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Tennessee · Private foundation

The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$11M
Granted FY2024(still arriving)
46
Grants FY2024
41
Organizations funded FY2023
24%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2024
$2,500
Largest grant, FY2024
$8,664,085
Organizations funded a year
31 to 41
FY2017 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024
6
Total assets, FY2024
$301M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 24% of the organizations The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 0% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $47k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23
Human ServicesPhilanthropyRecreation & SportsHealthArts & CultureAnimalsOther
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
FY2024still arriving46$11M17%
FY202341$10M24%
FY202231$10M13%
FY202140$9.9M10%
FY202041$8.2M17%
FY201940$7.7M25%
FY201840$7.3M15%
FY201741$5.2Mn/a
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$54MHuman Services$13MPhilanthropy$1.7MEducation$597kYouth Development$114kHealth$111kRecreation & Sports$93kHousing & Shelter$92kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

NY
OH
CA
KY
TN
GA
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2024, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Discovery Park of America Inc$53,932,407891%
Promethean Foundation Inc$1,689,780192%
Union City Rotary Foundation$452,000741%
The University of Tennessee Foundation Inc$85,00080%
The Cincinnati Tennis Foundation$68,00034%
Boca Grande United Methodist Church$60,0001n/a
Preston Taylor Ministries$56,00081%
Mercy Health Services Inc$30,00060%
Partners for Medical Relief$20,000220%
The Magdalen House$20,00040%
Show all 48 grantees
All grantees of The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Discovery Park of America Inc$53,932,407891%
Promethean Foundation Inc$1,689,780192%
Union City Rotary Foundation$452,000741%
The University of Tennessee Foundation Inc$85,00080%
The Cincinnati Tennis Foundation$68,00034%
Boca Grande United Methodist Church$60,0001n/a
Preston Taylor Ministries$56,00081%
Mercy Health Services Inc$30,00060%
Partners for Medical Relief$20,000220%
The Magdalen House$20,00040%
Thistle Farms Inc$20,00040%
Cumberland University$20,00020%
Nashville Safe Haven Family Shelter Inc$20,00080%
Sherry's Hope Inc$18,00081%
Operation Stand Down Tennessee$17,00050%
Masquerade Theatre$16,00073%
Fellowship of Christian Athletes$16,00070%
St Luke's Community House Inc$16,00080%
The Humane Assoc of Wilson County$15,00080%
Wilson County Civic League$14,00061%
Nashville Rescue Mission$13,00080%
The Bridge House Inc$11,00041%
Boca Grande Health Clinic Fndtn Inc$10,00010%
Imagine Worldwide$10,00010%
Sweet Sleep Inc$10,00013%
United Way of Obion County$10,00053%
Phoebe Connections Inc$10,00082%
Suncoast Humane Societyinc$10,00010%
Compassionate Hands Inc$10,00051%
Trudy's Kid's Cafe$9,00070%
The Bridge Ministry Inc$8,0007n/a
Empower Me Center a Nonprofit Corporation$8,00051%
Frist Art Museum$7,00060%
Young Life$6,00020%
Main Street Union City Inc$6,00061%
Run4water$6,00031%
Community Concert Association$5,000593%
The National Quilt Museum Inc$5,00011%
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville$4,50030%
Children of Peru Foundation$4,00012%
Nashville Symphony Association$3,00010%
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art$3,00020%
Middle Tennessee State University Foundation$2,0001n/a
Catalyst Sports Inc$2,00010%
City Gospel Mission and Affiliates$1,25010%
Kenzie's Closet$1,2501n/a
Interfaith Dental Clinic of Nashville$1,00010%
The Forget Me Not Foundation of Northwest Tennessee$1,00013%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 42 recipients with no EIN on record ($13M), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 4 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 44 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetDiscovery Park of America Inc: $53,932,407 over 8y, 91% of budgetPromethean Foundation Inc: $1,689,780 over 1y, 92% of budgetUnion City Rotary Foundation: $452,000 over 7y, 41% of budgetThe University of Tennessee Foundation Inc: $85,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetThe Cincinnati Tennis Foundation: $68,000 over 3y, 4.1% of budgetPreston Taylor Ministries: $56,000 over 8y, 0.7% of budgetMercy Health Services Inc: $30,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetPartners for Medical Relief: $20,000 over 2y, 20% of budgetThe Magdalen House: $20,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetThistle Farms Inc: $20,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetCumberland University: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNashville Safe Haven Family Shelter Inc: $20,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetSherry's Hope Inc: $18,000 over 8y, 0.7% of budgetOperation Stand Down Tennessee: $17,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetMasquerade Theatre: $16,000 over 7y, 3.2% of budgetFellowship of Christian Athletes: $16,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetSt Luke's Community House Inc: $16,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetThe Humane Assoc of Wilson County: $15,000 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetWilson County Civic League: $14,000 over 6y, 0.9% of budgetNashville Rescue Mission: $13,000 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetThe Bridge House Inc: $11,000 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetBoca Grande Health Clinic Fndtn Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetImagine Worldwide: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSweet Sleep Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetUnited Way of Obion County: $10,000 over 5y, 3.1% of budgetPhoebe Connections Inc: $10,000 over 8y, 2.2% of budgetSuncoast Humane Societyinc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetCompassionate Hands Inc: $10,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetTrudy's Kid's Cafe: $9,000 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetEmpower Me Center a Nonprofit Corporation: $8,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetFrist Art Museum: $7,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetYoung Life: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMain Street Union City Inc: $6,000 over 6y, 1.4% of budgetRun4water: $6,000 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetCommunity Concert Association: $5,000 over 5y, 93% of budgetThe National Quilt Museum Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetHabitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville: $4,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetChildren of Peru Foundation: $4,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetNashville Symphony Association: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCatalyst Sports Inc: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCity Gospel Mission and Affiliates: $1,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetInterfaith Dental Clinic of Nashville: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Forget Me Not Foundation of Northwest Tennessee: $1,000 over 1y, 3.0% 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 44.

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.

Hca Healthcare FoundationTN30.7× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Hca Healthcare Foundation · Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation · The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc · Memorial Foundation Inc · Nashville Predators Foundation · United Way of Middle Tennessee Inc · McCauley-Lindsay Charities of Tenn · Joe C Davis Foundation · The Healing Trust Formerly Baptist Healing Hospital Trust · The Frist Foundation · Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tn Inc · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund

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 The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland 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 The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation

How much does The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation give?
The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation reported 46 grants totaling $11,211,385 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 31 and 41 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2023.
What does The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2024, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (77%), Human Services (18%), Philanthropy (2%).
Who are The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2024: Discovery Park of America Inc ($54M), Promethean Foundation Inc ($1.7M), Union City Rotary Foundation ($452k).
Does The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 24% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland 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 The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Hca Healthcare Foundation, Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc.
Where is The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation based?
The Robert E & Jenny D Kirkland Foundation is based in TN.

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 90 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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