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Nashville Public Education Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Nashville Public Education Foundation

The NASHVILLE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION supports teachers and leaders to build schools where all kids thrive.

$171k
Granted FY2025still arriving
3
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$5k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$4.5MCommunity Improvement$70kHuman Services$30kYouth Development$16kArts & Culture$10kCivil Rights$10kPhilanthropy$10k
02FY2025 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 3 grants below total $15,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $170,519 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $155,519 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.
$5,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$2.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WHITSETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL$5,000
COSECHA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT$5,000
CREATIVE GIRLS ROCK$5,000
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 (FY17–20, $72k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%UNICYCLE: $8k → 14%CONEXION AMERICAS: $30k → 14%CONEXION AMERICAS: $20k → 14%FIFTY FORWARD: $14k → 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.
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 12% of Nashville Public Education Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 94% of the giving stays in TN; by stated purpose, 28%.

Nashville Public Education Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 66% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

72%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.4M · 5 repeat orgs$1.3M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +44% since the first grant, against +44% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2025, 5 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
19

Total granted

$3.4M
$1.3M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+44%
+44%

Still filing today

80%
79%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $15k 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 ServicesPhilanthropyReligionYouth DevelopmentCivil RightsOther
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

  • MN
    METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
    8× · 2017–2024 · $3.1M
  • Teach for America Inc
    3× · 2017–2019 · $125k · revenue -3%
  • LU
    LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
    3× · 2017–2019 · $70k · revenue +44%

Funded once

  • UW
    UNITED WAY OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $856k · revenue +31%
  • TN
    THE NEW TEACHER PROJECT
    one grant, 2018 · $134k
  • UP
    URBAN POLICY DEVELOPMENT LLC
    one grant, 2018 · $65k
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 Education Foundation

The nashville public education foundation supports teachers and leaders to build schools where all kids thrive. the foundation does this by advocating for change, supporting mnps as a consulting partner, promoting excellence and…

Education
2
Nashville Teacher Residency

To develop and license teachers with diverse backgrounds and experiences for schools in Middle TN.

Education
3
Tennessee Geographic Alliance

Education

Education
4
The Nashville Chamber Public Benefit Foundation

The nashville chamber public benefit foundation supports the work of the nashville area chamber of commerce through efforts to improve the quality of education, encourage public and private efforts around education, and to facilitate the…

—
5
Lead Public Schools Inc

Lead public schools exists to prepare all our students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in college and in life.

Education
6
Girls Write Nashville

Girls write nashville empowers expression through songwriting, production, mentorship and creative community for teen artists. we are an artist and educator-led 501(c)(3) creative youth development program in nashville, tn allied with…

Arts & Culture
7
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

The nashville area chamber of commerce facilitates community leadership to create economic prosperity.

—
8
Pivot School Improvement Leaders

We equip and empower the most effective school leaders who drive results for every learner in our highest need schools.

Education
9
Nashville Technology Council

Ntc mission is to advance the diverse technology ecosystem by connecting and promoting members, attracting, growing and retaining tech talent, and providing opportunities to reinvest in the greater nashville community.

Community Improvement
10
Tennessee State Collaborative On Reforming Education

The mission of the state collaborative on reforming education (score) is to catalyze transformative change in tennessee education so that all students can achieve success. score is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan institution,…

Education
11
Episcopal School of Nashville

The episcopal school of nashville, a diverse urban independent school, is dedicated to nurturing the joy of learning and the spirit of discovery in each of its students.

Education
12
Intrepid College Preparatory School

Intrepid college prep is committed to ensuring our scholars, educators, and families have the opportunity to unlock an unlimited future. by providing rigorous academic instruction and creating powerful relationships amongst our community's…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Alignment Nashville Inc; the most unlike its peers is Creative Girls Rock. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

21 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. 21 of the 27 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)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
21/21
Grantees still filing
15/21
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $3,124,689 · OtherMETROPOLITAN NASHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLSTHE NEW TEACHER PROJECT: $133,905 · Other+7 more: $177,394 · OtherUNITED WAY OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE INC: $855,555 · PhilanthropyUNITED WAY OF MIDDLE…+1 more: $10,000 · PhilanthropyTeach for America Inc: $125,000 · EducationBELLWETHER EDUCATION PARTNERS INC: $51,000 · EducationDIVERSE LEARNERS COOPERATIVE: $20,000 · EducationALIGNMENT NASHVILLE INC: $15,000 · EducationSTEM PREPARATORY ACADEMY: $10,000 · EducationBelmont University: $10,000 · EducationTHE EDUCATORS' COOPERATIVE: $10,000 · EducationTENNESSEE COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS NETWORK: $10,000 · EducationNASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Education+1 more: $8,100 · EducationCONEXION AMERICAS: $50,000 · Human ServicesSENIOR CITIZENS INC: $14,125 · Human ServicesUNICYCLE: $8,000 · Human ServicesMARTHA O'BRYAN CENTER INC: $12,500 · ReligionSOUTHERN WORD INC: $11,300 · Youth DevelopmentGIDEONS ARMY GRASSROOTS ARMY FOR CHILDREN: $10,000 · Civil Rights
Other$3,435,988Philanthropy$865,555Education$269,100Human Services$72,125Religion$12,500Youth Development$11,300Civil Rights$10,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUNITED WAY OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE INC: $855,555 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $125,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY: $69,994 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCONEXION AMERICAS: $50,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetDIVERSE LEARNERS COOPERATIVE: $20,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetALIGNMENT NASHVILLE INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetSENIOR CITIZENS INC: $14,125 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMARTHA O'BRYAN CENTER INC: $12,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSOUTHERN WORD INC: $11,300 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetSTEM PREPARATORY ACADEMY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBelmont University: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE EDUCATORS' COOPERATIVE: $10,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetTENNESSEE COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS NETWORK: $10,000 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetGIVE A NOTE FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 5.0% of budgetNASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetGIDEONS ARMY GRASSROOTS ARMY FOR CHILDREN: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTennessee Educators of Color Alliance N: $8,100 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetCREATIVE GIRLS ROCK: $5,000 over 1y, 1.3% 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.

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…The Frist FoundationScarlett Family Found…The Dan and Margaret …Vanderbilt UniversityUnited Way of Middle …The Healing Trust For…Dollar General Litera…Tennessee Titans Foun…Joe C Davis FoundationGates FoundationThe Blum Family Found…
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee IncTN24.6× affinity11 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 · The Frist Foundation · Scarlett Family Foundation · The Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund Inc · Vanderbilt University · United Way of Middle Tennessee Inc · The Healing Trust Formerly Baptist Healing Hospital Trust · Dollar General Literacy Foundation · Tennessee Titans Foundation · Joe C Davis Foundation · Gates Foundation · The Blum 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 Nashville Public Education Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Nashville Public Education Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    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 27 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 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

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    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