Funding by state · TN
Grantmaking in Tennessee
1,771 grantmakers are based in Tennessee. Together they granted $2.1B across the 2022 and 2023 filings, the 32nd most of any state, and kept 61% of it in Tennessee. Funding here stays close to home, the 38th most in-state of any state.
Tennessee's 34,153 nonprofits, by cause, size and age ↓- 1,771
- grantmakers
- $2.1B
- granted, FY2022 and FY2023
- $149
- given per resident, per year
- 61%
- stays in-state
The short version
- 1,771 grantmakers are based in Tennessee, granting $2.1B across the FY2022 and FY2023 IRS filings, the 32nd most of any state.
- 61% of grant dollars from Tennessee funders stayed in Tennessee; the rest went to organizations in other states.
- Tennessee's grantmakers give $149 a year for every resident of the state.
- Tennessee is a net importer of grant money, its organizations drawing $644M more from other states than Tennessee funders send to them.
- Grant money reaching Tennessee organizations goes to health at 1.4× the national rate.
- Tennessee has 34,153 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s, 49 for every 10,000 residents; 93% of its public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year.
Where Tennessee sits among the states
Each dot is a state, sized by its grant dollars. Tennessee is in green.
Given per resident, per year
Share that stays in-state
Net flow with other states
Tennessee and the other states
Tennessee's organizations draw $644M more from other states' foundations than Tennessee's send out. Switch direction to see who it funds and who funds it.
Donor-advised funds, related-party transfers and regrants through intermediaries are left out, so these ties show where the state's own grantmakers reach.
Largest funders based in Tennessee
Grantmakers headquartered in Tennessee, sized by total grants made. Pick one for its dossier.
Organizations in Tennessee that draw the most
The nonprofits in Tennessee that received the most grant money.
Biggest funders reaching in from elsewhere
Out-of-state funders sending the most money to organizations in Tennessee.
What draws money in Tennessee, against the country
Each cause by how much of the grant money reaching Tennessee's organizations it takes, relative to the national rate. Right of the line is overweight, left underweight. Tennessee is most overweight on health, at 1.4× the national rate. Dot size is the cause's share.
Where the money goes by org size
Grant dollars to organizations in Tennessee, by the recipient's size, against the national average (the marker). Tennessee sends a larger share to $100k to $1M organizations than the country as a whole, and less to $10M to $100M.
Find funders by cause in Tennessee
Who funds each cause in Tennessee, with the largest funders and how to reach them.
The nonprofit sector · TN
Tennessee's nonprofits
Tennessee has 34,153 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 32,385 public charities, 4,851 of them congregations, and 1,768 private foundations. 93% of the public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year, and together they report 3% of the sector's revenue. The largest 1% report 73%.
- 34,153
- registered 501(c)(3)s
- 49
- per 10,000 residents
- $55B
- charity revenue, latest returns
- 24%
- file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ
Registered 501(c)(3)s per 10,000 residents
Each dot is a state, sized by its number of 501(c)(3)s. Tennessee is in green.
What they do, by count and by money
Religion is the largest group by number, 22% of Tennessee's public charities. Health is 5% of the charities and 55% of the revenue. Recreation and sports runs the other way: 5% of the charities, 0.3% of the revenue. Tennessee has 1.6× the national share of environment charities.
- 22%7%
- 10%16%
- 10%5%
- 6%1%
- 5%55%
- 5%0.3%
- 3%0.4%
- 3%0.7%
- 3%0.5%
- 3%1%
- 2%Philanthropy2%
- 2%0.9%
- 2%0.1%
- 1%0.2%
- 1%0.8%
- 1%0.9%
- 2%Everything else1.0%
- 19%Not classified6%
The thin mark on the left is the national share of charities in the same cause.
Many small, a few very large
Public charities by the revenue on their latest return. Each band is drawn twice: by its share of the charities on top, and by its share of the revenue underneath.
- Under $50k
74% of charities · under 0.1% of revenue - $50k to $250k
12% of charities · 0.8% of revenue - $250k to $1M
7% of charities · 2% of revenue - $1M to $10M
5% of charities · 8% of revenue - $10M to $100M
1% of charities · 20% of revenue - $100M and up
0.2% of charities · 69% of revenue
What the IRS sees
Only charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ report their finances. Financial figures about nonprofits, here and in any study built on 990s, describe 24% of Tennessee's public charities.
- 24% file a Form 990 or 990-EZ
7,726 charities · 26% nationally - 61% file only the e-Postcard (990-N)
19,651 charities · 54% nationally - 15% file no return of their own (mostly congregations)
5,008 charities · 20% nationally
How new they are
Half of Tennessee's public charities were recognized by the IRS in 2012 or later, and 31% since 2020 (32% nationally). The register lists only organizations still recognized, so the older decades count survivors.
The line across each bar is the national share for that decade. The 2020s are a partial decade.
Tennessee's largest charities
By total revenue on each one's latest return. A health system files as several organizations, so one system can appear more than once.
How they are doing
Financial health of the charities that file full returns, against every state.
FY2023 returns from 8,093 Tennessee charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ and spending $50k or more; cash figures are from the 5,800 full 990 filers among them. The national health report.
Counts, causes, revenue and recognition dates are from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, which records recognitions through May 2026. A charity is placed by its mailing address. Causes are NTEE major groups, with health's sub-groups folded in; a congregation the IRS has given no NTEE code counts under religion. Revenue is each organization's own latest return, summed, so payments between related organizations are counted on both sides.
Questions and answers
- What does it mean for grant money to stay in-state?
- It is the share of grants made by funders based in Tennessee that reached organizations also located in Tennessee, rather than organizations in other states. A high share means local funders mostly back local causes; a low one means the money largely leaves.
- Is Tennessee a major grantmaking state?
- Tennessee ranks 32nd of the 52 states and territories by grant dollars from resident funders. The largest grantmaking states are California and New York; the most outward, where money mostly leaves, are domiciles like Delaware.
- How can a nonprofit find funders in Tennessee?
- Start with the largest grantmakers based in Tennessee, currently Vanderbilt University Medical Center and United Way of Middle Tennessee Inc. Out-of-state funders also reach in, led by Blue Meridian Partners Inc. Grant money reaching Tennessee favors health above the national rate, so funders active there are worth approaching.
- How many nonprofits are there in Tennessee?
- 34,153 organizations in Tennessee are registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 32,385 public charities, 4,851 of them congregations, and 1,768 private foundations. Only 24% of the public charities file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ; 61% file only the e-Postcard, for organizations normally taking in $50,000 or less, and the rest, mostly congregations, file no return of their own. The count is from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File.
- How recent is this Tennessee grant data?
- It is read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file filings for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the two years with complete coverage. US charity filings lag 12 to 24 months, so this is the most recent complete picture.
More from the funding graph
Read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file XML for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. A funder is placed by the state on its most recent filing. Grants only: payments into and out of donor-advised fund sponsors, transfers to related organizations, regrants through intermediaries, non-philanthropic payments and grants to individuals are left out. In-state share is among grants whose recipient state is known; ties with other states and the net flow count only grants placed at both ends. Residents are Census ACS 5-year estimates (2019 to 2023). Source: IRS Form 990 downloads.