
    HANDS ON NASHVILLE INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $90k · revenue +69%

Funded once

  • HT
    HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
    one grant, 2020 · $5k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2017 · $4k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Nashville Public Radio

Nashville public radio's mission is to be the most trusted & independent nashville voice, connecting our communities through non-partisan journalism, compelling storytelling, civil conversation and music discovery.

Arts & Culture
2
Vanderbilt University

See Disclosure Above.

Education
3
Northeast College of Health Sciences

Northeast college of health sciences (the college) is committed to academic excellence, leadership, and professional best practices in the health sciences.

Education
4
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
5
Tennessee Health Care Association

To maintain high standards for nursing homes in the state of tennessee and to seek the solutions to problems common to members of the association.

—
6
National Committee for Quality Assurance

Our mission: to improve the quality of health care.our vision: better health care. better choices. better health.

Health
7
Nashville Academy of Medicine and Davidson County Medical Society

The nashville academy of medicine is dedicated to supporting physicians in greater nashville who provide quality medical care and are pledged to uphold high standards of conduct. we promote physician health, practice health, and community…

Community Improvement
8
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
9
Nashville Zoo Inc

In fulfillment of our mission to inspire a culture of understanding and discovery of our natural world through conservation, innovation and leadership, our goal is to build a first class zoo for middle tennessee and to develop a facility…

Animals
10
Bloodwater Mission Inc

Bloodwater mission, inc. (the organization) is a not-for-profit organization registered in nashville, tennessee that operates an international nonprofit that partners with african community-driven organizations to end water and hiv/aids…

Religion
11
North Shore Health System Medical Faculty Group Practice

North shore health system medical faculty group practice (the corporation) functions as an extension of the northwell health hospitals by bringing medical care to community settings, providing care to medicare, medicaid, and other…

Health
12
University Hospital & Clinics Inc

The organization provides medical care to improve, maintain, and restore the health of the people in the communities we serve.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is March of Dimes Inc; the most unlike its peers is Samaritan's Purse. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

28 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 28 of the 63 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
10
Early backer (in before they grew)
27/28
Grantees still filing
24/28
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNITED WAY OF MIDDLE TN: $450,000 · OtherUNITED WAY OF MIDDLE TNTHE VOLUNTEER STATE HORSEMEN'S FOUNDATION: $315,000 · OtherTHE VOLUNTEER STATE HORSEMEN'S FOUNDATIONFIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $180,000 · OtherFIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHST PAUL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: $125,000 · OtherAMERICAN RED CROSS: $105,000 · OtherSECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK - NASHVILLE: $90,000 · OtherFRIENDS OF WARNER PARK: $90,000 · OtherNASHVILLE UNION MISSION: $90,000 · OtherSLAVATION ARMY: $90,000 · OtherHANDS ON NASHVILLE INC: $90,000 · Other+35 more: $916,000 · Other+35 moreALIVE HOSPICE INC: $135,000 · Human ServicesSENIOR CITIZENS INC: $40,000 · Human ServicesWOUNDED WARRIORS FAMILY SUPPORT INC: $35,000 · Human ServicesGRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $35,000 · Human ServicesBATTLE GROUND ACADEMY: $45,000 · EducationTHE ENSWORTH SCHOOL: $33,000 · EducationCOLGATE UNIVERSITY: $30,000 · EducationBRENTWOOD ACADEMY: $27,000 · EducationNASHVILLE COACHING COALITION: $25,000 · EducationSAMARITAN'S PURSE: $53,000 · ReligionCHURCHES OF CHRIST DISASTER RELIEF EFFORT INC: $45,000 · ReligionNASHVILLE HUMANE ASSOCIATION AKA NASHVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY: $63,000 · AnimalsWILLIAMSON COUNTY HUMANE ASSOCIATION INC: $18,000 · AnimalsVanderbilt University Medical Center: $35,000 · HealthMARCH OF DIMES INC: $21,000 · HealthSADDLE UP: $9,000 · HealthBACKFIELD IN MOTION: $30,000 · Recreation & SportsTEMPLE GWATHMEY STEEPLECHASE FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$2,541,000Human Services$245,000Education$160,000Religion$98,000Animals$81,000Health$65,000Recreation & Sports$48,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE VOLUNTEER STATE HORSEMEN'S FOUNDATION: $315,000 over 9y, 2.4% of budgetALIVE HOSPICE INC: $135,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetHANDS ON NASHVILLE INC: $90,000 over 9y, 0.7% of budgetSAINT THOMAS HEALTH FOUNDATIONS: $70,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetNASHVILLE HUMANE ASSOCIATION AKA NASHVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY: $63,000 over 9y, 0.3% of budgetSAMARITAN'S PURSE: $53,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY: $49,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetCHURCHES OF CHRIST DISASTER RELIEF EFFORT INC: $45,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF RADNOR LAKE: $45,000 over 9y, 0.9% of budgetBATTLE GROUND ACADEMY: $45,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetBIG BROTHERSBIG SISTERS OF MIDDLE TN: $45,000 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetFLORIDA OCEANOGRAPHIC SOCIETY INC: $41,000 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetSENIOR CITIZENS INC: $40,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetNashville Symphony Association: $35,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetVanderbilt University Medical Center: $35,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetWOUNDED WARRIORS FAMILY SUPPORT INC: $35,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetGRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC: $35,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ENSWORTH SCHOOL: $33,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetCOLGATE UNIVERSITY: $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBACKFIELD IN MOTION: $30,000 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetBRENTWOOD ACADEMY: $27,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetNASHVILLE COACHING COALITION: $25,000 over 5y, 2.0% of budgetMARCH OF DIMES INC: $21,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $21,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTHISTLE FARMS INC: $21,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetTEMPLE GWATHMEY STEEPLECHASE FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 over 9y, 1.1% of budgetWILLIAMSON COUNTY HUMANE ASSOCIATION INC: $18,000 over 9y, 5.7% of budgetSADDLE UP: $9,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds THE VOLUNTEER STATE HORSEMEN'S FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds ALIVE HOSPICE INC ↗
  • Who funds HANDS ON NASHVILLE INC ↗
  • Who funds SAINT THOMAS HEALTH FOUNDATIONS ↗
  • Who funds NASHVILLE HUMANE ASSOCIATION AKA NASHVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds SAMARITAN'S PURSE ↗
  • Who funds UNITED WAY OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds CHURCHES OF CHRIST DISASTER RELIEF EFFORT INC ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF RADNOR LAKE ↗
  • Who funds BATTLE GROUND ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds BIG BROTHERSBIG SISTERS OF MIDDLE TN ↗
  • Who funds FLORIDA OCEANOGRAPHIC SOCIETY INC ↗
  • Who funds SENIOR CITIZENS INC ↗
  • Who funds Nashville Symphony Association ↗
  • Who funds Vanderbilt University Medical Center ↗
  • Who funds WOUNDED WARRIORS FAMILY SUPPORT INC ↗
  • Who funds GRACEWORKS MINISTRIES INC ↗
  • Who funds THE ENSWORTH SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds COLGATE UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds BACKFIELD IN MOTION ↗
  • Who funds BRENTWOOD ACADEMY ↗
  • Who funds NASHVILLE COACHING COALITION ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Community Foundat…Hca Healthcare Founda…Tennessee Titans Foun…Dorothy Cate and Thom…The Frist FoundationRaymond James Charita…The Steven & Laurie E…Memorial Foundation I…Patricia and Rodes Ha…The Danner FoundationLouise B Wallace Foun…T & T Family Foundati…
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee IncTN33.6× affinity16 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc · Hca Healthcare Foundation · Tennessee Titans Foundation · Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation · The Frist Foundation · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · The Steven & Laurie Eskind Family Foundation · Memorial Foundation Inc · Patricia and Rodes Hart Foundation · The Danner Foundation · Louise B Wallace Foundation 19702 · T & T Family Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Houghland Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Houghland Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Florida Oceanographic Society Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 63 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Houghland’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home