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Michigan · Private foundation

Pam Lewis 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.

$215k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
24
Grants FY2025
34
Organizations funded FY2024
50%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$1,500
Largest grant, FY2025
$149,500
Organizations funded a year
34 to 70
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
4
Total assets, FY2025
$1.5M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 50% of the organizations Pam Lewis Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 32% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 68% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $33k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureAnimalsInternationalEducationHuman ServicesHealthOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving24$215k58%
FY202434$105k50%
FY202335$102k66%
FY202238$97k47%
FY202148$90k65%
FY202043$55k30%
FY201961$55k61%
FY201870$144k63%
90% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Arts & Culture$312kEnvironment$198kEducation$190kHousing & Shelter$37kHuman Services$28kRecreation & Sports$28kCivil Rights$27kReligion$19kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

NH
ID
ND
WI
MI
NY
SD
CA
CO
NE
MO
KY
VA
MD
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
LA
GA
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Show all 125 grantees
All grantees of Pam Lewis Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Wells College$104,00070%
Battle of Franklin Trust Inc$90,35082%
Tennessee State Museum Foundation Inc$51,35040%
Friends of Franklin Parks Inc$24,15081%
Hard Bargain Mt Hope Redevelopment Inc$21,35071%
The Land Trust for Tennessee Inc$12,20050%
Harpeth Conservancy$12,00080%
Charity Global Inc$10,00010%
Nashville Historical Foundation$9,00044%
Nashville Public Radio$8,46050%
Franklins Charge Inc$8,000412%
Brightstone Inc$5,45050%
Rippavilla Inc Rippavilla Plantation$3,85022%
Nashville Zoo Inc$3,80030%
National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States$3,59630%
Pull-Tight Players Inc$3,17031%
Leadership Middle Tennessee Inc$3,15051%
Tennessee Historical Society$3,00030%
African American Heritage Society Inc$3,0002n/a
Park Center Inc$2,85030%
Heritage Foundation of Williamson County$2,6001n/a
International Relief Teams$2,50010%
American Battlefield Trust$2,10040%
The Carter Center Inc$2,07550%
Rainforest Foundation Inc$2,00010%
Climate Emergency Fund$2,00010%
Franklin Tomorrow Inc$1,75030%
Nashville Repertory Theatre Inc$1,70030%
Frist Art Museum$1,65030%
United States Fund for Unicef$1,50010%
Nova Ukraine$1,50010%
The Water Project Inc$1,50010%
Razom Inc$1,50010%
Grace Works Inc$1,5001n/a
Save the Franklin Battlefield Inc$1,2502n/a
Nashville Public Television Inc$1,20020%
Friends of the Warner Parks Inc$1,10020%
East Brentwood Presbyterian Church$1,0001n/a
Studio Tenn Theatre Company$1,00010%
Boys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee$1,00010%
Belmont Mansion Association$1,00010%
Bridges of Williamson County$1,00010%
Council on Aging of Greater Nashville Dba Age Well Middle Tennessee$1,00010%
Williamson County Casa Inc$85040%
Nolensville Historical Society$75020%
Door Step Project$75011%
Arts Council of Williamson County$6503n/a
Nashville Symphony Association$60020%
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh Inc$60010%
Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency$50010%
Artist Guild of Nolensville Inc$50018%
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance$50010%
Vanderbilt University$50010%
The Crossroads Campus$40020%
National Park Foundation$40020%
Tennessee Arts Academy Foundation$40010%
Smithsonian Institution$35020%
O'More College of Design$35010%
New Hope Academy$35010%
Chick History Inc$3502n/a
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation$35020%
Heritage Plantation Foundation$35012%
Four Corners Equine Rescue$30810%
Tiger Haven Inc$30510%
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Inc$30020%
International Campaign for Tibet$30020%
Saddle Up$30010%
The Emily Smith Foundation$25015%
Middle Tennessee State University Foundation$2501n/a
Americans For Battlefield Preservation$25011%
Doing Good$2501n/a
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home$25010%
Gateway Chamber Orchestra$25010%
Naples Historical Society Inc$25010%
The Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information Inc$25010%
North Shore Animal League America Inc$25020%
The National World War II Museum Inc$25010%
Friends of the Delta Heritage Center$2501n/a
Keepers of the Wild$24530%
Speak Up for Horses$21610%
St Josephs Indian School$2003n/a
Natural Resources Defense Council Inc$20010%
Habitat for Humanity$20010%
21st District Recovery Court Inc$20010%
March of Dimes Inc$18520%
National Wildlife Federation$17520%
Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue Inc$15020%
Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue Inc$1501n/a
The National Museum of Women in the Arts$15010%
Congregation Micah$1501n/a
World Wildlife Fund Inc$15010%
Room in the Inn Inc$1501n/a
Animals' Angels Incorporated$15010%
Animal Recovery Mission Inc$15010%
Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated$13010%
Orphan Acres Inc$12510%
Castleton Ranch Horse Rescue Inc$11610%
Belmont University$10010%
Renewal House Inc$10010%
American Heart Association Inc$10010%
Horsepower Sanctuaries Inc Dba Redwings Horse Sanctuary$10010%
Nashville Jazz Workshop$10010%
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art$10010%
Nami Tennessee$1001n/a
Native American Rights Fund Inc$10010%
Humane World for Animals Inc$10010%
American Diabetes Association$1001n/a
Smiling Dog Farms$8010%
Hooves & Paws Animal Rescue Inc$5520%
Red Bucket Equine Rescue$5510%
American Indian College Fund$5020%
Humane World Action Fund$5010%
Dreamchaser Pmu Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation Inc$5010%
Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary$5010%
Priderock Wildlife Refuge$5010%
The Conservative Caucus Foundation$501n/a
Defenders of Wildlife$4010%
Medecins Sans Frontieres USA Inc$3510%
Front Range Equine Rescue$3510%
Tennessee Sheriffs Association$3510%
Women for Women International$3010%
Nashville Rescue Mission$2710%
Inter Museum Council of Nashville Inc$251n/a
Sierra Club$2010%
Guiding Eyes for the Blind Inc$1010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 148 recipients with no EIN on record ($505k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Pam Lewis Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetWells College: $104,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetBattle of Franklin Trust Inc: $90,350 over 8y, 1.5% of budgetTennessee State Museum Foundation Inc: $51,350 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetFriends of Franklin Parks Inc: $24,150 over 8y, 1.4% of budgetHard Bargain Mt Hope Redevelopment Inc: $21,350 over 7y, 1.2% of budgetThe Land Trust for Tennessee Inc: $12,200 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetHarpeth Conservancy: $12,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetCharity Global Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNashville Historical Foundation: $9,000 over 4y, 3.8% of budgetNashville Public Radio: $8,460 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetFranklins Charge Inc: $8,000 over 4y, 12% of budgetBrightstone Inc: $5,450 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetRippavilla Inc Rippavilla Plantation: $3,850 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetNashville Zoo Inc: $3,800 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNational Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States: $3,596 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPull-Tight Players Inc: $3,170 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetLeadership Middle Tennessee Inc: $3,150 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetTennessee Historical Society: $3,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetPark Center Inc: $2,850 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetInternational Relief Teams: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Battlefield Trust: $2,100 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Carter Center Inc: $2,075 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetRainforest Foundation Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetClimate Emergency Fund: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetFranklin Tomorrow Inc: $1,750 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetNashville Repertory Theatre Inc: $1,700 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFrist Art Museum: $1,650 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetUnited States Fund for Unicef: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNova Ukraine: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Water Project Inc: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRazom Inc: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNashville Public Television Inc: $1,200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFriends of the Warner Parks Inc: $1,100 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetStudio Tenn Theatre Company: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBoys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBelmont Mansion Association: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBridges of Williamson County: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCouncil on Aging of Greater Nashville Dba Age Well Middle Tennessee: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWilliamson County Casa Inc: $850 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetNolensville Historical Society: $750 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetDoor Step Project: $750 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetNashville Symphony Association: $600 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHabitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh Inc: $600 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetArtist Guild of Nolensville Inc: $500 over 1y, 7.9% of budgetSheep Dog Impact Assistance: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVanderbilt University: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Crossroads Campus: $400 over 2y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 107.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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 Foundation of Middle Tennessee IncTN41.9× affinity29 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc · The Wade-Buntin Family Foundation · Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation · Hca Healthcare Foundation · Memorial Foundation Inc · The Susan and Ford Schumann Foundation · The Steven & Laurie Eskind Family Foundation · PC Fund for Animals Charitable Tr · Ebs Foundation · The Frist Foundation · United Way of Middle Tennessee Inc · Surendra and Karen Gupta Arc 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.

Compare Pam Lewis Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Pam Lewis Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Pam Lewis Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

About Pam Lewis Foundation

How much does Pam Lewis Foundation give?
Pam Lewis Foundation reported 24 grants totaling $215,400 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 34 and 70 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Pam Lewis Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (33%), Environment (21%), Education (20%).
Who are Pam Lewis Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Wells College ($104k), Battle of Franklin Trust Inc ($90k), Tennessee State Museum Foundation Inc ($51k).
Does Pam Lewis Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 50% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Pam Lewis Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Pam Lewis Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc, The Wade-Buntin Family Foundation, Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation.
Where is Pam Lewis Foundation based?
Pam Lewis Foundation is based in MI.

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 273 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

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