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Tom & Shirley Palmer Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Tom & Shirley Palmer Family 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.

$115k
Granted FY2025still arriving
7
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$50k
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.

Religion$158kEducation$60kInternational$38kHuman Services$27kHealth$26kPublic Benefit$19kCivil Rights$10kAnimals$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k3 grants · $15k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $50k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$10,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$289k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Pregnancy Support Center of Johnson County$50,000
Doe River Gorge Ministries$30,000
Overhome Mentoring Program$10,000
Families Involved Serving Humanity Inc$10,000
Appalachian Highlands Humane Society$5,000
Tiny Miracles Kitten Rescue$5,000
Rise Up For Kids$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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%Bethany International: $5k → 11%Carson Newman University: $1k → 11%First United Methodist Church: $18k → 14%Cassidy United Methodist Church: $500 → 15%Doe River Gorge Ministries: $30k → 18%Pregnancy Support Center of Johnson County: $50k → 22%Samaritan's Purse: $10k → 21%Scott County Childrens Charities: $2k → 20%First United Methodist Church: $16k → 14%Doe River Gorge Ministries: $18k → 18%Fairview Citizens Corp: $14k → 20%First United Methodist Church: $12k → 14%Doe River Gorge Ministries: $17k → 18%Fairview Citizens Corp: $5k → 20%Ballard Health Foundation: $10k → 14%Doe River Gorge Ministries: $12k → 18%Rye Cove High School: $4k → 20%Ballard Health Foundation: $8k → 14%Doe River Gorge Ministries: $10k → 18%Rye Cove High School: $3k → 20%First United Methodist Church: $6k → 14%Doe River Gorge: $1k → 18%Rye Cove High School: $2k → 20%First United Methodist Church: $6k → 14%Doe River Gorge: $1k → 18%Fairview Citizens Corp: $1k → 20%Appalachian Highlands Humane Society: $5k → 14%Tiny Miracles Kitten Rescue: $5k → 14%First United Methodist Church: $5k → 14%Summit Leadership Foundation: $5k → 14%First United Methodist Church: $4k → 14%Summit Leadership Foundation: $3k → 14%Rise Up: $3k → 14%Overhome Mentoring Program: $10k → 14%First United Methodist Church: $2k → 14%Fairview Community Center: $10k → 14%Ballad Health: $1k → 14%Fairview Community Center: $10k → 14%Summit Leadership: $1k → 14%Fairview Community Center: $5k → 14%Rise Up: $500 → 14%Rise Up: $3k → 14%Summit Leadership Foundation: $500 → 14%Fairview Community Center: $500 → 14%Strong Tower Baptist Church: $1k → 14%ETSU School of Nursing: $3k → 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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

75%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$278k · 12 repeat orgs$95k to everyone else

12 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2025, 9 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
10

Total granted

$278k
$25k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+29%
+43%

Still filing today

50%
40%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 39% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $70k 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
ReligionEducationHealthYouth DevelopmentAnimalsHuman ServicesOther
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

  • DR
    Doe River Gorge Ministries Inc
    5× · 2021–2025 · $87k · revenue +6%
  • FI
    FAMILIES INVOLVED SERVING HUMANITY INC
    3× · 2023–2025 · $23k · revenue +29%
  • BH
    BALLAD HEALTH FOUNDATION
    2× · 2018–2019 · $18k · revenue +190%

Funded once

  • SP
    SAMARITAN'S PURSEgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +40%
  • BF
    BETHANY FELLOWSHIP INC
    one grant, 2022 · $5k
  • ES
    ETSU School of Nursing
    one grant, 2019 · $3k
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
Rahab House

Rahab House is deeply committed to the rescue, refuge, and restoration of human trafficking survivors. We provide comprehensive support that encompasses immediate safety and connections to long-term restorative care in alignment with the…

Human Services
2
Mountain States Health Alliance

Honor those we serve by delivering the best possible care.Ballad Health is dedicated to improving the health of the 29-county Appalachian Highlands region.

Health
3
Free to Worship Ministries

This church will be that place of emergency where people can come any time of day or night. We will be a place that will lead people back to health both spiritually and naturally.

Religion
4
Baptist Healthcare System Inc

The mission of Baptist Health is to exemplify our Christian heritage of providing quality healthcare services by enhancing the physical & emotional health of the people & communities we serve, guided by integrity, respect, stewardship,…

Health
5
Serving Him in Partnership

Serving Him In Partnership is committed to minister to individuals who have been displaced and need time and support to adjust their lives The ministry promotes healthy lifestyles with Christian values within the family the church the work…

Human Services
6
Wellmont Health System

Honor those we serve by delivering the best possible care.Ballad Health is dedicated to improving the health of the 29-county Appalachian Highlands region.

Health
7
Safe Haven Counseling Associates in

Biblical counseling

—
8
Faith Hope & Love Christian Ministr

We exist to share our faith in jesus christ as lord and give others hope by demonstrating his love by providing affordable quality primary healthcare for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the people in lakeland, georgia and…

Health
9
Wellmont Hawkins County Memorial Hospital Inc

Honor those we serve by delivering the best possible care.Ballad Health is dedicated to improving the health of the 29-county Appalachian Highlands region.

Health
10
Faith Mountain Mission of Kentucky Inc
Youth Development
11
Asia Us Impact

Religious

Religion
12
Rescue Hill Nazarene Compassionate Ministry Center

Rescue Hill helps survivors of human trafficking with recovery services and resources in a safe environment. Rescue Hill offers a stabilization home for survivors and their small children as well as advocacy services.

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Brothers Keeper; 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

12 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. 12 of the 26 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
12/12
Grantees still filing
8/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

First United Methodist Church: $67,474 · OtherFirst United Methodist ChurchFairview Community Center: $25,500 · OtherFairview Community CenterFAIRVIEW CITIZENS CORPORATION: $19,200 · OtherFAIRVIEW CITIZENS CORPORATIONOverhome Mentoring Program: $10,000 · OtherOverhome Mentoring ProgramRise Up For Kids: $10,000 · OtherRise Up For KidsRye Cove High School: $8,500 · Other+9 more: $20,000 · Other+9 moreDoe River Gorge Ministries Inc: $86,700 · ReligionDoe River Gorge Ministries IncSAMARITAN'S PURSE: $10,000 · ReligionSAMARITAN'S PURSESummit Leadership Foundation: $8,000 · ReligionSummit Leadership FoundationPREGNANCY SUPPORT CTR OF JOHNSON COUNTY: $50,000 · EducationPREGNANCY SUPPORT…BROTHERS KEEPER: $5,000 · EducationBROTHERS KEEPER+1 more: $1,000 · EducationFAMILIES INVOLVED SERVING HUMANITY INC: $22,500 · Human ServicesBALLAD HEALTH FOUNDATION: $17,500 · HealthBallad Health: $1,025 · HealthRISE UP INC: $5,500 · Youth DevelopmentAPPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $5,000 · Animals
Other$160,674Religion$104,700Education$56,000Human Services$22,500Health$18,525Youth Development$5,500Animals$5,000

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 budgetDoe River Gorge Ministries Inc: $86,700 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetFAMILIES INVOLVED SERVING HUMANITY INC: $22,500 over 3y, 7.7% of budgetBALLAD HEALTH FOUNDATION: $17,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetSAMARITAN'S PURSE: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSummit Leadership Foundation: $8,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetRISE UP INC: $5,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetBROTHERS KEEPER: $5,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetAPPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS HUMANE SOCIETY INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetBallad Health: $1,025 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFELLOWSHIP IN SERVING HUMANITY INCORPORATED: $1,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetCARSON-NEWMAN UNIVERSITY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% 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 Doe River Gorge Ministries Inc ↗
  • Who funds PREGNANCY SUPPORT CTR OF JOHNSON COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds FAMILIES INVOLVED SERVING HUMANITY INC ↗
  • Who funds BALLAD HEALTH FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SAMARITAN'S PURSE ↗
  • Who funds Summit Leadership Foundation ↗
  • Who funds RISE UP INC ↗
  • Who funds BROTHERS KEEPER ↗
  • Who funds APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS HUMANE SOCIETY INC ↗
  • Who funds Ballad Health ↗
  • Who funds FELLOWSHIP IN SERVING HUMANITY INCORPORATED ↗
  • Who funds CARSON-NEWMAN UNIVERSITY ↗

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.

Natl Christian Charit…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Natl Christian Charitable Fdn IncGA10.1× affinity8 shared granteesties to 3 of 3Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Tom & Shirley Palmer Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Tom & Shirley Palmer Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    2report 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 26 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 Tom & Shirley Palmer Family’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