Athens Federal Foundation
Athens Federal Foundation is a private foundation based in Athens, Tennessee. Established in 2009 by Athens Bancshares Corporation and its shareholders, it supports charitable causes in Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, and Polk counties in East Tennessee.
Athens Federal Foundation at a glance
In short: Athens Federal Foundation gave $314K across 43 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Tennessee. 59% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $314,160
- -15.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 43
- +10.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,306
- -23.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,843,292
- -2.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 59% first-time grantees (24 of 41, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Athens Federal Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s website says 2026 applications are closed and that applications for 2027 grants will open in August 2027. It says applications will be accepted electronically by email only. The 2025 request for proposals specified eligibility for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations in Bradley, Monroe, McMinn, Meigs, and Polk counties, and excluded political organizations, fraternal organizations, and individuals.
- Review Cycle
- The 2025 request for proposals set an August 15, 2025 deadline. That deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The 2025 request for proposals set an August 15, 2025 deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Nicole Gibbs
Mailing address: 200 Decatur Pike, Athens, TN 37303
Phone: (423) 745-1111
Website: https://athensfederalfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Athens Federal Foundation
Who Athens Federal Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was YMCA of Athens ($45K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $172K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($5,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
175 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 173 grants of 175 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation identifies Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, and Polk counties in East Tennessee as its service area. The 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 43 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Athens Federal Foundation open to new grantees?
59%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 24 of 41 grantees (59%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 39% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 22% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 111% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $127K (2020) to $372K (2024). In 2025 it made 43 grants totaling $314K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, TN | Scholarship support | $25,000 |
| YMCA of Athens Athens, TN | Assistance with Building repair projects | $25,000 |
| McMinn Education and Community Foundation - Compasion Closet Athens, TN | Funding to stock clothing and personal care items for each McMinn County public schools | $20,000 |
| YMCA of Athens Athens, TN | Expansion of the Youth Community Action Project (Y-CAP) for at risk youth | $20,000 |
| Miracle Lake Inc Etowah, TN | Assisting with food costs for program participants | $15,000 |
| Tennessee Wesleyan University - Love Thy Neighbor Project Athens, TN | Funds for back sack program for McMinn County Schools | $15,000 |
| Englewood Rural Fire Department Englewood, TN | Purchase of swift water rescue equipment | $12,200 |
| CASA Cooradoir of TN Athens, TN | Recruitment, screening and training for volunteer advocates | $12,000 |
| The HOPE Center Inc Athens, TN | Materials and resources to facilitate Darkness to Light program and transitional housing component of the Domestic Violence Shelter and Sexual Assault Center serving McMinn and Meigs Counties | $10,000 |
| Etowah Rescue Squad Etowah, TN | Purchase of rope rigging rescue equipment | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Athens Federal Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,843,292 | $181,192 | $342,380 | $314,160 | 43 | $315,185 | $175,917 | $284,509 |
| 2024 | $6,004,480 | $1,119,144 | $409,144 | $372,222 | 39 | $373,197 | $1,010,169 | $259,198 |
| 2023 | $5,138,184 | $1,046,872 | $285,640 | $272,300 | 33 | $273,225 | $1,035,947 | $207,736 |
| 2022 | $5,140,172 | $104,813 | $265,666 | $256,800 | 30 | $257,650 | $93,963 | $287,014 |
| 2021 | $6,113,409 | $119,975 | $185,801 | $178,110 | 30 | $179,159 | $57,839 | $285,117 |
| 2020 | $4,682,131 | $571,685 | $131,098 | $126,644 | 31 | — | $50,175 | $172,995 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Athens Federal Foundation reported a distributable amount of $285K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated priorities include affordable housing, job training, and programs for economically disadvantaged people, with special emphasis on education. It also identifies health care, supportive human services, and local cultural groups and institutions as areas it will support.
Its 2025 grants illustrate support for a range of local organizations. Tennessee Wesleyan University received scholarship support; Miracle Lake received funding for food costs for program participants; and Englewood Rural Fire Department received support for swift-water rescue equipment. CASA Monroe received support for volunteer advocate recruitment, screening, and training, while Coordinated Charities of Athens provides limited assistance to individuals with needs such as food, utilities, rent, and medications, according to that organization’s mission.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s website reports that it awarded $314,160 to 39 local nonprofit and charitable agencies in 2025. The 2025 IRS filing data lists the same total in 43 grants. The filing records awards ranging from $2,000 to $25,000, with a median grant of $5,000.
Among the 2025 grants listed in the filing were $25,000 to Tennessee Wesleyan University for scholarship support and $25,000 to YMCA of Athens for building repairs; $20,000 to McMinn County Education and Community Foundation’s Compassion Closet; and $20,000 to YMCA of Athens for its Youth Community Action Project. Other listed awards included $15,000 to Miracle Lake for food costs, $12,200 to Englewood Rural Fire Department for swift-water rescue equipment, and $10,000 to The HOPE Center for program materials and resources.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey L. Cunningham as president; Michael R. Hutsell as treasurer and director; and Nicole Gibbs as secretary. It also lists Allen Carter, Elaine M. Cathcart, Kathy Clark, Ray Grant, Vant Hardaway, Jason Robertson, and Sandra Rowland as directors.
Athens Federal Foundation is led by Jeffrey L. Cunningham, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jeffrey L. Cunningham
President
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Allen Carter
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elaine M. Cathcart
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Clark
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lyn B. Thompson
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael R. Hutsell
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ray Grant
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sandra Rowland
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vant Hardaway
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason Robertson
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Baily Turner
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Gibbs
Secretary
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Laurne Cunningham (2024) — Director
- Former: M. Bailey Turner (2024) — Director
- Former: Moises Contrares (2024) — Director
- Former: Joel Riley (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: John Cockrell (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Linda D. Caldwell (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Amy Yarber (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Larry D. Wallace (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Moises Contreras (2020–2022) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Athens Federal Foundation
How much does Athens Federal Foundation give each year?
Athens Federal Foundation gave $314K across 43 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $372K across 39 grants.
What is Athens Federal Foundation's typical grant size?
Athens Federal Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,306, across 43 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Athens Federal Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Athens Federal Foundation give grants?
Athens Federal Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Athens, TN (25 grants), Etowah, TN (5 grants), Cleveland, TN (4 grants) and Madisonville, TN (3 grants).
Does Athens Federal Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of Athens Federal Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 43) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Purchase books for Imagination Library program" (4 grants) and "Purchase of food for food pantry" (3 grants).
Who are Athens Federal Foundation's largest grantees?
Athens Federal Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include YMCA of Athens ($45,000 across 2 grants), Tennessee Wesleyan University ($25,000) and McMinn Education and Community Foundation - Compasion Closet ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($5,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Athens Federal Foundation?
Athens Federal Foundation reported $5.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $315K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $285K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Athens Federal Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated priorities include affordable housing, job training, and programs for economically disadvantaged people, with special emphasis on education. It also identifies health care, supportive human services, and local cultural groups and institutions as areas it will support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Athens Federal Foundation?
The foundation’s website says 2026 applications are closed and that applications for 2027 grants will open in August 2027. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Athens Federal Foundation's EIN?
Athens Federal Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1569250. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Athens Federal Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Athens Federal Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/athens-federal-foundation-morg_dd7e3979f2d74d0695a5986d1bd72fae
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_271569250_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Athens Federal Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/athens-federal-foundation-morg_dd7e3979f2d74d0695a5986d1bd72fae},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Athens Federal Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Athens Federal Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?