Tennessee · Nonprofit
TAF Rural Expansion Foundation
TAF Rural Expansion Foundation (Tennessee) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $27,500,000 to it, the largest being GOVERNORS RURAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION ($27,500,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $13M
- Funders on record
- 1
- Grants received
- $28M
- Net assets
- $14M
What TAF Rural Expansion Foundation does
Mission
Expanding the ayers foundation scholars program model to improve post-secondary education opportunities for high schoolers in distressed/at-risk rural tennessee counties.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Program
On its FY2024 return the organization reported starting a significant new program.
Taf Rural Expansion Foundation expanded its program to utilize funds to purchase and operate one or more facilities or the making of grants to organizations and performance of services by the foundation to promote economic development activities in rural Tennessee counties; including, the acceleration or encouraging the relocation and development of businesses and enhanced services in rural Tennessee.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
The Foundation expanded the Ayers Foundation Scholars Program Model to distressed and at-risk counties in an effort to improve post-secondary education opportunities for high school students in rural counties in Tennessee. Also, funds will be utilized to purchase and operate one or more facilities or the making of grants to organizations and performance of services by the Foundation to promote economic development activities in rural Tennessee counties; including, the acceleration of encouraging the relocation and development of business and enhanced services in rural Tennessee.
$7,751,777 spent100% of program spending
The program described on its FY2024 Form 990. Program spending in total: $7,751,777.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2022, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2022, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $5.6M to $12M (+105%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2022 100% · 2023 100% · 2024 97% · 2025 96%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
96% of TAF Rural Expansion Foundation’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (23% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 4 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Dr Burton Williams
Board secretary & CEO
Board chair
James Ayers
Chairman until 4/1/2025
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
Grant support over time, funder by funder — shade shows the grant size each year.
From the IRS filings of TAF Rural Expansion Foundation’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
100% of TAF Rural Expansion Foundation's grant income comes from Tennessee funders.
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
TAF Rural Expansion Foundation runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 3,758 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 3,758 education nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2025
Organizations like TAF Rural Expansion Foundation
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Tennessee
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
79% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 2 related entities
- Ayers Foundation · exempt
- The Ayers Foundation Trust · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for TAF Rural Expansion Foundation: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds TAF Rural Expansion Foundation?
- TAF Rural Expansion Foundation (Tennessee) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $27,500,000 to it, the largest being GOVERNORS RURAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION ($27,500,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does TAF Rural Expansion Foundation have?
- IRS filings report 1 organization giving $27,500,000 in grants to TAF Rural Expansion Foundation, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of TAF Rural Expansion Foundation?
- GOVERNORS RURAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $27,500,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like TAF Rural Expansion Foundation find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Tennessee. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2022–2025), and the filings of 1 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing